Wesak

     This is not the blog I planned to post, I am working on another one but in the "being in the moment" place, Sunday started such a joyful week, I had to share it. (I do want to say at the outset though that I know the tenses don't all work in this blog because I wrote it over a time and then it was the past and the future and I got confused, please do forgive).
 Along my road, stands went up making these bamboo frames which then got covered with crepe paper.  It was all beautiful and it turns out these are lanterns that Thursday and Friday will be hanging all over town and illuminated to celebrate the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha.  This is celebrated on the Poya (full moon) in May and is called Wesak or Vesak.  Each day has been a treat.  Quite accidentally when I went to the post office Tuesday morning rather then straight to work, I ran into a Perahera, a parade of dancing school children, wearing costumes, led by an elephant and walking and dancing barefoot to the Buddhist temple, some distance away.  I've told you before that in Sri Lanka people celebrate everyone's holidays and get time off for them.  The support staff at the hospital have worked hard all week making lanterns which will be lit on Thursday night on the ward.  I of course intend to be there.  I am going to join one of the nurses and her family to watch a big Perahara and see the beautifully lit up town.  What is unfortunate still in Sri Lanka is that there is an assumption like the US with Christmas that it is everyone's holiday.  I haven't seen this much attention paid to the holidays of the other groups.  This is part of the bad feelings of the Tamil people who still feel very left out in their own country.  Correction to me:  it turns out that there is a big Tamil parade which takes place on the same day.  I saw it in the evening as it turns out.

   Part of the tradition of the day, aside from going to temple, is to give out free food and drinks.  I had been told of this so I went out in ther morning in search of food.  I started at the temple and paid my respects to the Buddha. The first thing I encountered was an elephant with a man carrying a baby around and under it several times.  Apparently this is some kind of Asian good luck thing because people where handing over their babies to this man. People are very interested in me and having their photos taken so I took many.  At the temple are thousands of people in white who bring their lunch and other necessities and settle in for the day sitting on the ground worshipping the Buddha.  For some reason, maybe because I am caucasian but I think because people here are so hospitable and I am clearly different, I was allowed to cut lines all over the place and get into the main shrine sometimes pushed and shoved along, another Sri Lankan tradition, in front of huge lines of people and no one says a peep.  These are the most patient people anywhere..if it were me at home I would be grumbling, who is that, why is SHE getting special treatment, blah, blah..

Anyway, after that, I wandered around town, looking for all this free food, I kept encountering free liquids of different types.  The only one I recognized was tea and jaggery (like maple candy), the others I have no idea.  I came to free food but there where dozens of people waiting to get into this little storefront so I didn't wait,  then I came upon free king coconuts to drink the water in it.  I usually don't like it although it is amazingly helpful if you are dehydrated and a real thirst quencher.  This time, I loved it but the thing is, again dozens of people where lined up but when the people handing them out, saw me, I was brought one!  Later another man tried to give me another one.   By now of course, I was starving because I hadn't eaten anything in anticipation of getting all this free food.  I thought I'd end up going to my favorite little spot where I get rice and curry at lunch (good I didn't wait, it was closed), I then passed my little local stores and I see hundreds of people lined up around the block and I know this means food.  I know it was wrong, I know I am supposed to feel guilty, I know I should go to the back of the line, I went right to the front with my camera and asked what was going on?  As soon as they saw me, I don't think anyone was knowing english, I was pushed right thru and told to follow a man and passed another group of a smaller line who had made it this far, and I am taken to the food table and a plate of rice and curry was prepared for me..another man seeing me, tried to make me a plate and I had to keep trying to expain that one was being prepared already.  Not only did I not feel any compunction about doing this I am sorry to say, but everyone in the line, smiled at me and shook their heads and wanted to know 2 things, did I like the food and would I take pictures of them and or their children!  It was a great time.
     Thursday night I went to the ward to see it and the hospital lanterns lit.  Many of the patients were involved in lighting the little oil lamps that are placed everywhere.  I of course was fretting about not giving patients matches and the dangers but this is Sri Lanka, patients don't do things like that here.  It was a lovely ritual and then the crepe paper lanterns were lit all over.  I was taken throughout the hospital to see the other lanterns.  Each unit makes their own.  Very impressive.  Then Roshanie, one of the nurses, her husband, 2 children and I went to town seeing the lanterns along the way (it's like our Christmas really).  Before we left the unit the staff told Roshanie to make sure she took care of me in the big city crowds!  I loved it. Townh was of course mobbed.  There were carnivals and children's activities telling the story of the Buddha.  What kept striking me is how much they make the Buddha look like Christ with a sort of halo thing around his head.  Did I mention that my tuk tuk driver had gotten me started on unusual postcards of the Buddha this week so of course by now I have collected dozens of them.  So many are like adoring Christ the baby and adult.  Don't ask what I shall do with these cards, no idea but I have to collect something don't I?
I was very happy to be with the family because aside from being fond of them, I would never have know where the free snacks were!  First we got ice cream, then we got an Orange type drink ending with these spiced chick pea things.  Quite a satisfying dinner for me!  We saw the Tamil Parade then we went to where the Perahera would be held.  It is quite a long route which of course was already mobbed with people like a parade route anywhere in the world.  We had to wait unfortunately almost 2 hours for it to start and I must say I found it a bit  disappointing after the build up but I am glad I went.  There were 12 dressed up elephants but I just feel so sorry for them because they have to walk this entire route wearing their own chains.  The big deal here is Kandyan music and dance.  It can be a school major.  I find it so interesting how feminine it is for the men who move their arms like women ballet dancers.  The first time I saw it I thought the men where particularly gay.  I have probably mentioned that in this country men are very affectionate with each other, hold hands, walk arm in arm, more then women.  The other thing I found so un-modern was that the parade is lit by men who carry these long polls with a rod iron basket filled with lit coals.  As they walk, the coconut oil that is used to light the coals drips hot oil out of the basket.  Of course, no one was slightly concerned but me.
Anyway, The real deal Perahara is in August in Kandy.  It is world famous and I have already booked a hotel and seats!  I am totally overindulging for my birthday!