Secular icons for religious holidays are a bit problematic for me.
Santas. Elves. Easter eggs.
They are not part of my family tradition. But you know that already. (an easter tail -- one of my favorite essays).
That is why I was a bit surprised at my reaction when I found the Easter bunny on my dining room table looking as if he was the triumphant model for Marco Basaiti's The Resurrection of Christ.
The bunny was one of Jiggs's chew toys. But the object in the bunny's paws was new.
Pope Benedict visited his Mexican flock at the end of March. And it was quite a visit. The Mexican church being one of his largest corporate subsidiaries.
Mexico welcomed him only as Mexico can. Crowds. Noise. Music. Enthusiasm. Bigger than Santana.
I didn't go see him. But I now have a souvenir of that visit.
Santas. Elves. Easter eggs.
They are not part of my family tradition. But you know that already. (an easter tail -- one of my favorite essays).
That is why I was a bit surprised at my reaction when I found the Easter bunny on my dining room table looking as if he was the triumphant model for Marco Basaiti's The Resurrection of Christ.
The bunny was one of Jiggs's chew toys. But the object in the bunny's paws was new.
Pope Benedict visited his Mexican flock at the end of March. And it was quite a visit. The Mexican church being one of his largest corporate subsidiaries.
Mexico welcomed him only as Mexico can. Crowds. Noise. Music. Enthusiasm. Bigger than Santana.
I didn't go see him. But I now have a souvenir of that visit.
If you look closely at what the bunny is holding, you will discover a bit of confection. A pope-sicle.
A marvelous symbol of how Mexico handles its faith. Adoration and kitsch wrapped up in one edible package.
And why not? We have Jesus on velvet. Our Lady of Guadalupe in throbbing multi-colored lights. Saints on coffee mugs.
The pope-sicle was a gift from my landlady. She visited Guanajuato last month -- one of the cities that celebrated the pope's pop-in -- and found the perfect memento for me. The fact that she so carefully arranged it for my arrival is what made it special.
Not only do I eschew secular religious icons, I am postmodern enough to see little utility in symbols. But this was a big exception.
Little acts of kindness that bring a smile to a weary traveler's lips are what make life worth living. After all, the true model of Basati's painting said it best: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
A marvelous symbol of how Mexico handles its faith. Adoration and kitsch wrapped up in one edible package.
And why not? We have Jesus on velvet. Our Lady of Guadalupe in throbbing multi-colored lights. Saints on coffee mugs.
The pope-sicle was a gift from my landlady. She visited Guanajuato last month -- one of the cities that celebrated the pope's pop-in -- and found the perfect memento for me. The fact that she so carefully arranged it for my arrival is what made it special.
Not only do I eschew secular religious icons, I am postmodern enough to see little utility in symbols. But this was a big exception.
Little acts of kindness that bring a smile to a weary traveler's lips are what make life worth living. After all, the true model of Basati's painting said it best: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
In San Miguel you can always find your bearings at night by the 3 large neon crosses on one the ubiquitous churches here. They have different ways of expressing themselves but I think the message is clear and pure.
ReplyDeleteNew meaning to "path unto my feet."
ReplyDeleteNo Santas, elves or Easter eggs is little Stevie's childhood? Oh, my.
ReplyDeleteI can hear the grist mill of pop psychology grinding.
ReplyDeleteIt explains so very much.
ReplyDeleteWatching the hoopla, I could not believe what a big deal was being made and simulcast on all the Mexican channels....the crowing touch was to see the head of the church wearing a sombrero......made me wonder of the sanctity of it all....
ReplyDeleteConsidering some of the silly headgear the pope wears as part of his job, a sombrero may have been a sartorial relief.
ReplyDeleteBut it does remind me on the morning of his assassination, President Kennedy was presented with a ten-gallon hat and was urged to put it on. He demurred. Unlike Michael Dukakis, he knew guys from Massachusetts lose a bit of dignity wearing odd chapeaus.
To have good neighbors is a blessing no doubt - something we are thin on in several locations l-(
ReplyDeleteI have been blessed with some great acquaintances in Melaque. That is one factor that keeps me here.
ReplyDeleteSo why was a big, white, fluffy bunny, going from house to house, no less, on the andador in Melaque, on Easter week.
ReplyDeleteA pope-cicle?! I love it! Hahahaha!
ReplyDeleteOf course, it could be a lolli-pope,
ReplyDeleteUndoubtedly, one of Satan Claus's minions. ;-{}
ReplyDeleteaaaaarrrrrrrgggghhhhh
ReplyDeleteDon't know why scrooge comes to mind...
ReplyDeleteSo is that a high-calorie alternative to a communion wafer?
ReplyDeleteSaludos,
Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we like all those secular symbols, but can see how Christians might well be bothered.
In the end it fits in with my neo-postmodern view of life.
ReplyDeleteIt shouldn't. All holidays were fully celebrated.
ReplyDeleteAnd they can get worse.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was living in Phoenix in the '80s there was a visit from the Pope. It was a huge deal. One of the highlights was a Pope parade up Central Avenue in the new Pope-mobile. One of the more popular souvenir items being sold was 'Pope-on-a-rope Soap'. I remember wondering whether or not the owners of that item avoided washing their private areas.
ReplyDeleteI question whether it was a "big deal" (it really wasn't, and the crowds were nowhere near what was predicted) outside the pro-clerical Azcárraga clan, the piety wing of PAN.
ReplyDeleteI should clarify that we indulged in coloring Easter eggs. My childhood was not quite as pure as I make out.
ReplyDeleteIt looked like a lot of people on film.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought Pope on a Rope was merely an SNL skit. Reality often trumps skit writers.
ReplyDeleteThat is a nice act of kindness. You must be a good tenant for your landlady to like you enough to give you this.
ReplyDeleteYou know me well enough to know I am the practically perfect tenant.
ReplyDeleteThe pope bigger than Santana!? for some people maybe.
ReplyDeleteSaludos
They both showed up in Mexico at about the same time. I didn't see either of them.
ReplyDeleteI performed a Google search for Pope-on-a-Rope Soap and it turns out there are still several versions available for purchase. It seems cleanliness is truly next to godliness.
ReplyDeleteMy experience is that cleanliness is next to impossible.
ReplyDeleteTo us engineers, it is the Second Law of Thermodynamics, or Entropy. It is very real and very powerful.
ReplyDeleteEntropy does sound like a good name for a detergent.
ReplyDelete