Roo & his best buddy from school, Tsubasa. Yesterday we attended a Christmas party sponsored by Roo’s preschool. The children enjoyed watching a silly clown, a brief appearance by St. Nick and the school teachers led the crowd singing both school and Christmas songs. One thing I’ve noticed is that the use of the word “Christmas” is not burdened by the political correctness that accompanies the word in the United States. There is little concern that you may offend if asking someone “what are you doing over Christmas?”, or “are you going to a Christmas party?”. My thoughts of why this is are: First, the word is used to signify the season, not the event. For most of the Japanese, the holiday is secular and the celebration of Christ’s birth is not connected to “the reason for the season”. December 24th is the day of Christmas celebration and on December 25th, the household adjusts their decorations an
d minds to the upcoming New Year festivities. A Japanese Christmas Cake is eaten on Christmas Eve and is simply a sponge cake with frosting, strawberries, and sometimes chocolate. Second, people in an expatriate community expect differences and therefore have a tolerance for the liberal use of the word “Christmas“. Roo has a book about the Nativity and last week he insisted on bringing the book to school to show the teachers and other children. I was somewhat hesitant to mention it to his teacher because in my American mind I thought “oh, no, we've brought a religious book to school”. I was surprised when her reaction was “oh good, we may have time to read it today”! Again, it’s another difference we’re experiencing and I have to admit, the capacity for tolerance is refreshing. Peace and goodwill to all mankind!
d minds to the upcoming New Year festivities. A Japanese Christmas Cake is eaten on Christmas Eve and is simply a sponge cake with frosting, strawberries, and sometimes chocolate. Second, people in an expatriate community expect differences and therefore have a tolerance for the liberal use of the word “Christmas“. Roo has a book about the Nativity and last week he insisted on bringing the book to school to show the teachers and other children. I was somewhat hesitant to mention it to his teacher because in my American mind I thought “oh, no, we've brought a religious book to school”. I was surprised when her reaction was “oh good, we may have time to read it today”! Again, it’s another difference we’re experiencing and I have to admit, the capacity for tolerance is refreshing. Peace and goodwill to all mankind! Disco dancing at the party.
1 comment:
Oh my - the two little guys dancing is the cutest thing~ :)
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