The telephone computer lady lies to me. I shall find her in the small hours of the night and put a bat up her night dress.
Happy Sinterklaas Day, by the by. Today is Dutch christmas, when Sinterklaas comes around on a horse with his 'elf' (read:slave), Black Pete, and puts gifts in children's wooden shoes that they leave by the hearth. But as Black Pete is in charge of putting the gifts into the shoes, he fucks up and five-year-olds get mommy and daddy's 'love snacks' (like Belgian chocolate body paint). At least, this would happen were Holland not home of the uber-conservative Protestants. At any rate, this is Holland's traditional winter celebration--a way to blame the black guy, once again. I don't know where it stems from; maybe I'll do some research and write a paper on it. When I was young my parents and I celebrated it, as well as Hanukkah and Christmas...so I got 3 chances at presents.
Another winter holiday we celebrated but one that did not gain me any gifts was the Winter Solstice, or Yule, as I call it now. There is a huge fire festival on the 21st of December on Granville Island, where I used to live, in Vancouver, Canada. It is more a form of performance and mixed media art than an actual Pagan festival (Vancouver is an art hub), and all the big city heathens come and join in the festivities. One of the most fun parts about it, especially for the creatively inclined, is the lanterns you can make in the weeks leading up to the 21st. There are classes at the various studios at Granville Island where each person makes a lantern of their
own design, and at the festival everyone who's done so has a lit-up lantern. The afternoon is brightly lit (it gets dark /really/ early this time of year in Vancouver) with gorgeous tissue-paper lanterns. The festival itself is a combination of fire-dancing and fire-works---really quite a spectacular show---as well as communion with one's fellow Vancouverites.
Vancouver is home of the fire festivals--aside from the Solstice, the Symphony of Fire happens annually---sponsored by a cigarette company, but no one complains because it is a gorgeous event one doesn't want to miss. It's several nights of fireworks that can be seen from various places in the city, put to music. Different countries are represented each night. To hear the music one can listen on the radio or go to the official watching place (which is horrendously expensive, so most people don't). We had a perfect view from the apartment building where we used
to live. Usually we'd get together with the neighbors down the hall and watch the show together. Sometimes we'd go to another place in the city and sit on the dewy grass with other city heathens, enjoying what Vancouver has to offer.
I think it was partly the presence of fire festivals in my youth that led to my current religious affiliation. More correctly said, I've always /been/ a Pagan; I've /known/ for 9 years. And, unfortunately, I do not feel that my Pagan nature is supported at all here--I felt much more support, both from the humanity around me and the limited nature found there, in the dreary rainy city of Vancouver, B.C.
I miss home very much.
And maybe I don't really know what I want to do, but at least I know I have the freedom to change my plans--as one should be able to at this age. I'm 19; I'm spontaneous. ...on second thought, maybe my age has nothing to do with it. I'll probably always be spontaneous. This is something the rest of the world cannot handle.
They can fuck off.
Everything is floating right now. Which is...fine.
Happy Sinterklaas Day, by the by. Today is Dutch christmas, when Sinterklaas comes around on a horse with his 'elf' (read:slave), Black Pete, and puts gifts in children's wooden shoes that they leave by the hearth. But as Black Pete is in charge of putting the gifts into the shoes, he fucks up and five-year-olds get mommy and daddy's 'love snacks' (like Belgian chocolate body paint). At least, this would happen were Holland not home of the uber-conservative Protestants. At any rate, this is Holland's traditional winter celebration--a way to blame the black guy, once again. I don't know where it stems from; maybe I'll do some research and write a paper on it. When I was young my parents and I celebrated it, as well as Hanukkah and Christmas...so I got 3 chances at presents.
Another winter holiday we celebrated but one that did not gain me any gifts was the Winter Solstice, or Yule, as I call it now. There is a huge fire festival on the 21st of December on Granville Island, where I used to live, in Vancouver, Canada. It is more a form of performance and mixed media art than an actual Pagan festival (Vancouver is an art hub), and all the big city heathens come and join in the festivities. One of the most fun parts about it, especially for the creatively inclined, is the lanterns you can make in the weeks leading up to the 21st. There are classes at the various studios at Granville Island where each person makes a lantern of their
own design, and at the festival everyone who's done so has a lit-up lantern. The afternoon is brightly lit (it gets dark /really/ early this time of year in Vancouver) with gorgeous tissue-paper lanterns. The festival itself is a combination of fire-dancing and fire-works---really quite a spectacular show---as well as communion with one's fellow Vancouverites.
Vancouver is home of the fire festivals--aside from the Solstice, the Symphony of Fire happens annually---sponsored by a cigarette company, but no one complains because it is a gorgeous event one doesn't want to miss. It's several nights of fireworks that can be seen from various places in the city, put to music. Different countries are represented each night. To hear the music one can listen on the radio or go to the official watching place (which is horrendously expensive, so most people don't). We had a perfect view from the apartment building where we used
to live. Usually we'd get together with the neighbors down the hall and watch the show together. Sometimes we'd go to another place in the city and sit on the dewy grass with other city heathens, enjoying what Vancouver has to offer.
I think it was partly the presence of fire festivals in my youth that led to my current religious affiliation. More correctly said, I've always /been/ a Pagan; I've /known/ for 9 years. And, unfortunately, I do not feel that my Pagan nature is supported at all here--I felt much more support, both from the humanity around me and the limited nature found there, in the dreary rainy city of Vancouver, B.C.
I miss home very much.
And maybe I don't really know what I want to do, but at least I know I have the freedom to change my plans--as one should be able to at this age. I'm 19; I'm spontaneous. ...on second thought, maybe my age has nothing to do with it. I'll probably always be spontaneous. This is something the rest of the world cannot handle.
They can fuck off.
Everything is floating right now. Which is...fine.