Sunday, December 23, 2012

An Irish Christmas!

Hello to all my friends and family across the pond. So sorry for my horrible posting lately. After Thanksgiving Camphill life went into what felt like over drive, with new co-workers and getting ready for Christmas. Which here is quite big. It's been quite a whirlwind.
Starting in the beginning of December was the preparation for the Christmas play, its the basic nativity play you'd see in the states except its centered for kids and the emphasis is on the shepherds. I was given the hardest role which was in the beginning and I basically explained the play and bles everything in a good ten minute speech. A very fun part and at the beginning so then all I had to do was enjoy myself and watch my co-workers and residents rock it. We have had rehearsal daily for about the past three weeks and this weekend we finally got to see our hard work pay off in a performance this afternoon for friends and family of Camphill. We had a pretty full house and tons of children. The performance went really well, a small child did come onto the stage for a portion of the play which was pretty amazing, he was honestly looking at us with such curiosity. We've had quite a few of pretty great birthday celebrations. Birthdays are a huge deal here and all include parties. One was centered around the outdoors and we had a fire (equipped with hail) and hungarian goulash. Then another good one was for our head farmer so the cake was of our cow daisy. Also had a thrill when there were joke candles for the cake that you can't blow out. We also had the drumming teacher for our community bring all his drums over, so we did a drum circle of seven drums and various shakers. Pretty amazing sound.....small room for the amount of people but incredible to watch. My birthday is in a week or so and is going to be rainbow themed. I am very excited for this. New Years Eve is huge here and cast of thousands come to bring in the new year where a band plays in the middle of town and at midnight you all wander the streets. Very excited for this, however I'm forgetting Christmas and all it has to bring so I will get back to that. Christmas here is rather huge, there are many traditions, both within the irish culture as well as that of Camphill that are celebrated. Camphill had an a lovely Christmas party that included a three course meal, singing from around the world and irish dancing. Really special evening. Now.. the twenty fourth marks the start of several community meals, and the decorating of the tree. There is also the big mass in town and followed by that we all go up the farm and sing to the cows....not joking. Christmas day is also centered around the community where we sing around the tree, and open the presents we all have been working on in secret for one another for the past month. All presents had to be done by hand and kept a secret. Christmas day in Dingle also includes the Christmas swim where everyone who wants goes to the beach and runs into the ocean together. Followed by hot whiskey. I haven't decided if I am in fact going to do this. I am sorely tempted. The day after Christmas is a huge festival in Dingle known as Wren's Day. The history of the festival I'm not familiar with but everyone dresses up in straw and masks so no one knows who you are and goes around the pubs/shops and asks for money. Its basically yet another excuse for Irish people to plowed and this time they get to dress up in straw! I"m really curious to see this as I have been warned by locals to make sure I dress up or else I will be made fun of. After the twenty six life quiets down a bit which for many of us is what we can't wait for. We can actually relax, do fun outings and maybe feel like we are really on vacation. Which at this point in time we are as we do not have to go to work until the seventh of January.
This is my first Christmas away from snow, family, friends and Vermont. It's been a really weird feeling for me. Not having it A. be cold. B. then no snow, feels wrong. It really doesn't feel like Christmas to me. The tradition and people I am surrounded by make it special and it will be I think, some of the traditions I've never seen before so its really fun and interesting. But this is totally knew for me. But it is something knew and I am so lucky to get this experience at all so for that I am very thankful for. Yes this job is a constant surprise and living and working with the same people is at time very trying but the positives out way the negatives. No matter how much I feel like my world is collapsing in on me I am reminded of how amazing I have it by a hug and kiss from Catriona or we spend a meal just laughing. With that my friends I will leave you and hope you have an amazing and safe holiday season and will update with pictures of the festivities. xoElsie