Christmas east of you
Christmas quietly came and went in Sarajevo, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed spending it here. Surprised, because the majority of the population is Muslim--yeah, bah humbug! There's no way to tell that it's Christmas in Sarajevo by looking out the window; mind you, there are a few stores owned by the Slovenians and Croatians that put up decorations and have the obligatory Santa in all forms: inflatable, mechanical, and the real deal. But for the most part Christmas looks and feels like just another day here.
At first that fact upset me, but then I got to thinking that if I strip off all my pre-conceived notions of how things ought to be and simply focus on just having a heart of celebration, the decorations and traditions are merely icing on the cake. Freed from the distractions of all the to-do of the Christmas season, I was able to celebrate with more joy and thankfulness than I think I ever have, and the reality of Christ's birth and humanity on this earth was even more amazing to me.
On Christmas Eve morning at church, though nothing was mentioned during the service about Christmas, everyone kindly greeted me with "Sretan Božić" (Merry Christmas). I have come to really sympathize with the fact that Christmas is associated so much here with the suffering of war and religious and political agenda. And since most of the church members converted from Islam, Christmas is not even a part of their vocabulary--it's just another religious something that the Catholic and Orthodox churches recognize. For a long time it was very hard for me to accept the fact that this church doesn't acknowledge Christmas or Easter, but living here and coming to know this culture has truly softened my heart on the issue.
So, the few of us who celebrated put our heads together and were able to conjure up a lovely Christmas celebration. I made some familiar, traditional Christmas foods, and later people came over and we talked and sang and sipped hot mulled wine. No gift-giving, just delightful fellowship. I loved the simplicity of it--there's so much commotion and busyness associated with Christmas that it's hard to just relax and really enjoy one another. I loved that I was able to really enjoy people this year.
And at 11:30 we headed downtown to St. Anthony's, the beautiful Catholic cathedral, for the midnight mass. This was my favorite part of the evening. The cathedral was absolutely packed, so much so that the crowd was spilling out into the entranceway. Fireworks were going off in the street right outside the building, some of them so loud that they were setting off car alarms. Everyone smelled like too much beer, and standing so close to people made it a bit difficult to breathe, but it was an unforgettable moment in my life.
As I stood in the crowd and watched, I realized that I love a lot of the liturgy of the Catholics--I believe that the fear of God and the reverance has been lost in many evangelical churches, and that we're too relaxed in the presence of God. It's convicting to know that, though we should absolutely not embrace their doctrine, we could learn a lot from the Catholics about putting holiness and fear of the Almighty God back into the church.
But I digress. It was the first mass I've ever seen and I really enjoyed it; and what a beautiful building. Not cheesy and filled with icons like some of the Orthodox churches I've seen. A beautiful domed ceiling to which the organ and voices raised the familiar strains of Silent Night (in Bosnian). Thanks to Boro, my Bosnian friend, I was able to understand the gist of the mass, too, though from where we were standing it was difficult to hear the pope. He did a fabulous job translating, though, despite the hindrance.
On Christmas Day I ordered chicken curry from Taj Mahal, and watched Elizabeth Bennet fall in love with Mr. Darcy all over again. Six hours of pure, Jane Austen bliss. That's my idea of a Christmas Day well spent. And thanks to Skype, I got to wish the family a Merry Christmas both days, and hear about all the festivities, food and gifts on their end.
So, it's all over until next year. It always surprises me how quickly Christmas comes and goes. What a blessing to have been able to spend it here. I have absolutely no idea where I'll be next year, but I'm sure I will let you know.
Merry Christmas once again, and Happy New Year!
At first that fact upset me, but then I got to thinking that if I strip off all my pre-conceived notions of how things ought to be and simply focus on just having a heart of celebration, the decorations and traditions are merely icing on the cake. Freed from the distractions of all the to-do of the Christmas season, I was able to celebrate with more joy and thankfulness than I think I ever have, and the reality of Christ's birth and humanity on this earth was even more amazing to me.
On Christmas Eve morning at church, though nothing was mentioned during the service about Christmas, everyone kindly greeted me with "Sretan Božić" (Merry Christmas). I have come to really sympathize with the fact that Christmas is associated so much here with the suffering of war and religious and political agenda. And since most of the church members converted from Islam, Christmas is not even a part of their vocabulary--it's just another religious something that the Catholic and Orthodox churches recognize. For a long time it was very hard for me to accept the fact that this church doesn't acknowledge Christmas or Easter, but living here and coming to know this culture has truly softened my heart on the issue.
So, the few of us who celebrated put our heads together and were able to conjure up a lovely Christmas celebration. I made some familiar, traditional Christmas foods, and later people came over and we talked and sang and sipped hot mulled wine. No gift-giving, just delightful fellowship. I loved the simplicity of it--there's so much commotion and busyness associated with Christmas that it's hard to just relax and really enjoy one another. I loved that I was able to really enjoy people this year.
And at 11:30 we headed downtown to St. Anthony's, the beautiful Catholic cathedral, for the midnight mass. This was my favorite part of the evening. The cathedral was absolutely packed, so much so that the crowd was spilling out into the entranceway. Fireworks were going off in the street right outside the building, some of them so loud that they were setting off car alarms. Everyone smelled like too much beer, and standing so close to people made it a bit difficult to breathe, but it was an unforgettable moment in my life.
As I stood in the crowd and watched, I realized that I love a lot of the liturgy of the Catholics--I believe that the fear of God and the reverance has been lost in many evangelical churches, and that we're too relaxed in the presence of God. It's convicting to know that, though we should absolutely not embrace their doctrine, we could learn a lot from the Catholics about putting holiness and fear of the Almighty God back into the church.
But I digress. It was the first mass I've ever seen and I really enjoyed it; and what a beautiful building. Not cheesy and filled with icons like some of the Orthodox churches I've seen. A beautiful domed ceiling to which the organ and voices raised the familiar strains of Silent Night (in Bosnian). Thanks to Boro, my Bosnian friend, I was able to understand the gist of the mass, too, though from where we were standing it was difficult to hear the pope. He did a fabulous job translating, though, despite the hindrance.
On Christmas Day I ordered chicken curry from Taj Mahal, and watched Elizabeth Bennet fall in love with Mr. Darcy all over again. Six hours of pure, Jane Austen bliss. That's my idea of a Christmas Day well spent. And thanks to Skype, I got to wish the family a Merry Christmas both days, and hear about all the festivities, food and gifts on their end.
So, it's all over until next year. It always surprises me how quickly Christmas comes and goes. What a blessing to have been able to spend it here. I have absolutely no idea where I'll be next year, but I'm sure I will let you know.
Merry Christmas once again, and Happy New Year!
2 Comments:
Dear bikah...fantastic writing..loved ur thinking..so whats u doin on new years??
Thank you, Cathrina! I am going to be here in Sarajevo for New Year's; having some friends over and we might shoot off some fireworks, I don't know :). What are your plans? Happy New Year!
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