Perpetual Change

Zagreb, And we’re off

The next day we had a regular church service with the local congregation; it was Sunday. Croats are very predominantly Roman Catholic. I was impressed how similar Croatian is to Ukrainian. I also like the tradition they have of seeding wheat about 10 days before Christmas, so they have all these little baskets of green grass around the apartment or in church. I think it is a hold over from winter fertility rights, but I like it better than the Ukrainian tradition because of the green. The Ukrainian tradition is also very beautiful though; they take the dried, harvested wheat and tie it up into little three legged figures that they put in the corners of their rooms.

After the service, Nykola drove us up the mountain; Zagreb is wedged between one great mountain (not a chain) and a big river. The mountain looks out on the whole plane and it was pretty. There was less fog today, and we had hot white wine and delicious home pastries at a little place on top. Then, he wanted to take us to an older friend that he visits and helps sometimes. The man was very nice; it reminded me of when I used to visit my elderly neighbour when I was little. We had hot wine there too. He had a real zeal for religion and even recited us some prayers in Latin. Next, Nykola drove us into town. I was feeling a bit smothered by the constant company of everyone, so I separated myself; actually, I think everyone split up. It had turned into a really nice day (no “magla”), so I walked the center part of the tour we had done the day before. The views were much better today, and I just made it into the Naïve Art Museum. I walked right into the museum, luckily, because it was already closed, but the last visitors exiting had left the door open, so I didn’t notice. The director was so friendly and said that I could take a quick look for 2 minutes; this was after they had already stayed open 3 extra hours that day from all the demand. I walked through very quickly, but was allowed more than two minutes. Naïve art is very interesting. Then I bought some souvenirs; I even used my credit card and then they let me go back in for the bathroom. I was quite impressed by the genuine customer service, and the art.

I wondered on to the cathedral, which is so beautiful. I ate a snack there from all the leftover food I had from the other meals (remember we had missed picking up our lunch for this day). Then, I needed to get back to the conference site for our regional meetings. On my way back, I saw a man pick a cigarette out of an ashtray and smoke it! He did it nonchalantly, but I definitely noticed.

I was a tad bit late for the meeting, so I stood in the back; it turned out to be quite interesting (I thought, since I was at the Ukraine regional meeting that it wouldn’t much apply to me), but it was hard to hear because not everyone was in the back was interested. They explained the icon, that I had noticed the first day. It was an old Coptic art piece, and they had chosen it as this year’s symbol for the conference because the style is simple but very reassuring, and because of this, you can’t tell if the man standing with Jesus’ arm around him even knows if Jesus is there. The brothers prepared a big replica of this icon for each country and sent it with the groups so that it could travel their home countries and continue the “pilgrimage of Peace” (the conference title this year).

Then we went to eat (I think, though I don’t quite remember and my notes don’t say) and then have evening prayer. It was good, but I think yesterday afternoon’s with only the people that most wanted there was the best. The evening ones always had the best attendances, and they would announce special guests at one point in the service. The Pope and the Orthodox Episcope wrote letters to the meeting, but many Croatian high government officials came, as well as high Jewish and Muslim clerics, and I think the current head of Mother Theresa’s order. I can’t remember everyone now, but every night it was impressive to hear who was in attendance. Then there was a special ceremony where they brought forth a candle that had been kindled from the Flame of Bethlehem and they had already passed each of us a candle, and so the whole room became lit with candle light. Our little candles would burn out about 2 inches from the bottom. Mine was one of the first to go around me, and I couldn’t get it relit. Then I noticed other people having the same problem. I couldn’t figure out how they did it.

So, next we went back to the parishes; Stanka had a big meal for us, though she had already eaten. Her and her husband went to some friends house that they said would be boring, but we couldn’t convince them to come with us. The daughter went to a party back in the center where the conference was; she is not so religious and really took barely a passing interest in any of us or the goings on. We started singing songs with the guitar like “I’ve been working on the railroad.” We were also practicing for the Festival of Nations. It was fun, but it made us late, again (I was the one that was always trying to push people out the door!) The evening prayer that night was the best, I finally got the chants down, and so did others, but then the prayer for silence was sad. They do this last prayer in the parish churches just before midnight on New Year’s Eve and they dedicate it to Peace. So we sit there in silence knowing that 30,000 young people and more parishioners are spread all over the city praying just then, but all you can hear are the early fireworks going off. Fireworks in Ukraine, and seems also Croatia, are a big deal on New Year’s. Everyone does their own and there are no (enforced) laws about where or the size of these explosives. It makes for quite a 360 degree extravaganza (if somewhat dangerous), but we were still inside praying and to me they sounded a lot like bombs. Hear we are, praying for peace, and all I can imagine is this must be what a war is like, all the civilians huddled in the silence of fear and anticipation in the church as bombs rage in close proximity. It is upsetting me just writing about it now.

But then the silence passed and we went out to join the festivities. (my spirits were a bit dampened). After lots of cheering and congratulations outside, our 8 nations filed back in to the church to start the Festival of Nations. This also went on in churches all across town. Each contingent prepares something fun, a song or skit, that illustrates their traditions. The two other Americans and I started (making a ninth nation) with the spiritual “I’ll fly away” and a little guitar help from Gino; it was very popular. The Polish song was fun, but Jura said that they always do the same one. The Croats had volunteers act out a reading of Snow White. I was chosen as a dwarf, and found myself next to a confused Italian. Amazingly enough, from my time at camps in Italy, I could answer “I think we are dwarves” in Italian when she asked me what was going on. Then I was confused by the Lithuanians, but it was all very fun. Afterwards, we went to the church hall for a disco; the music was quite good and quite a mix of styles, languages and years. I enjoyed some Spanish music, which I haven’t heard in awhile, and I think everyone on earth must know how to sing along with “Pretty Woman”. The whole thing was really surreal to me, and as we danced under a neon/stained glass painting of the 12 apostles, I was reminded of a disco I had been in Paestum, Italy, where we danced outside next to a wall built about 3000 years ago by Greeks.

I was done by 4 and so several of us left for bed, but the party was still raging. The next morning, I was supposed to read, and it was the whole parish’s regular service. So I needed at least a bit of sleep; plus we were going to get on a bus for the next two nights.

After service the next morning, we went back to the apartment and had a big, leisurely meal and socialized with our family. We ate way too much; we had planned to play football, but everyone was so tired and full. Then Nykola drove us into where all the busses were leaving from. Taize packed us with yet more food on the bus, and away we went.

Labels: Taize

posted by jjs @ 10:00 AM