The Day After Christmas
It's the day after Christmas. For me this is usually a time I find myself reflecting on the big unanswerable questions. Why am I here, what am I doing, why am I doing it, why can't I do it better, what's happening to all the other people in the world, why are some happy and so many miserable...you see what I mean.
I'm also watching CNN's detailed coverage of the huge earthquake and tsunamis (tidal waves) in Asia. Thousands of people are dead in a number of countries. I suppose some people are praying to God, in whatever form, for help. If I were prone to such one-way conversations, I think I would be more likely to say, "What the hell were you thinking of? Why would you do such a thing?"
Once I'm finished with all the big things I can't do anything about, I go to the little things I can control. Such as when should I take down my fake little Christmas tree? (Actually, it looks pretty nice when all the decorations are on it.) It's a running battle between me and Cat every year. I want to keep the tree in once piece, and he wants to attack it. I admonish him to stay off the table where the tree is perched, and he plots to get up there and do as much damage as possible. I yell at him, he ignores me. But he's been pretty good this year--no wholesale destruction. His version of compromise is to sneak up there when I'm not looking and steal a decoration and play with it a while, then run like hell when I start yelling. Ah, life with Cat!
Serbian Orthodox Christians, which means virtually all Serbs, traditionally follow the Julian calendar in religious matters. So here in Belgrade, Christmas Day is on January 7, and New Year's Day is on January 14. In practice, however, January 1 is recognized as the beginning of the New Year, and this is when gifts are given.
People here are very aware of December 25 as "Catholic Christmas," and decorations are evident by then, but there aren't non-stop Christmas carols (which is a blessing in itself). Serbs who know you are non-Orthodox frequently greet you with "Merry Christmas," and they give Christmas gifts on December 25 if they are close to you. It's very nice, and it reflects a sense of acceptance and tolerance.
As the Serbs say, "Srećna Nova Godina!" and "Hristos se rodi!" It's a hopeful wish and a nice blessing, no matter who you are or what you believe.
I'm also watching CNN's detailed coverage of the huge earthquake and tsunamis (tidal waves) in Asia. Thousands of people are dead in a number of countries. I suppose some people are praying to God, in whatever form, for help. If I were prone to such one-way conversations, I think I would be more likely to say, "What the hell were you thinking of? Why would you do such a thing?"
Once I'm finished with all the big things I can't do anything about, I go to the little things I can control. Such as when should I take down my fake little Christmas tree? (Actually, it looks pretty nice when all the decorations are on it.) It's a running battle between me and Cat every year. I want to keep the tree in once piece, and he wants to attack it. I admonish him to stay off the table where the tree is perched, and he plots to get up there and do as much damage as possible. I yell at him, he ignores me. But he's been pretty good this year--no wholesale destruction. His version of compromise is to sneak up there when I'm not looking and steal a decoration and play with it a while, then run like hell when I start yelling. Ah, life with Cat!
Serbian Orthodox Christians, which means virtually all Serbs, traditionally follow the Julian calendar in religious matters. So here in Belgrade, Christmas Day is on January 7, and New Year's Day is on January 14. In practice, however, January 1 is recognized as the beginning of the New Year, and this is when gifts are given.
People here are very aware of December 25 as "Catholic Christmas," and decorations are evident by then, but there aren't non-stop Christmas carols (which is a blessing in itself). Serbs who know you are non-Orthodox frequently greet you with "Merry Christmas," and they give Christmas gifts on December 25 if they are close to you. It's very nice, and it reflects a sense of acceptance and tolerance.
As the Serbs say, "Srećna Nova Godina!" and "Hristos se rodi!" It's a hopeful wish and a nice blessing, no matter who you are or what you believe.
8 Comments:
Very interesting post. Especially the stuff about how Serbs observe the Holidays. I'm fascinated by stuff like that.
What brought you to be living in Belgrade, if I may ask?
I work with a Bosnian Muslim and it has been very interesting to talk to him about the region, world politics in general and his perspective on what has happened in his homeland over the last 10 years.
Very interesting stuff... to me at least.
Hope you and Cat had a lovely Christmas, Tom.
I'm working on my fifth Wild Turkey and Coke even as I write this. Jesus Christ on a pogo stick.
The celebration never ends in Rochester, New York!
Eagerly waiting your arrival,
Ms. Lori
Hope you and Cat had a lovely Christmas, Tom.
I'm working on my fifth Wild Turkey and Coke even as I write this. Jesus Christ on a pogo stick.
The celebration never ends in Rochester, New York!
Eagerly waiting your arrival,
Ms. Lori
Of course, that should read, "awaiting" your arrival. and the duplicate posts are embarrassing as hell. But what good are the holidays without a little humiliation, eh?
Love,
Ms. Lori
Merry Christmas and a happy healthy New Year.
What Cat is actually doing is redecorating the tree to his own taste. :)
Sissy
http://sisu.typepad.com
Kevin, I wrote about how I ended up living in Belgrade, and about living overseas in general, in an earlier post, "Living Overseas".
I'm sure your Bosnian friend can tell you a lot about the complex history and politics of the Balkans. The conflicts of the 90s were hard for everyone, and the facts of what happened depend to an unusual degree on individual points of view. If you're interested in the Balkans, I strongly recommend a very readable book by Misha Glenny, The Balkans, 1804-1999: Nationalism, War, and the Great Powers. It's one of the best of a large number of books written on the subject.
Interesting, and Merry Christmas!
I'm envious of the lack of non-stop Christmas carols. Playing them repeatedly is probably responsible for the high suicide rate around Christmas time.
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