Orthodox Christmas and more

The Orthodox Christmas season starts on January 5 with a bonfire celebration called Kolede.  It is a an old pagan festival for the return of the sun.  The celebration at this point involves lighting a bon fire.






This year I attended the bonfire at the local church.  Yes, the Orthodox church took over this celebration, probably sometime in the middle ages.  However, different from the Catholic church taking over solstice celebrations in western Europe, the Orthodox church needed to give this celebration some other religious meaning. They already had Christmas.  So, in a strange shift of chronology, they decided that Kolede would commemorate Herod killing of the infant boys in Bethlehem.   The celebration at church included the selling of oak leaf branches, candles to burn in remembrance of deceased persons and the opportunity to kiss a particular icon.  Then the priests came out, clad in bright colored robes.   They read a short liturgy and lit the fire.

Bon fires are also lit in neighborhoods.  I attended one of these fires last year.  No religion here.  just a neighborhood party with plenty of food, conversation and rekia, the local moonshine.  If I am going to acknowledge pagan activities, I would rather do it without the sheen of religion.  For one thing it was a more convivial time.

The next day is given over to the Macedonian answer to Halloween minus the costumes and at a different time of day.  Starting at about 8:00 in the morning, kids come around and sing songs of good fortune to the house or laments of the poor murdered children of Bethlehem probably depending on what songs their parents sang..  The children are then given a treat or money.  I saw a couple of children stop to assess their take.  They had two huge shopping bags bulging and they also were counting out a significant amount of money.  I'm glad the kids at least have an opportunity to get some goodies.                                                                                              
That evening, Christmas Eve, is traditionally the family time.  My church arranged for me to share dinner with a family from the church.  We had bean soup and fish.  Very good and I was even able to converse a little in Macedonian.  Fun.

The next day was Christmas.  My church invited  one and all to come to the service that night. They had over 200 in attendance.  The agenda included presentation by the youth of the church.  This group sang a song.  Another group gave a rendition of the Nativity, with a beautiful young woman as Mary and one young man doing double duty as the Angel Gabriel and the donkey.  A very enjoyable time.

Then they distributed Christmas boxes from a charity organized by Billy Graham's son.  The kids did enjoy getting these gifts.  The boxes include small toys, candy and perhaps a pair of gloves or so.  Not quite the tearing into gifts on Christmas morning around the tree, but a lovely memory none the less.

Of course this is not the end of celebration for me.  My birthday is January 8, the day after Orthodox Christmas.  This year I decided to give rather than receive, though I did receive many Facebook good wished and several cards and even one or two snail mail cards. Thank you to all who brightened my day.  Anyway, in the evening, I arranged to have dinner at the Dublin with the two  young people who translate for me at church.  Sara graduated from high school last year and is taking a gap year as she arranges to go to college next year.  Stephan was an exchange student in Wisconsin last year and is finishing up his high school.  We had a very nice dinner.

Another week of activities.  Now I am trying to get back into a more mundane routine preparing for the new semester next month.

Christmas week 2013

I really like being in Macedonia during the holidays.  I have American Christmas on December 25 and then celebrate the Orthodox Christmas on January 7.  This year Christmas week was full.  On Saturday I had dinner with one of my students at the Dublin, a local pub.  They do not serve hard cider, my favorite alcoholic beverage.  They do however have good mulled wine during the winter months, which is a good second choice.

Sunday I attended church and was surprised that there was a wedding.  A young couple had their church ceremony.  In Macedonia you are legally married at the government registry, so the church wedding is a take it or leave it affair.  This was the most unusual church wedding I had seen.  It began with a musical presentation with the kids, the pastor and his wife and the couple dancing with somewhat suggestive moves.  But I hadn't laughed so hard in a long time.  The groom is the tall guy on the right and the bride is in the brown skirt and beige blouse on the left. The pastor is in the dark suit in the middle.

After the dance,  they  said their vows with their hands on the Bible.  Then the couple sat in chairs and were prayed over by all the pastors present. (We had several visiting pastors from Bulgaria that day.)  Then there was a short skit to instruct them about married life.  Two people started off remeniecing about their wedding and honeymoon.  Then we see them at home; he is watching TV and she is trying to keep the house neat. They start listing all the things they have discovered about the other that they do not like, body odor, sleep patterns and so forth.  Then they were reminded that bringing God into the marriage allows for a way to get through these and other difficulties.



Monday I went to the American Corner, a small lending library and meeting room sponsored by the US State Department.  About 20 kids from a local school were invited to decorate and eat Christmas cookies.  I brought the cookies and gave a short presentation about Christmas in the US.  It was a fun time.

Tuesday was the office Christmas lunch.  I arrived on time and no one else was there.  This is Macedonia.  The first person to arrive after me was the department secretary.  We sat down and created the women's table, with the men sitting at the other one.  I was a little surprised that they served alcohol, all on the department's tab.After the women's table cleared out, I spent an hour or so talking with my male colleagues, an enjoyable afternoon

The department of economics and the music school were also having their luncheons that day.  The economics department was decidedly more festive, with singing and dancing.  Perhaps they drank more than the law department.  

Wednesday, Christmas, was bittersweet.  My room mate decided to wait for her work permit in Japan, since it still had not come and her tourist visa had expired. So, I spent the day helping her pack and seeing her off.  In the evening, I went to a celebration at my church.  This year it was on a regular meeting day, so it was a little more formal than last year, but still very fun. I brought cookies, the chocolate chip ones were a real hit, and they brought enough to fill the large table.  They sang Christmas carols and we had a very good time. (They have a translation of Jingle Bells that I really like.  Rather than jingling the bells go bim bam bong.)

Thursday I went to the bath like I usually do on that day of the week.  Soaking in the hot water was just what I needed to relax.  When I got home, I opened the gifts that my aunt had sent with me last summer. They were a number of small, useful items.  You can see the cards I got.  I also received several text messages of merry Christmas.  It was a good time.

Friday I did my weekly grocery shopping and came home to enjoy the tree that Yuko had gotten and decorated.  That is just one of the several wonderful things she has done for me. One day I mentioned that, this being my second Christmas here, I was ready to make some commitment to the holiday.  I would bring back a small tree next year.  The next day I come into the house and see that Yuko has gotten this one and decorated it with origami.  It makes a beautiful end to Christmas week.