Family, Gifts, Song, Dance & Light

SONG DANCE & LIGHT

Early November, in cities and villages throughout the Hindu world, craftsmen fashion special clay pots which hold the oil lamps. "Diwali" means a row of lights or candles. Each night, for four nights, Hindus add another oil lamp to their glowing home display. Where electricity is available, they also decorate their homes with small colored lights. In the cities the sky bursts with brilliant light displays. But even the popular Festival of Diwali cannot surpass Chinese New Year, a birthday party of such gigantic proportions the whole of Southeast Asia gets in on the good times. On Chinese New Year's Day,

ILLUSTRATIONS BY LINDA AVEY H O L I D A Y S

which usually falls in January, everyone in the Asian world ages one year - regardless of individual birthdays. Young children wait anxiously for relatives and friends to deliver bright red envelopes imprinted with a New Year's wish in gold lettering. Youngsters know that inside these envelopes is "past year" money - a gift of cash always given in an even amount because the Chinese believe even numbers bring good luck.

Everyone actively courts good luck as the New Year starts. The Cantonese decorate their homes and businesses with oranges and tangerines because the sound for the word "orange" and "good luck" are the same in that dialect. Everywhere people rush to visit. Calls begin with visits to "those above" - grandparents and parents - working down to employers and friends. Because everyone is gallavanting about, visitors leave special calling cards when no one is home.

Although Chinese New Year (called Tet in part of the Indonesian world) is a purely cultural, rather than a religious festival, like Hanukkah and Christmas and the Hindu Festival of Diwali, each New Year comes gift-wrapped in wonderful family customs involving fragrant teas and special New Year's foods.

All peoples covet these edible traditions regardless whether a solar or lunar calendar charts the turn of days. A natural urge to wind things up, regroup, and rededicate accompanies the closing of each year. In the Islamic world, for instance, rituals do not follow a harvest, fertility, or agricultural cycle. Because the Islamic year contains approximately 354 days, a given holiday rotates throughout the entire calendar once every 33 years. Consequently, Ramadan which culminates in the celebration

H O L I D A Y S

held during the final, or 12th month of Islam's lunar calendar, fell in July last year.

One of the major Islamic festivals, Ramadan speaks of thanksgiving and brotherhood. It ends a month of fasting and ushers in the time when the Quar'an is read. Muslims observe Ramadan, which focuses on family ties, by exchanging gifts. Even those who are not making the pilgrimage to Mecca that year wait eagerly for this major celebration.

From Mecca to the Hopi Mesas the message is remarkably the same. The calendars and the rituals differ, but the spirit of brotherhood persists. The Hopi holiday Soyal inaugurates the Kachina season with a private ceremony of dance and song. This event opens the kivas (underground ceremonial chambers) to the returning Kachinas. Kivas are believed to be the entryways to the spirit world and must be made available to the Kachinas so the friendly spirits can freely come and go from December until the end of July, bringing happiness, good health, and long life. Then, once again, they return home to the San Francisco Peaks to await the next Soyal. On December 21st, winter solstice, Hopis gather in their villages to wait for one or two sleepy Kachinas to emerge from the kivas to begin Soyal, Yet appearances are deceiving, for these are important chief Kachinas who perform rites which strengthen individuals, the clans, and the entire village.

Like Christmas, all these other holidays bring a message of hope to waiting winter-bound people. Call it nirvana, karma, salvation, or, in Yiddish, "mechaia" - translated, the words mean the same: peace... brotherhood...good will to all.... May it only happen.

A Wilderness Christmas

The place: Prescott, Arizona Territory. The time: just before Christmas, 1863.

Life is difficult here on the frontier. For the Spaniards, Mexicans, blacks, and Anglos; for the mountain men, gold miners, soldiers, and the few wives. Survival in this land of high mountain and dense virgin pine forest demands daily dedication.

Few luxuries are at hand to fashion a canvas tent or rough log shelter. There are no stores and shops. The settlers must make do with what they have: a pewter plate for meat and beans, a tin cup for coffee, an iron spoon, and a sheath knife. Many settlers have only the Earth and woolen blankets for a bed.

Some families camp in wagons. Even the territorial governor, John Goodwin, does business in a log building, as mounted guards roam the high ground.