THANK God for Pigeon Peas.
And I might add, imported frozen stuff because I just cannot seem
to put my hands on the real deal.
If it were not for that treasured source of protein, I would be
having a really meaningless Trini Christmas.
After all, it’s been years that I have silently tolerated
-- and avoided some -- Christmas parties where people push all kinds
of ham, pork and sundry meats into this vegetarian’s face.
I never really complained, after all, having been a vegetarian for
close to 20 years, it’s par for the course for me.
Man, even in the days when I got involved in a few drinking limes
with my friends, I’d just humble myself with some salt-nuts
for cutters and call that George.
On many other occasions I have politely declined invitations to
Christmas bashes and brunches, preferring to stay far away from
the people eating pigs in all shapes, sizes and designs.
Otherwise, I would find myself questioning every waitress that passes
by with something, then get fed-up and then leave.
Now all is well and good with that.
Each man has his own meat as the saying goes.
But it is about high time that people show some respect for vegetarians,
across the board.
It’s a growing trend after all.
But the folks in Trini are hard-pressed to respect that.
They want to watch yuh like if yuh have some sort of disease when
yuh refuse what they have to offer.
Well, is better they issue invitations for Christmas saying “vegetarians
not catered for”, and that would be the most polite thing
to do.
Otherwise, I will just move on and socialise and bit and go home
and eat some kind of split peas soup or something and be satisfied
and healthy.
So, people please take note, especially those who wish to invite
me to their home this weekend.
And just for the records, while we are in the Christmas spirit,
I would like to add another damper for all the Christians who have
been mean all year and have been telling me that this is a time
of giving.
Hey You!
Giving is a life long thing!
But anyhow, just top enlighten a few -- who know already, Christmas
has nothing to do with the great man Jesus Christ, whom we must
try to emulate every living day.
So, I found this interesting article on the net which explains that
no one knows what day Jesus Christ was born on and that each year
millions of people allow themselves to be conned into the big Christmas
hoax.
“From the biblical description, most historians believe that
his birth probably occurred in September, approximately six months
after Passover.
“One thing they agree on is that it is very unlikely that
Jesus was born in December, since the Bible records shepherds tending
their sheep in the fields on that night.
“This is quite unlikely to have happened during a cold Judean
winter.
“So why do we celebrate Christ’s birthday as Christmas,
on December the 25th?
“The answer lies in the pagan origins of Christmas.
In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature)
was celebrated on December 25.
“Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving
were traditions of this feast.
“In Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated many years before
the birth of Christ.
“The Romans called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honouring
Saturn, the God of Agriculture.
“In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented
the triumph of life over death.
“This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis,
the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun.
The festival season was marked by much merrymaking.
It is in ancient Rome that the tradition of the Mummers was born.
“The Mummers were groups of costumed singers and dancers who
travelled from house to house entertaining their neighbours.
“From this, the Christmas tradition of caroling was born.
“In Northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider
part of Christian worship begun long before the participants had
ever heard of Christ.
“The pagans of northern Europe celebrated their own winter
solstice, known as Yule.
“Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born,
and was observed on the shortest day of the year.
“As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and
warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras,
and the sun, to reappear next year.
“Huge Yule logs were burned in honour of the sun. The word
Yule itself means “wheel”, the wheel being a pagan symbol
for the sun.
“Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of
kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual.
“Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the gods.
“The tree is the one symbol that unites almost all the Northern
European winter solstices.
“Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during
the harsh winters as a reminder to inhabitants that soon their crops
would grow again.
“Evergreen boughs were sometimes carried as totems of good
luck and were often present at weddings, representing fertility.
“The Druids used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their
sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshipping huge trees.
“In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth
would be celebrated on December 25.
“There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless
as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time)
to convert to Christianity.
“The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their
feasts would not be taken away from them.
“Christmas (Christ-Mass) as we know it today, most historians
agree, began in Germany, though Catholics and Lutherans still disagree
about which church celebrated it first.
“The earliest record of an evergreen being decorated in a
Christian celebration was in 1521 in the Alsace region of Germany.
“A prominent Lutheran minister of the day cried blasphemy:
‘Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ’.”
“The controversy continues even today in some fundamentalist
sects.”
So, dear Trinis, don’t be aghast when you see the Jehovah’s
Witnesses swarming your neighbourhood on Christmas morning.
They too, like, me, have a reason for feeling left out of the season.
Christ was never the reason for the season! |
