Chinese New Year, Ninth Day

The most important festival in China, New Years last for 15 days with many days having their own special meanings and ceremonies.  January 31st is the Ninth Day of the festival for 2012, which is the birthday of Peace Absolving, Central August Spirit Exalted, Ancient Buddha, Most Pious and Honorable, His Highness the Jade-Emperor, Xuanling High Sovereign, more commonly known as the Jade Emperor.  One of the most important gods of the traditional pantheon of China, he rules the heavens and all that is below including man.

During this day priests and lay people will offer food and burn incense. Not the most important day of the New Years festival but still a day to remember.

Feast of the Nativity, Koiahk 27 (Coptic Orthodox Christmas Jan 7)

Bet you thought Christmas was over, well not for everyone.  January 6th in the Gregorian calendar is just Christmas Eve for the Coptic Orthodox church.  It’s also not January 6th but Koiahk 27th and this is the year 1728 in the Coptic calendar.  Believe it or not there are many different calendars in the world, the one most used in the Americas and Europe is the Gregorian.

But back to the important reason for this post... I actually got to interview someone about Coptic Orthodox Christmas or the Feast of the Nativity.  Today is actually the Paramoni of the Feast of the Nativity.  Mariam, born in Egypt but has lived in the United States since she was 7, talked to me about the customs, traditions and meaning of this time of year.  

A few background things I found before speaking with her might help in understanding this holiday.  The Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the Christian Churches that formed shortly after the death of Christ (another example is the Greek Orthodox, which have many of the same teachings).  So while many in the United States and Europe are very familiar with the Catholic Church and the Churches that subsequently broke away you may not know that it is just one of the major Churches formed during that time.  The center of the Coptic Orthodox is in Egypt and is practiced through out the Arabic world with smaller but growing populations out side of that area (like Nashville where they now have five churches).

Many people will be familiar with the idea of Christmas as being the time the birth of Christ is celebrated and this is true of the Coptic Orthodox as well but there are differences in the way it is observed. Fasting before Christmas is very important but it is not just about abstaining from foods.  From what I gathered it is not a complete fast of all foods as it lasts about a month.  There are a number of foods that are strictly forbidden such as meats and dairy leaving pretty much only vegetable dishes left.  But don’t think that you vegetarians get out that easy, if there is a dish you particularly like you should abstain from eating that as well (vegetarian or not).  The point of the fasting is not to just not eat that food but to actually give something up, similar to lent.  By giving up something you like you are offering a sacrifice to God.  Assuming you are able to do this you can go to the next stage and become even closer by fasting from Sin.  Normally a person will concentrate on a particular Sin and abstain from that, there by strengthening their relationship with God.  In this case it is not only the 10 commandments that many people know but also things that take you away from God.  I suggested that watching TV would be an example as this takes time away from reflecting on God and Mariam agreed.

The fasting lasts until midnight when there is a Mass.  At this Mass people will wear their very best outfits, often new ones.  This is a reflection of how they would want to act actually being in the presence of Christ and God.  After the Mass they would go home and break their fast together as a family.  This time of year is very much centered around the family and the extended family.  People getting together and renewing bounds between them and God.  Mariam said that in her family they took this time to reflect on the past year and what they hoped for in the coming year again centering on the family and their relationships.  She said that this was definitely not the same for all families but is what her family does.

The day of Christmas or the Feast of the Nativity it’s self, Koiahk 27th, the congregation will get together at the church and have a big celebration and feast.  There is singing, psalms and choir will often perform, it is a time to connect with all the people of the church and renew the connection with God.  Often there will be another day when the churches in the area will either all get together or visit one another to renew their connections as well.

For the Coptic Orthodox the Christmas time is still very much a religious event, presents are not normally exchanged and the focus is on the family and Christ.  While growing up Mariam said her favorite part of the season was the new clothes she would receive.  Her mother made clothes for a living and they were not wealthy food was sometimes in short supply but she knew that come Christmas she would get the best outfit she could think of, her mother always knew what would look best on the children and what they liked and they would wear it to mass on Christmas Eve.  Dinner would be abundant that day as well.  Like many cultures that come to the United States, they are trying to hold onto the roots of their culture and traditions but the children born here have a hard time understanding the hardships that had to be endured to come here, they can lose focus of the meaning for the holiday.  Those who remember try their best to instill in them the sense of the old traditions and customs but it is hard work.

But I wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

El Día de las Velitas, Day of the Candles, December 7 Colombia

Celebrated in Colombia, El Día de las Velitas has been around since 1854 when Pope Pius IX defined as dogma the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.  This is the start of the Christmas season in Colombia and they bring it in with quite a celebration of lights.

Through out the country they put their own spin on how people recognize the day but fireworks as well as the traditional candles are set up.  I have included some video showing how some of the displays are very large and had for me to image setting them up and lighting all of those candles.

People decorate their houses and business making this the highlight of the decorations as well.  Cities and villages will even close off streets to allow people to wander and admire the lights.  Many places people stay up and party all night.

Some additional resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%ADa_de_las_Velitas

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.elcolombiano.com/proyectos/navidad2005/tradiciones/velitas1.htm&ei=h4vfTs_nFI-Ctges44H_Aw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDMQ7gEwAQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3DEl%2BD%25C3%25ADa%2Bde%2Blas%2BVelitas%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26prmd%3Dimvns

¡Viva México!,¡Viva México!,¡Viva México! Independence Day Mexico, September 16th

September 16th, 1810 is the day that independence was declared in Mexico and over a decade later it was fully realized.  Many in the United States mistakenly believe that May 5th or Cinco de Mayo and this date is celebrated in the U.S. as a day to enjoy all things Mexican, except perhaps the actual history of Mexico.

While like many countries, Mexico celebrates with parades, marching bands, the hanging of their national flag and having parties there is an interesting extra event that takes place.

Grito de Dolores("Cry of Dolores") or El Grito de la Independencia("Cry of Independence"), is re-enacted every year by the president of Mexico as well as other officials such as Mayors and Ambassadors from Mexico.  This was the speech given that called the populace to come together to be free and spoken by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Roman Catholic priest.  What the actual wording was has been lost but the tone and ideas have remained and are repeated at these events.  The President of will typically do this speech the night before around 11:00 PM or at Midnight on a balcony at the presidential palace.  He will ring a bell and recite these words.

(From wikipedia this is the translated wording)

Mexicans!

Long live the heroes that gave us the Fatherland!

Long live Hidalgo!

Long live Morelos!

Long live Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez!

Long live Allende!

Long live Aldama and Matamoros!

Long live National Independence!

Long Live Mexico! Long Live Mexico! LONG LIVE MEXICO!!!!

Following the speech he will ring a bell.  This same speech is given by the other official representatives of the country through out the world.

Links: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grito_de_Dolores

Independence Day, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Honduras September 15

The area that would one day become Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Honduras declared their independence from Spain on September 15, 1821.  It took a few years of searching around first joining the Mexican Empire then trying to form their own Central United States till they became separate countries.

Today the celebration last many weeks and the preparations last even longer.  There are marching bands and parades.  Speeches are given and the military will pass in review for the presidents of the countries.  Many people will dress in traditional clothing and show their pride in their country and independence.

One aspect I find really interesting is the torch that is run the length of the countries signifying the freedom being announced to all the states.  The run ends in Costa Rica which was the last area to hear about the independence being so far removed.

So Happy Independence Day Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Honduras!

Some additional links:

http://2backpackers.com/1804/photo-of-the-day/guatemala-independence-day

http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Heredia/blog-92337.html

http://costa-rica-guide.com/travel/index.php?Itemid=676&id=443&option=com_content&task=view