Tratra ny Krismasy
Monday, December 26, 2005 at 04:57PM Merry day after Christmas everybody. I hope you all enjoyed the celebration of the birth of Santa Clause yesterday. I spent the day reading books, eating leftovers and wandering around Mahajanga. On Christmas eve, my friend Elfi (a German ex-pat with a solar power business in mahajanga) had a small party. Mary (closest volonteer) came with her boyfriend who was visiting from de nederlands and a few malagasy showed up as well. It wasn't very Christmas-y, but it was merry.
However the signs of Christmas can be found around town if one takes the time to notice. French Christmas carols could be heard on the radio, modest christmas lights decorate the entrances of a few shops and residences. And a nightmarish Christmas ghoul haunts the streets of downtown hoping to route out an unsuspecting heathen children from the premises. The ghost of christmas globalization struts the earth like a victorious college basketball star on his way to the bars to celebrate, or possibly like an older veteran with a "trick" knee, in a hurry. He wears a raggedy red suit with off-white trim and a hood that he pulls up over his head. But most terrifying of all, he wears the mask of a white, yet asian-ish man with a tangled, homeless beard. He calls out to the children "Tratra ny Krismasy," which though a traditional greeting for holidays (e.g. tratra ny bon anniversair), literally means "Catch a Christmas" I wonder if some of the children, unfamiliar with Christianity might not be scared off by his threat to catch whatever the hell a Krismasy is. For whatever reason, many children do flee in terror, inspiring a genuine smile beneath the mask and a genuine, yet girly, Santa laugh.
Ho Ho Ho, Bon Noel! Tratra ny Chrismasy!
Reader Comments (3)
I mailed a letter to you in December, which I wrote in November that was promptly returned to me stating "Inadequate Mailing Address"
I swear im trying! So im going to rewrite the letter, and try again.
I just had my 22nd Birthday. Can you believe it? Remember when I was such a small noob? Yeah still a noob....
Miss you, Take Care!
Oh and if you read this by then, Happy Early Birthday :)
~Ashleigh
I know Im a couple days late but you probably wont get this till later anyways. Funny enough I got my first letter from you on the 13th. Seems like January is the PBD month. Make the locals bake you a cake, or make you a sand castle or something. Its your birthday dammit. Ill write soon.
Love ya kid,
Joe
Actually I baked the villagers a cake. They don´t celebrate birthdays. Mostly I think this is because nobody remembers when their children were born. Anyway, I spent the day baking, teaching english, and reading Harry Potter. I taught some kids the happy birthday song. And by taught I mean that I sang it to them three times and they hummed along.
GG
I have no idea why the letter was returned Ashleigh.
Shawn Peabody
B.P. 128
Majunga 401
Madagascar
Everyone else´s letters get here... nooooob.