blogcutter (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
blogcutter) wrote2020-11-14 07:13 pm
blogcutter) wrote2020-11-14 07:13 pm
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Happy Diwali: Celebration in a time of Covid
Throughout the world, but especially for those with southeast Asian roots, Diwali is being celebrated today. Gatherings are smaller and lower-key, many of them virtual, but they are still happening:
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/diwali-2020-covid-celebrations/index.html
At this time of year, especially in the northern hemisphere, a lot of celebrations centre around lighting lights indoors at a time when it's dark outside, except maybe for phenomena like the northern lights. So there are a number of Scandinavian festivities and the feasts of St. Nick and St. Stephen throughout December and of course the winter solstice, Yule, Christmas, New Year...
Unfortunately, large group gatherings indoors are anathema to keeping virus spread in check. So Santa's workshop has been surrounded by a cordon sanitaire and he won't be on tour this year. Parades and department store encounters will be replaced with Zoom calls and letters to and from the North Pole or his office in northern Quebec, postal code H0H0H0.
Some people are getting into the Christmas spirit super-early this year, putting up lights, trees and other decorations, shopping, baking and so on. I find this a bit depressing - my impulse is to want to just push it out of the way until next year or the year after, when we can all celebrate properly again! Though having said that, I've got some candied fruit marinating on the dining room table now, waiting to be baked into a Christmas cake. After all, it'll need to age a bit before it's at its best! But I'll hold off a bit on things like shortbread and gingerbread.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/diwali-2020-covid-celebrations/index.html
At this time of year, especially in the northern hemisphere, a lot of celebrations centre around lighting lights indoors at a time when it's dark outside, except maybe for phenomena like the northern lights. So there are a number of Scandinavian festivities and the feasts of St. Nick and St. Stephen throughout December and of course the winter solstice, Yule, Christmas, New Year...
Unfortunately, large group gatherings indoors are anathema to keeping virus spread in check. So Santa's workshop has been surrounded by a cordon sanitaire and he won't be on tour this year. Parades and department store encounters will be replaced with Zoom calls and letters to and from the North Pole or his office in northern Quebec, postal code H0H0H0.
Some people are getting into the Christmas spirit super-early this year, putting up lights, trees and other decorations, shopping, baking and so on. I find this a bit depressing - my impulse is to want to just push it out of the way until next year or the year after, when we can all celebrate properly again! Though having said that, I've got some candied fruit marinating on the dining room table now, waiting to be baked into a Christmas cake. After all, it'll need to age a bit before it's at its best! But I'll hold off a bit on things like shortbread and gingerbread.