The feel of Christmas in Paraguay is hot! Snowmen would melt instantly! (Once, my sister sent us fake snow. That was fun to play around with. It didn’t melt, but it got real dirty.) People have more time…its summer.
They sit out on their sidewalks with tereré, freshly-squeezed juice and/or “gaseosa” (pop). If you walk by, they may invite you to stay and sit with them a while to talk about family, jobs, the government, or the heat.
In Paraguay (in my opinion) it seems that Christmas is all about quality time and sharing. If you are there long enough (at your neighbor’s) they may bring out Pan Dulce or Panettone…fruitcake-type bread. Check it out in this link if you’re interested in making it. http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-make-panettone Stores are stacked to the ceiling with this type of Pan de Navidad (Christmas Bread).
When you are not out shopping for gifts, food or preparing for the celebration, Christmas is a time to enjoy leisure time and family. We can sit outside on a “cool” night and eat a refreshing watermelon (for $1 to $2 each). We take a walk. We buy ice-cream. The rush of the school routine is over. Yes. It feels like Christmas.
How wonderful it is to feel Christ…not only at Christmas, but daily and in our lives! How great to believe in Christmas…in Christ, his promises, his victory, and his salvation.
5 comments:
And we're wondering if our cookie exchange is going to happen tomorrow because of a snow storm that is hitting us right now. People that do venture out are usually walking fast to keep warm. Isn't it great that each culture has it's own taste, smell, sounds and sights of Christmas, but it's all centered around the same Person: JESUS!
It all just a promise of our celebration in Eternity!
I love your stories of Paraguay, bringing out all the senses. Some of this is something I hope to share in our 4th grade class Friday when they talk about Christmas around the world. It's the party day, so nobody will be doing anything most of the day anyhow, except wishing it would hurry and be over with so they can all have 2 weeks off.
Thanks for the information.
I;m really enoying experiencing a Christmas in Paraguay through your blogs. Thanks so much for sharing. Am so thankful, that we can all celebrate Christ's birth and the reason He came in our hearts no matter what culture we live in. We can all experience the thankfulness of this wonderful gift we have with Him as our Savior and the promise of eternal life because of Him.
I love the emphasis on quality time in Paraguay's culture. I remember being gently chastised by our friends (your neighbors), who had invited us to lunch, when we didn't come early to drink terere and talk.
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