Houston, Texas, December 21st, 2013.
Christmas’s Message.
By Eduardo Giles.
Winter´s
holiday season is always propitious to deep thought, nostalgic
and holistic self-assertion of
pleased and somber moments that happened us in year that almost dying, but It
is also the occasion in which we are pondering about our hopes,
desires, challenges, dreams and huge projects
for New Year.
At
Christmas we feel countless ranging emotions of love, indulgence, compassion,
tenderness and laughter. We delight in gathering´s intimacy moment with family
and friends, exchanging hugs, kisses, gifts and make multiply toast to health, goodwill
& prosperity for everybody during the imminent 2014 year. We send and
receive wonderful congratulation’s card to/from our dear relatives and close
acquaintances living in others towns. We
make accurate last-minute arrangements for Christmas Eve and New Year's feasts.
Houses are decorated with traditional spheres and multicolored lights ornamenting Christmas
pine tree, impregnating our homes with enchanting
smell of cedar, frankincense and fragrances of Nochebuena´s flowers.
But what
we celebrate?
The
birth of niño Jesus in
Bethlehem crèche in Judea, the
Jewish Meleḵ ha-Mašīaḥ ישו the
holy child, Regal-lineage descendant of Abraham, King David, Solomon and Jacob,
Christos
anointed by G-d,
the Kyrios of the Order of
Melchizedeck –the insignia sceptre of royalty-, advocated
by the prophets Balaam and Isaiah, the humble bearer of the divine Logos & pathos of wisdom, justice, peace, misericord, happiness,
aggadah and love, Vicar Jesus Isa,
the indulgent Redeemer of the disinherited, sick and weak[1].
In many parts of the world the
festivities begin with the celebration of Hanukkah in remembrance of the
Maccabees and the fêtes just finished
until January 6 with the epiphany of Kings-Magi´s journey, where -according the
Mateo´s Evangelio-, Magalath, Serakin and Galgalath
alias Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar guided by the Shekinah star (Venus)
offered gold, frankincense-levonah and myrrh to
Jesus, son and humble charpentier
Joseph and Virgin Maria, pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
The
traditional Posadas initiate December
the 16th during 9 days, in allusion to the nine gestation months of הבתולה Virgin Maria. At some stage in Posadas we break the piñata of seven peaks that represent
the seven capital sins.
As I said above, on Christmas Eve is
customary to share an epicurean dinner at home with the family & close friends,
and some of us inevitably breaks down the diet. Every country
has a culinary dish gourmet for this special occasione, but among others stand out: the roast goose, lobster
bisque, konigshar klopse, Belgian cougnou, chicken piccata, ruska salata,
moussaka creamed spinach, prime rib roast with rosemary salad, panettone, Petrossian caviar, shawarma, pita
or kebab with hummus and tabbouleh, falafel, stuffed zucchini, glazed ham,
steak Carpaccio, burgundy mushrooms, shrimp pasta with lemon, turkey in the
oven, filet mignon au poivre vert, shrimp sauce of garlic, pork leg to the
oven, roast beef, sarmale, caltabos,
toba, lebar, cozonac and the traditional Mexican plates as guajolote with mole,
bacalao, romeritos, pozole,
camarones a la diabla, birria, cabrito, carnitas, chicharrón, cecina, chorizo,
cochinita pibil and tamales.
To dessert we eat ginger, linzer and buttery cookies, cream
cheese biscuits, muffins babka, chailah and rugelach, ice-cream, collation,
mazapanes y turrones.
For drinks we have fruit poached, apple
cider, rompope and for adults champagne Moet Chandon Imperial, red wine
Bordeaux, Saint Emilion sparkling rosé, vinho verde of Minho, Swarovski Crystal
Vodka, Château Mouton Rothschild, a bunch of very freezing Samuel Adams beers,
whisky, rum, brandy, tequila and mezcal.
That night fireworks and flares are
burned and the quasi-pagan and mythical icon Santa Claus aka Saint Nicholas, Noel,
Saint Basil or Caesarea brings toys and gifts to children. Now we can even tracking -by
internet- the route of Santa from North Pole to our home.
We listen amount other traditional
music; “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby,” It´s the most wonderful time of the
year” by Andy Williams, “Jingle Bells” by Perry
and the Fontane Sister, “We wish you a Merry Christmas” by Weabers band, “José
Feliciano's Happy Christmas”, “The children of the drum” by Spanish singer Raphael, the traditional Rumanian song colinde, the ancient pre-christian
dances in the streets with the Bear or the Goat etcetera.
On this time, It is also current that
we reach local theater to look at the well-known performance “Nutcracker Ballet
Classic Music” by Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky and for children we have the
archetypal movie of “The Grinch” the fictional ghost that always try to stole
the Christmas spirit, based on bestseller book of Dr. Seuss.
