Andrea's Rambling Notes - once from Japan, now from Canada

::Andrea's Rambling Notes - once from Japan, now from Canada::

My notes and my memories: sometimes about a mom - sometimes about a wife - sometimes about a woman - sometimes about our life

::Author::

Name::Andrea
From::Small city/town, B.C., Canada
I am a short girl from the west cost of BC, Canada and I am a proud Canadian. I went to Japan in 2000 because my Dad told me I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't. He was right. I lived a good life found my husband from the other side of the world and have a beautiful daughter. Basically we lead a pretty normal life filled with normal ups and downs. We both come from different cultures: me Canadian, him Chinese. Living in Japan was a real eye opener about who I am and about the people I associate myself with. I lived and loved in Japan but the time to move on came upon us and in May of 2006 we left and moved to Canada: a huge move for us all. We are now trying to start up again, remodel our lives and create our future for our family. I now feel like a tourist in the country of my birth, my eyes see different and my life will be forever changed. This blog is my notes and observations of our life, our changes, our adventures and new beginnings. Welcome.
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Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Did you know that yesterday was the winter solstice - the longest night of the year?

This would explain why Li woke up yesterday and complained that the alarm had been set wrong and that it was only 5 o'clock and not 6. It took the neighbour heading off to work to get him out of bed.

Today this appeared in the paper. It is personally interesting.

<<
To people living in the Northern Hemisphere, it appeared as if the sun was "leaving" during autumn and winter. At the winter solstice, however, the sun seemed to change its mind, turning around and coming back. The sun's decision to return was always a signal for a festival of joy and celebration.

In classic Rome, the winter solstice was marked by a great round of wild celebrations known as Saturnalia; and in northern Europe and the British Isles by the festival of Yule. Some scholars have interpreted these celebrations as originally representing a symbolic marriage of the male Sky God with the powerful and widely revered universal Earth Goddess.

Our own festival of Christmas is also a celebration of the winter solstice. The original timing of Christmas may have been influenced by earlier sun-based religions common around the Mediterranean. As Christianity spread northward, Christmas also incorporated many elements of the ancient Roman, Celtic, Germanic and Nordic festivals.

Even today, some people use Yule, an old name for the winter solstice festival, as a synonym for Christmas. Holly, ivy and especially mistletoe are all traditional Celtic symbols of the winter solstice. Some historians interpret the bright red of the holly berries and white of the mistletoe berries as symbolizing the blood and sperm of the archetypal Goddess and God as they consummate their marriage on the shortest day of the year.>>>

The pagan traditional influence on Christianity has always fascinated me. I personally find it very amusing how the Holy Church has taken most pagan rituals and have tried to convert them into Christian traditions. It has been well documented that Mother Earth was invented long before the concept of God. What did Jethro Tull say? - In the beginning Man created God and in the image of man created he him.

Anyway, the article carried on with some very interesting Japanese traditions for this time of year:

<<
Yuzu (Citrus junos) is a medium-sized citrus fruit native to China. It was brought to Japan long ago, more as a spice and medicinal herb than as a fruit for eating. The juice is used to add zest to vinegar and sauces such as the dip for shabu-shabu. As a medicinal herb, yuzu juice is mixed with hot water and drunk to ward off or help heal colds and chills. Slices of yuzu placed in the bath water are said to warm the body from the inside out. On the winter solstice, yuzu may also be placed as offerings on the butsudan, or family altar dedicated to the spirits of ancestors. To do this will assure good fortune during the upcoming year.

Another traditional way of celebrating the solstice is by eating at least seven different types of food ending with the Japanese letter "n." Some likely candidates include nankin (squash), ninjin (carrot), daikon, renkon (lotus root), ginnan (ginkgo nuts), kanten (gelling agent) kinkan (kumquat) and udon.>>>

Let me see - yesterday I ate ninjin and daikon. I personally dont like udon very much. Li makes a great stir fry using renkon and gree peas. We had some last week.

It is interesting how so many Asian cultures celebrate their special days using food.

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