iPod morning commute music: Dionne Warwick, The Dionne Warwick Collection (1989)
Always one of my favorite pop singers when I was growing up, I hate the image people have of her now, hawking (I guess; living in Japan, it's an image I don't have to see) a psychic telephone marketing scheme. Her musical collaborations with Burt Bacharach and Hal David from the '60s were classics in the pop genre, and this CD collects the best of them(from 1962-1970).
I wanted to say something about Halloween, actually Western holidays in Japan in general, yesterday and barely scrapped the surface due to time constraints. Certain holidays have become popular here, in particular Valentine's Day, Halloween, and Christmas, but their popularity is only commercial. Of course, these holidays are commercialized in the west as well, but there is some sense of tradition and/or religion which grounds them in our lives. In Japan, it is basically consumption only. It's at times surreal, for example, to be surrounded by Christmas music and decorations (starting, I'm sure, today since Halloween just finished) as you walk through the major department stores and still not feel any true Christmas spirit. The same is true for Halloween. When I wrote yesterday I miss the kids trick-or-treating at the door, I meant as much the tradition of trick-or-treating, and the other traditions of the holiday. Maybe an appropriate example would be jack-o-lanterns, where Japanese merchants will cut out black construction paper mouths, eyes and noses and glue them onto the pumpkins, displayed in front of their stores. Somehow, it's just not the same as a carved pumpkin, a candle lit inside, illuminating a front porch with its eerie glow.
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2 comments:
It must be interesting in a way. When I lived in Germany (then still West Germany, as the reunification had not yet occurred), most of the same holidays were celebrated, with, of course, the exception of July 4th. Still, the flavor was very different. Christmas was much more of a religious holiday, in spite of non-religious overtones with St. Nicholas, Father Christmas or Santa (Sinker Klaus in Germany and different than St. Nick). Each neighborhood in the city seemed to have a patron saint and a festival near Christmas to celebrate. All the little fairs were fascinating.
Ken and I have our 3 year old grandson with us until Thursday, while his parents are out of town. It was sort of fun to actually take a kid out trick or treating. Happy Halloween to you, Craig.
Susan
Yes, it is interesting in a way, Susan. It certainly helped me realize what was important in these holidays. Trying to instill their meanings in my children was particularly challenging. Our goal was to raise both bilingual and bi-cultural kids, so we stressed the importance of both US (Western) and Japanese (Eastern) holidays. The results have been cool. Just the other day, my son was given the chance to take a part-time job for 6 days over the New Years Holiday (very important in Japan and other Asian countries). We thought he would jump at the chance, but he said no. He didn't want to miss out on New Years Day at his grandparents house, a family tradition, and one he realizes he might not be able to celebrate for awhile after he leaves for university in the States next year. For him, the traditions and customs are more important than money. As parents, how could we be anything less than pleased.
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