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talkpoliticsThe avalanche of niceties hasn't bypassed these very Webz, either. Of course. Sugary, sparkling Christmas cards are flooding emails and FB walls. Everywhere you look, you see pompous, ridiculous, infantile good wishes, full of false sympathy and concern for your well-being from people who otherwise never call you during the year. Everyone is doing their best to declare and demonstrate their kindness to their neighbor and their compassion for the poor and the people in need. Mass charity and aid campaigns are being heralded in the media. The key word being "campaign". Because that's what they are - we good Christians are kind and good and compassionate around Christmas Eve; but once it's gone, we're back to "default mode", back to being the self-centered, self-focused, gloomy folks that we are, stuck in their everyday routine.
Have I been sounding too sombre in my latest two posts? Sorry about that. I'm not alien to nice drinks, nice food, nice parties and nice time around the shops, mind you. But meanwhile it's been kind of irksome to observe the sudden, but not unexpected, cyclical transformation of our societies, whenever the Holy Holidays approach. It's kinda fascinating too, you know. Exploring the lengths to which falseness could reach. And every next year doesn't fail to surprise, and push the limits one bit further than the previous one!
Because nowadays, Christmas has very little to do with religion, with God, faith, or kindness, humanity and compassion. And that's universal, I'd posit. All around the Christian world (or the Christian-influenced world anyway), the bright holy holiday has mutated into a grotesque Bacchanalia of endless gorging, guzzling and stuffing oneself to the point of belly-bursting. Billions of dollars, euros, pounds, leva or whatever, are being thrown for buying utterly useless stuff, to feed one another's egos with a sense of accomplishment and togetherness, merry Christmas carols are being sung loudly to deafen this feeling that something's lacking pretty badly in the "faith" department, all the while crossing oneself vigorously in a declaration of piety and lighting candles, chanting hymns the meaning of which we've long forgotten, or have stopped paying attention to.
People wait at the shopping malls for hours in the dark freezing mornings, and once the gates are unlocked... all HELL breaks loose! They'd stampede and knock each other down, and fight for that coveted Playstation, or Blackberry, or some other stupid gadget that's been released at a 75% discount. But Jesus would understand, I'm sure! He won't judge us too harshly. Because we're human, right?
Returning back here to our domestic issues, we in the Balkans like to pretend that we've preserved our millenia-old traditions intact. Well, one such nice Christmas tradition is cutting the pig's throat on Christmas morning and enjoying the sight of its blood spilling down on the pavement. The whole village gathers at the square, there's wine and salads and songs and dancing, and happy giggling kids, and moms yelling at them, and men sharpening the cleaver. Then the big moment arrives! The young boys usually have the task to sit on the pig's back to slow it down, once it has been trapped inside a tightening circle of men. But even then, the damned pig puts up a fierce resistance, so it all turns into a crazy chase. But eventually the pig is caught. Then the eldest man approaches, and makes a swift move of the hand, and the long knife is buried just behind the pig's throat. The squeaking of agony fills the air! The drums and bagpipes follow soon thereafter! Everyone is festive! There'll be pork tonight! And the sun will rise again tomorrow! Hooray! The son of God is born!
After the ritualistic murder of the pig, the whole community happily sits around the huge table, and begins stuffing themselves with meat and wine, and salads and you-name-it. The long fasting period (as prescribed in the Bible itself) is declared done, and we can all indulge in gluttony now. Jesus approves! He ought to: after all, the village priest is sitting at the head of the table, next to the village mayor and the village teacher! The holy Triumvirate approves, so Jesus must, too!
But I'm sure somewhere, in some remote home, Christmas is what it was initially meant to be - a holiday for the soul. For the rest of us, it's a triumph of the full belly.
Merry Christmas to all the Christians among us! Here's my special holiday greeting to all of us! Want a piece of the pig? He died so we could be happy! Isn't that the ultimate sacrifice for humanity? He's the true martyr!
(WARNING! Gory images in the video - not for Christians who are faint of heart!)
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And what did you buy from the shopping mall? You have been nice for this passing year, haven't you?
(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 14:57 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 15:02 (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 24/12/12 15:41 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 15:08 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 15:18 (UTC)So, in order to save the world, all we have to do is... BELIEVE!
(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 15:25 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 23:46 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 23:48 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 20:16 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 23:40 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 25/12/12 22:39 (UTC)Then again, the Maya have a World Tree god named Votan; the Norse a World Tree god named Wotan. Coincidence?
(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 21:28 (UTC)And I hope you and yours (and everybody!) have a Merry Christmas though (however you celebrate it!)
It's been a lot of fun.
(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 15:16 (UTC)This is the season of being jolly! And other things ending in ~holy.
(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 15:26 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 15:28 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 15:30 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 15:31 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 15:34 (UTC)trollface.jpg
(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 18:47 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 25/12/12 22:43 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 15:48 (UTC)So, have a happy day, grinch.
(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 16:08 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 20:14 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 16:18 (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 24/12/12 16:14 (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 24/12/12 16:19 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 16:23 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 19:00 (UTC)Thanks for the reminder of the cushy reality that is USA.
(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 23:41 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 19:22 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 19:23 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 21:48 (UTC)A performance from Vivaldi's Gloria, performed by an all women choir (including tenors and basses) in the Venice orphanage chapel where Vivaldi worked. Venice operated several orphanages (the one Vivaldi worked for is still caring for the destitute and poor), and would take in children no questions asked. The orphans would be trained in all manners of music, including singing, and all types of instruments, including trumpet and timpani (very unorthodox at the time). The girls would give concerts from four sided galleries above the chapel, behind iron grill works; these concerts would attract listeners from all over Europe, including royalty and nobility. Because applause was forbidden, the audience would give its approval by a sudden stomping of the feet, sneezing and coughing. A beautiful performance here ;)
(no subject)
Date: 24/12/12 23:04 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 25/12/12 06:51 (UTC)And near a thousand tables pined and wanted food.”
-Wordsworth
(no subject)
Date: 25/12/12 22:46 (UTC)Open it up, and it said, "But at 12:01 am on December 26th it's back to 'Fuck you, Charlie.'"
Best evar.