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Published: December 27th 2006
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yuge173
My beautiful Christmas cookies. I spent a long time decorating them, so they turned out pretty...but they didn't taste quite as good as they looked. Happy Holidays everyone!!!
No, I did not go back to the U.S. for the holidays. I guess Christmas was a little lonely without my family, but it actually turned out pretty nice. Christmas in Japan is similar to Halloween in Japan in that it is mostly a commercial holiday. Most of the same Christmas merchandise we buy in America can be found here too. Department stores start playing Christmas songs from the beginning of December and sell everything from Christmas chocolates to Christmas lights to Santa Clause costumes.
The difference between Halloween in Japan and Christmas in Japan is that people actually know something about Christmas, and some people even celebrate it in their own Japanese way. So, it’s emergence in Japan is not solely for the purpose of commercial advancement (as Halloween seems to be). Christmas has become a popular holiday in Japan during the last half of the past century, although it has a much different feel than Christmas in the west. In America, Christmas is the biggest family-oriented holiday of the year (for the people who celebrate it, of course), but in Japan it is a holiday couples spend together. The popular trend is for couples
yuge167
My third-year students at the junior high school rolling out the dough for their Christmas cookies. to go out and have an expensive dinner.
There are also several other traditions that differ from Christmas in the U.S, which is not surprising considering that the vast majority of Japanese people are Buddhist/Shinto, not Christian. But, I suppose the fact that non-Christian people enjoy Christmas so much shows that Christmas is often more about a time of giving and selflessness than it is about religion. And what’s wrong with that?
Although Christmas does seem to be understood by most people in Japan, their knowledge seems to be a bit on-the-surface. But not until I started doing a little research myself so that I could plan some Christmas lessons for my students did I realize that my own knowledge of Christmas is a bit on-the-surface. I realized I have been taking part in Christmas traditions my whole life of which I never understood the meanings or origins. So, after educating myself a bit, I began teaching all of my classes about Christmas traditions in the West.
I planned lessons to learn Christmas carols, Christmas trivia, Christmas vocabulary words, etc. At my elementary school I made a “pin-the-body-part-on-Santa” game, as my students were learning parts of the
yuge168
Putting the Christmas cookies in the oven. body at the time. At my junior high school I made Christmas stockings and Christmas cards with my first-year students, Christmas tree ornaments with my second-year students, and Christmas cookies with my third-year students. Celebrating Christmas with all of my students really made me feel a lot better about being so far away from home at this time of year.
With my English conversation class I have more flexibility with what I can do, since we don’t have to stay inside a school or cover certain material. So, I decided to organize a caroling excursion with my adult students. I knew the idea was a bit risky, as no one around here has ever heard of caroling, and we would have to learn several Christmas carols first. When I explained my idea to my class, everyone (including me) seemed a bit nervous about the idea of just walking up to people’s houses and singing, since most people wouldn’t really understand what was going on and therefore be rather stunned. But about six of my most out-going students agreed to humiliate themselves with me, and we began rehearsing several songs including, “Deck the Halls,” “Jingle Bells,” “We Wish You a
yuge169
Two students patiently watching their cookies bake in the oven...or are they fixing their hair in the reflection? I guess junior high school girls will be junior high school girls. Merry Christmas” “The First Noel,” and “Silent Night.”
So last Wednesday we headed out with candles and flashlights to the neighborhoods of Yuge Island. We went to about ten different houses and everyone loved our singing (however out-of-tune it may have been). People mostly seemed to not know what to do while we sang. Everyone seemed to feel that they had to give us something in return for our singing, so we were offered lots of tea and candy throughout the night. Some people even gave me presents for organizing the event. But my favorite part was at one house when half way through our repertoire, the woman listening ran inside her house coming back a few moments later with pom-poms in hand. She danced and cheered with her pom-poms for the rest of our songs. We all couldn’t help but laugh. The funniest part was after we finished singing, she repeatedly apologized for being late with her pom-pom idea. It was pretty funny.
After we finished, we all took a drive to see some of the surprisingly elaborately decorated houses on the other side of the island. Then we came back to the BOE, where we have
yuge165
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
The few brave souls who showed up for Christmas caroling. our classes, and drank hot chocolate and exchanged gifts. I think a good time was had by all. Even one of my Islamic students participated that night.
I spent Christmas Eve alone at my apartment, but still had a good time. I made Christmas cookies to give to all of my co-workers the next day on Christmas (since I had to work!). I even made a small Christmas dinner for myself. My parents had sent me their extra copy of “A Christmas Carol,” so the next day I invited Eri, my English teacher, to come watch it with me. The British accents and the old English dialogue were a bit difficult for her to understand, but I explained the confusing parts. She had never heard of the story before, so she enjoyed it (and so did I, even though this was probably my billionth time watching it).
I woke up early on Christmas morning before I went to work to open Christmas presents. I also got to talk with my family on the phone. That night I was invited to yet another bounenkai (end-of-the-year parties hosted by employers). This one was with my junior high school coworkers, which
yuge166
A few houses in the middle of nowhere on Yuge surprisingly went all out with the Christmas decorations. I felt like I had been teleported back to America. are my favorite people to work with. We all went to a restaurant on a nearby island and ate for hours. Everyone was happy to celebrate the end of our second semester here (Japanese schools run on a trimester system).
So, Christmas was a success on Yuge Island. I think I had a much more enjoyable Christmas here than I did when I was living in the big city of Osaka a few years ago. This is probably because of the fact that being a teacher gives you the power to make people do what you want to do! Ha! That comes in handy when celebrating American holidays. As with Halloween, I think I successfully spread the Christmas cheer throughout the island.
Oh, and in case you are wondering, I do have a winter break of about a week starting tomorrow. I had big plans to go to Okinawa for some warmth and sunshine for a week, but my host family from Osaka/Kyoto area contacted me and invited me to spend New Years with them. I opted for this choice since I would like to see my host family and I know Kumiko, my host mom, will make
yuge170
Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how lovely are your daikons?
An unusual sight: Daikon radishes drying out to be pickled on a tree. me delicious vegetarian dinners! This trip will also be much more relaxing than Okinawa would be as I already know the Osaka and Kyoto area. I am looking forward to New Years because it is the biggest holiday in Japan. It’s nice to be able to celebrate the biggest holiday in America back-to-back with the biggest holiday in Japan.
So, next week I should be posting a blog with lots of pictures from my winter vacation. So be sure to check back…and until then….HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
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Cyndy Hawley
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Merry Christmas
Wow! Really interesting! Enjoy New Year's, Japanese-style!