Celebrating Emancipation in my own ways
I just returned from picking up my plane ticket. I had to collect it by tomorrow for the latest, but it felt symbolic to get it today, Emancipation Day. Flying, crossing water, freedom.
I was talking to a friend on the phone this morning and we were discussing the fact that Divali seems to embrace everyone and even people who are not Indian are wearing Indian clothes, lighting deyas, going for drives to 'see the lights', exchanging sweets, cooking curry, being invited to dinner at Hindu friend's houses, etc. Emancipation Day doesn't have that feeling. The whole nation doesn't seem as involved. Normally I just do my own personal symbolic things for public holidays.
I was looking through the papers and saw an Emancipation ad with the lovely image of a dandelion (one of my favourite things). Immediately it struck me - it's Emancipation Day, people are drumming downtown and I have not even touched Dandelion! I felt to go to down to the sea and drum ... but the more the merrier, so I called several friends and invited them: 4 p.m. @ the Foreshore, by the sea, if you don't have a drum, bring a bucket.
Some couldn't make it, some were not home ... but three of us are definitely going (Dandelion, congas and a bucket) ... and some promise to 'drop by' on their way to or from somewhere else. However, today it's black outside and pouring with rain. Hopefully this will clear up by 4 p.m.! If not, I'll just be drumming at home.
I was talking to a friend on the phone this morning and we were discussing the fact that Divali seems to embrace everyone and even people who are not Indian are wearing Indian clothes, lighting deyas, going for drives to 'see the lights', exchanging sweets, cooking curry, being invited to dinner at Hindu friend's houses, etc. Emancipation Day doesn't have that feeling. The whole nation doesn't seem as involved. Normally I just do my own personal symbolic things for public holidays.
I was looking through the papers and saw an Emancipation ad with the lovely image of a dandelion (one of my favourite things). Immediately it struck me - it's Emancipation Day, people are drumming downtown and I have not even touched Dandelion! I felt to go to down to the sea and drum ... but the more the merrier, so I called several friends and invited them: 4 p.m. @ the Foreshore, by the sea, if you don't have a drum, bring a bucket.
Some couldn't make it, some were not home ... but three of us are definitely going (Dandelion, congas and a bucket) ... and some promise to 'drop by' on their way to or from somewhere else. However, today it's black outside and pouring with rain. Hopefully this will clear up by 4 p.m.! If not, I'll just be drumming at home.
posted by Elspeth at Wednesday, August 01, 2007
2 Comments:
There is still too little emancipation in the world - I hope you are going to drum up some more!
Don't care about the weather...
Well, I don't care about the weather, especially as the rain has held up ... but no-one else wants to go again. So I ended up drumming at home.
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