To salute New Year, if we decide to stay at home, our banquet
has more or less the same exquisite cutleries of Christmas but, at 12 o'clock
sharp we eat 12 grapes, one for each perfect wish and countless success for
everyone of each month of 2014. We normally go to Church to pray at “Gallo”
mass and we are expecting the Homily New Year blessing Urbi et Orbi of Pope Francisco, from Vatican St. Peter´s Basilica.
Among other popular traditions of the
New Year´s merrymaking are: watching the New Year ball at Times Square, go out
on street with a suitcase in order to travel through the year, give money to
loved ones so they have wealth during the all year, use red underwear for a
prime sex life, use yellow boxes to have Fortune, throw a bucket
of water into the street to dislodge the misfortune and undesirable karmas. First
of January we watch the traditional Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena.
Sometimes, New Year gala is also
delighted in a first-class restaurant or nightclub of our city. Some privileged
among us already have a reservation in dazzling places like Restaurant Alain
Ducasse au Plaza Athénée au Paris, extravaganza brasserie Only per Due, in
Umbria, Italy, The Grand Resort Lagonissi in Athens, Four Seasons Hotel in New York, President
Wilson Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland, The Bridge Suites at The Atlantis in the Bahamas, Hotel Cala
di Volpe in Italian Costa Esmeralda, The Ritz Carlton in Moscow, The
Beefsteak Club in London, The Club Avenue in New York, The Grange in
Courchevel in the French Alps, Sky Bar in
Los Angeles and the new-fashion Soho Rooms in
Moscow.
People with a little greater economic
resources take some days of vacation in Cóte d´Ázur in France, Mikonos island in Greece,
Venice and Tuscany in Italy or others terrific places like Ibiza, Grand
Mallorca, Algarve, Burgundy, Mónaco, Monte Carlo, Amsterdam, Prague, St.
Petersburg, Jerusalem, Las Vegas, or the paradisiac beaches of
Cancun, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Bahía de Banderas, Ixtapa and Puerto
Escondido in Mexico.
Our hedonist and sybarites ancestors
always said that we mandatory must enjoy every minute of our life, because the
past is history and never return and the future is a fantasy illusion only. Each
of us remains a great chance to rearrange our personal goals. We are facing a
new paradigm shift of our civilization; it is some kind of intellectual
autopoiesis of the world, the human search for eternal truth[2].
These holidays also is the invaluable opportunity to help and pray for the less
fortunate persons of the world, among others the orphans, the homeless, the
terminal patients at hospitals, and in general all suffering people.
In this joyous, bright, sparkle and delightful season,
please may love be in your life,
may hope be in your mind, I hope Santa
brings you everything you want –why not, even a brand-new yellow McLaren
Mercedes GT, black Porsche Carrera 11 or
red Ferrari 458 Spider-, may the true spirit of the season find you & fill
your heart with joy and a huge good cheer. And please do not forget to buy a
lucky Lotto ticket, maybe you will be the next wealthy millionaire on the list
of the Fortune 500 magazine.
With the mention of small extract of
11:1 Isaiah Prophecy “A new branch will grow from a stump of a tree, so a new
king will come from the family of Jesse King David father. The Spirit of the
Lord will rest upon that king. The Spirit will give him wisdom and
understanding, guidance and power…He will be fair in his decisions for the good
people of the land...[3]”
my wife Patricia, my beloved son Victor Eduardo and myself, we simple wish You
and your cherished family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Bibliography.
The Holy Biblia. NCV, Thomas Nelson
Inc. 2005.
Abraham
Heschel. “The Prophets” Vol II. Harper & Row Publishers. New York, 1962.
John
Bowker. “God, A Brief History” The Human Search for Eternal Truth. DK
Publishing Inc. New York, First American Edition, 2002.
Armstrong,
Karen, “A History of God” Mandarine Paperback. Great Britain. 1993.
Christopher
Knight & Robert Lomas, “The Book of Hiram” Barnes & Noble, New York,
2005.
Hans
Kroffer. “El Esoterismo”. Ediciones Dalmau Socías. Barcelona, España. 4ª
Edición.
[1] Knight, Christopher & Lomas, Robert. “The
Book of Hiram”, Barnes & Noble, New York. Pg. 232-265, Chapter Eleven, The
Coming of the Messiah.
[2] Bowker, John. “God, A Brief History ” DK Publishing Inc.. New York.
American Edition 2002. Author´s Preface.
[3] “The Holy Bible” Containing the Old and New
Testaments. Thomas Nelson Inc. 2005. Page. 805. Isaiah. God´s Message in
Troubles Times and page. 1152 New Testament. Matthew Tells About Jesus, the
King of the Jews.
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