What is your favorite festival and why?
In Indonesia, I like the festival surrounding Eid and Christmas. I like how family-oriented these holidays are. People travel home for families, think of special times and moments to share with families, and share special food like ketupat, opor ayam, nastar and kastengel for both Eid and Christmas. That’s why I also like Thanksgiving here, not so much for the history, but for the family-oriented moment it is.
This coming year will be the first year my family celebrates all the festivals and holidays without my father, who passed away this summer of 2013. People say that with festivals, we learn how to value each other’s presence, which is very true. From my father’s passing, I also learn to use festivals to grieve. Why so? From the days my father was ill, to his passing, I did not cry at all. My father always said, don’t cry, so I didn’t. Time went fast, too, and I had to go back to this university (and to teaching) the first week of the semester, so I did not have time to actually grieve. It was only later that I actually went through the period of grieving, of mourning with each festival and holiday (when I remember his presence and absence). I learned that it was OK to grieve, that it should be part of healing.
No comments:
Post a Comment