Thursday, December 13, 2007

SANTA LUCIA

Christmas remains the major feast in the Lutheran Church,like it or not.
Guess I like it despite all the junk and glitter.
Christmas is above all coming home. To church and songs, foods and games, gathered family and finding an oasis of peace despite pains, loss and sorrows.
Today is December 13th. The feast of the Sicilian Santa Lucia. The arch-protestant children are dressed in white clothings, flaming candles and going from door to door singing and giving away Lucce-cats (buns).
Serina is fronting this row (aged four, I guess) in our staircase.
The dark winter afternoon was icy, but the warmth of the surprised neighbors who were becoming something instead of tricked or treated, I'll never forget it.
Hope the children also still remember.
Angles, homemade all over the house.
"Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God," Luke says.
Great! I like that expression.
In twenty years we've only stayed twice in Haugesund. First year of our marriage I became ill, and the faily gathered Here.
About eight yeaars ago my father had to undergo an unforeseen hip operation in Christmas. I made him this angle, and Gunnar went to the hospital late, after my father had fell to sleep to make the night nurses help himheng up a sock with a present in.
The most wonderful smile met us next day when we came to visit.
Christmas workshops and Christmas Children's TV still are essential parts of pre Christmas activities.
And all kinds of choirs, amateur and professional artists, filling the churches day after day for a whole month.
Isn't that a worthy way of preaching the gospel to all mankind???