The Hallelujah Child

In pulp fiction you hear cliches like, "time stood still".  The moment, perhaps, when the hero recognizes a twitch in the face of an enemy, reaching for his gun. Or, a moment of love at first site. 

One morning last week as I headed out the door for work, Anja asked if she could come with me. (Actually this has become a routine. I crouch down to hug and kiss her, and she begins to whimper. "Pleeeeease? Can I go to work with you?" I want to take her with me, I do.).  On this particular morning, after I'd told her that I wanted to bring her with me and just couldn't, she sighed and said, "Well take a picture of us to work with you".  I couldn't think of which picture she was referring to...

Anja raced to her bedroom. I looked over at Daddy as if to say, 'Help, I'm going to be late...'

She returned with a small card in her hand. She looked up at me and handed me the card.  "Here Mommy, here's a picture of us to take with you."  

Time indeed stood still. It was a card I bought in Slovakia with the image of Madonna & child.  

For some strange reason...

... the folks at Dreamworks included Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" on the original Shrek soundtrack.  One afternoon while listening to Jeff Buckley, his rendition of the song came on. Anja's head popped up.

"Hey! The Hallelujah song!"  She wanted to put my headphones on and sing along. 

I never thought I'd see the day that a 3 year old would be getting down to Leonard Cohen.

Gruβ vom Krampus! Hope You've Been Good.

Krampus is an ancient tradition in rural Bavaria, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Northern Italy. It's been described by some as the evil alter-ego of Santa and by others as one in the same tradition of Christmas, in it's earliest forms. The version that I heard, while writing an article about Krampus in 2002, was that the tradition's origins were purely Pagan and there were no Santa figures in the parade (Sankt Nikolaus) until the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.

In the coldest, darkest days of winter, young men would don furs and sprigs of wheat, 50-60 pounds of cow bells on their back and would smear themselves with charcoal. The most flamboyant part of the costume involves large wooden masks, handed down in families for hundreds of years. The masks depicted demonic spirits who would chase down young maidens and give them good lashings with switches (to ensure fertility in the spring of course!) The legend also goes that demons would devour badly behaved children. 

When the Romans brought Christianity to the regions, they thought it would be wise to have a delegate of the church round up the savages. These celebrations were, and still are, accompanied by hedonistic behavior and heavy drinking. In the video, above, you'll see a Catholic-like Santa. I have heard that the lesser populated valleys have kept their Krampus a little more traditional. Berchtesgaden and Salzberg are said to have some of the best celebrations.

There seem to be many variations on Krampus throughout Europe: there's Krampuslauf (the Krampus Run parade on December 5th - primary function being to scare children into being good) and the Perchtenlauf (Demon's Run, sometime in early January - for driving out the evil spirits of winter). I'm not sure how Jesus entered the picture. He was born in the spring. Nativity scenes on the lawn should include daffodils. I was surprised to learn that St. Nikolaus, patron saint of children, was a Bishop in Asia Minor at about 300 A.D.

I'd recommend Krampus for the toughened traveler.  I read on a blog that a woman consulted her attorney after being chased and whipped by one of the demons. I wonder if she'd considered retaining an attorney prior to joining the Run of the Bulls, too. If you can sue a Krampus, why not a bull?

More on this little known tradition:

The Many Faces of Krampus

Companions of Saint Nicholas

Xmas With Krampus

Vintage Krampus Postcards

December 5th, St. Nicolas and his Krampus'

However you celebrate, have a beautiful Holiday. Don't forget to flog the one you love.

Gratitude

One of my favorite sensations in life involves barreling down a snowy slope in a blinding storm. Thick gloves cover your hands and fingers, your feet are weighted down, your body in Goretex, your head and face wrapped tightly. Your already narrow view is made further surreal through fogged goggles. It becomes essential to rely on the feel of the terrain. You keep your body slack to absorb the shocks and bumps. Initially, you want to fight the elements to stay upright. Allowing yourself to flow with it is actually the better way to go. Allowing gravity and momentum to take you on its ride is one of the purest experiences there are.

Sometimes, lately, the current economic climate reminds me of this experience. The world wrapped around us seems chaotic and yet, keeping an open mind and staying flexible may allow something unexpectedly wonderful to happen ... to have a vestigial part of yourself awaken.

Making your own holiday traditions is very American. One of mine, although not very social, is to sit in a hot tub for an entire day. Good beer, my doo-wap albums... this is holiday bliss!

What happens is that, well, nothing happens. You think. And put into perspective. You come out as bright pink as the day you were born. Mentally rejuvenated.

Cliche as it might be, this year I couldn't stop thinking about all I have to be grateful for. Things might be falling down around us, but we're healthy.  I've got Anja.  We've got beauty.  I got out of bed on my own two feet today.