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The celebration had a distinctly Late Neolithic ambiance.
The celebration had a distinctly Late Neolithic ambiance.
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Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Monday, January 10, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy New Year 2011
It's always great when the holidays fall over a weekend, so that one can snuggle into the old rocking chair for 3 1/2 days with some books and opera DVD's and expect relatively few disturbances, and then have it happen again, twice in a row. The only reason for complaint was the dark and grismal weather that prevailed this year, which prohibited any attempts to get outdoors and do some serious, or rather unserious hiking.
It is indeed wonderful in effect to be given official permission to tell the whole world to kiss off and simply to do what one feels like for 3.5 days, but it is the English, from whom we yet have much to learn, who really excel at this. Not only is one authorized two consecutive days to celebrate Christmas, but the whole country goes virtually into lockdown for a week or ten days at the end of each December.
As described in this space exactly one year ago, I habitually put myself through various musical rituals over Christmas and New Year's; this year I enjoyed the Claudio Abbado version of Beethoven's Ninth, which I thought was quite good, before immersing myself in early Verdi, in particular Nabucco and Ernani.
The best Christmas blogging I found this year was by Magistra et mater, who purchased the last holiday cupcakes available in Drumnadrochit, Scotland, and who speaks of the "real historical continuity" involved with feeling one's toes growing numb during Christmas Eve services inside some freezing church. It put me immediately in mind of similar sufferings at Midnight Mass in Grace Cathedral, where one's ability to enjoy the spectacular ceremonies was much hindered by the fact that it was AWFULLY COLD.
The best poem I came across over the holidays was written by Nicky Beer, who describes the inevitably ponderous lust of tortoises at Verse Daily.
As for 2010, I thought the whole year was basically a bunch of rubbish, at least as far as public life is concerned. I cast hexagrams on New Year's Day and came up with #63, After Completion. Following Richard Wilhelm, the idea seems to be that having reached perfection, there is obviously no place to go but down. One is therefore admonished by the Oracle to pay attention to detail in order to avoid structural hassles.
It is indeed wonderful in effect to be given official permission to tell the whole world to kiss off and simply to do what one feels like for 3.5 days, but it is the English, from whom we yet have much to learn, who really excel at this. Not only is one authorized two consecutive days to celebrate Christmas, but the whole country goes virtually into lockdown for a week or ten days at the end of each December.
As described in this space exactly one year ago, I habitually put myself through various musical rituals over Christmas and New Year's; this year I enjoyed the Claudio Abbado version of Beethoven's Ninth, which I thought was quite good, before immersing myself in early Verdi, in particular Nabucco and Ernani.
The best Christmas blogging I found this year was by Magistra et mater, who purchased the last holiday cupcakes available in Drumnadrochit, Scotland, and who speaks of the "real historical continuity" involved with feeling one's toes growing numb during Christmas Eve services inside some freezing church. It put me immediately in mind of similar sufferings at Midnight Mass in Grace Cathedral, where one's ability to enjoy the spectacular ceremonies was much hindered by the fact that it was AWFULLY COLD.
The best poem I came across over the holidays was written by Nicky Beer, who describes the inevitably ponderous lust of tortoises at Verse Daily.
As for 2010, I thought the whole year was basically a bunch of rubbish, at least as far as public life is concerned. I cast hexagrams on New Year's Day and came up with #63, After Completion. Following Richard Wilhelm, the idea seems to be that having reached perfection, there is obviously no place to go but down. One is therefore admonished by the Oracle to pay attention to detail in order to avoid structural hassles.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Rudolf the Red-Nosed Tundra-Wanderer
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Naefde thaet nieten unsciende naesthyrlas!
Glitenode and gladode godlice nosgrisele.
Da hofberendas mid huscwordum hine gehefigodon;
Nolden tha geneatas Hrodulf naeftig
To gomene hraniscum geador aetsomne.
The goodly nose-cartilage glittered and glowed.
The hoof-bearers taunted him with proud words,
The comrades wouldn't allow wretched Hrodulf
To join the reindeer games.
Tha in Cristesmaesseaefne stormigum clommum,
Halga Claus thaet gemunde to him mathelode:
"Neahfreond nihteage nosubeorhtende!
Min hroden hraedwaen gelaed thu, Hrodulf!"
Then, on Christmas Eve bound in storms
Santa Claus remembered that, and spoke formally to him:
"Night-sighted friend, nose-bright one!
You, Hrodulf, shall lead my adorned rapid-wagon!"
Da gelufodon hira laddeor tha lyftflogan—
Waes glaednes and gliwdream;
hornede sum gegieddode
"Hwaet, Hrodulf readnosa hrandeor,
Brad springth thin blaed: breme eart thu!"
Then the sky-flyers praised the deer-leader.
There was gladness and music,
Then one of the horned ones sang
"Lo, Hrodulf Reindeer Rednose,
Your fame spreads broadly, you are renowned!"
Anglo-Saxon verse Copyright 1996 by Philip Chapman-Bell.
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Hrodulf Readnosa Hrandeor.
Incipiunt gesta Rudolphi rangiferis tarandi.
Now begin the deeds of Rudolph Reindeer.
Hwaet, Hrodulf readnosa hrandeor—
Naefde thaet nieten unsciende naesthyrlas!
Glitenode and gladode godlice nosgrisele.
Da hofberendas mid huscwordum hine gehefigodon;
Nolden tha geneatas Hrodulf naeftig
To gomene hraniscum geador aetsomne.
Listen! Hrodulf the red-nosed reindeer,
The beast didn't have unshiny nostrils! The goodly nose-cartilage glittered and glowed.
The hoof-bearers taunted him with proud words,
The comrades wouldn't allow wretched Hrodulf
To join the reindeer games.
Tha in Cristesmaesseaefne stormigum clommum,
Halga Claus thaet gemunde to him mathelode:
"Neahfreond nihteage nosubeorhtende!
Min hroden hraedwaen gelaed thu, Hrodulf!"
Then, on Christmas Eve bound in storms
Santa Claus remembered that, and spoke formally to him:
"Night-sighted friend, nose-bright one!
You, Hrodulf, shall lead my adorned rapid-wagon!"
Da gelufodon hira laddeor tha lyftflogan—
Waes glaednes and gliwdream;
hornede sum gegieddode
"Hwaet, Hrodulf readnosa hrandeor,
Brad springth thin blaed: breme eart thu!"
Then the sky-flyers praised the deer-leader.
There was gladness and music,
Then one of the horned ones sang
"Lo, Hrodulf Reindeer Rednose,
Your fame spreads broadly, you are renowned!"
Anglo-Saxon verse Copyright 1996 by Philip Chapman-Bell.
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Sunday, April 4, 2010
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