Happy holidays
So onto the late reports: Christmas is over. We had a nice one and hope everyone had the same. There's not much new and exotic to report about ours. My in-laws were in town again and over the weekend we were treated to dinner out, a Christmas show, and caroling students--just like last year. One thing that I did notice however, was the difference between Christmas in the States, where the day is a community holiday as well as a religious one, and Christmas here in China, where it's essentially a foreign holiday.
I have a tendancy to try and catalog the things in my life. When it comes to holidays, I've divided them into major holidays, like Christmas or the Fourth of July, and minor days, like Presidents' Day or Veteran's Day. The main criteria for each is if the malls are closed or not. (at least when I was younger. For all I know, the malls have taken to staying open all year 'round.) If it's a major holiday, most people get a day off of work. If it's a minor one, only the schoolkids, government workers and bankers get the day off. There are also religious holidays, like Epiphany or Yom Kippur, which doesn't get a body off of work, but is a time of celebration/commemoration for those who follow the particular religion. And then there are the foreign holidays. These are those holidays that are of significance to a particular ethnic group but really don't register with the rest of us. Those are holidays like Cinco de Mayo, Oktoberfest, or St. Patrick's Day. One trend I noticed in the past number of years is that these are starting to be advertised as excuses to hit the bars and celebrate with your friends.
Anyway, this year here in Yunnan, I caught a glimpse of Christmas as a foreign holiday. My in-laws were staying at a hotel at the edge of campus and every evening I would escort them "home" from our apartment. Right next to the hotel is a bar. I've never had the opportunity or desire to observe the bar's traffic patterns, but on Christmas Eve, it was really hoppin'. There were a number of folks walking in and out and at least three doormen dressed in Santa Claus suits. It was quite weird. I have nothing against folks going out to a tavern with their friends and having a good time, but Christmas Eve is one of the last nights I would be inclined to do so. I've spent too many years thinking of it as the "Silent Night". Christmas Day also served up a slice of culture shock, but in a different way. For us it was a holy day and we went off to church as is our custom. But for most folks in town, it was just Monday morning. The construction workers were banging away at the new apartments out back and all the kids were trudging off to school. All day was like being in the Twilight Zone. Step into the apartment and it's Christmas, with music and decorations and all the trappings. Step outside and it's just another December day, with everybody going about their business.
When folks talk about holidays and traditions, the discussion ofttimes dwells on the core meaning of the celebrations and how sometimes people lose sight of it in all the trappings. I would agree with those who say that if you lose the original meaning, you've essentially have created a different holiday. (Like Labor Day being more about the last weekend of summer thank about honoring any workers.) But I think that the traditions and customs we build onto our holidays are more than just window dressing. I think they also serve to connect our thoughts and emotions to the day, to the core meaning of the celebration. It's been interesting to spend some holidays out here on the other side of the world. While we may return to our old customs next year, I don't think I'll ever take them for granted again.
posted by John @ 6:11 AM
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