Glimpses of Christmas Eve

Even though the cathedrals and school were a good indication of the influence, it was not until this week that we learned that this little town is the hub for Catholics in southern Vietnam - essentially the Vatican of Vietnam. Thus, it came as no surprise that Christmas Eve was THE night to be out and about - it was a jovial affair. 

I had to work until 8pm, but Zach was free to wander as dusk approached and the lights came on. He arrived at the cathedral across the street early to secure a seat for their evening pageant. Throughout the last hour of my work day, I received a handful of texts and pictures of the happenings. My favorite were these - sent in this order:

I'm super curious why lots of young girls are wearing wedding gowns....with veils.

So the song that's playing now, the only words so far have been "Everybody fucking jump..." Haha!

Brides, techno with the f-bomb, at a Catholic church... This party's about to get real! 🤣

Apparently, there was also an re-enacted motorbike accident somewhere in the mix. Upon my arrival, the dancers, brides, and busted motorbikes had departed and the stair stage was being set for mass. 

The courtyard was packed and the street was standing room only, or rather sit-on-your-motorbike room only. It was a horde of humanity - children running feral throughout the small spaces and climbing on the decorations, older women dressed in traditional àoi dais in colors that would rival Joseph's coat of many colors, teens slumped over, staring at their devices, and old men smoking and chatting in the corners. I negotiated a skinny path towards the behemoth tree to meet up with Zach. 

The nice thing about Catholics is that their services are very predictable in flow and timing. Zach has been sitting in on a few masses on his days off thus he is more familiar with the lineup, which is why when he started to get a bit squirmy, I looked at him quizzically. His whispered response was, "The communion blessing is taking too long." 

We had other things to do, so when the super long blessing finished and all stood to partake, we made our exit. 

We made our way to meet one of Zach's football friends and his family. Along the way, we ran into motorbike-riding Santa, who was gracious to let us take some pictures with him.

Many modes of transportation were decked for the holidays, and all were filled with jubilant crowds. The street-side vendors were in full force peddling everything from fish sauce to pig  and Santa ballons.  

We met our friends by the other Catholic church, which was filled to capacity as well. 

At this point, we paused for an evening coffee/tea break - where, once again, the most explicit Christmas music was playing which made Zach and I continually giggle. However, it was background music to the daughter, (nicknamed) Candy's antics. She absolutely, absolutely, absolutely adores Zach. Mom, dad, and I carried on a Google Translate conversation while she commandeered Zach's attention and hugs. 

The seminary opened their gates for revelers to wander their massive decorations. Candy was eager to show Zach all the things. 

We were able to get a few pictures with all of us and the decorations.

We returned to our studio at 11:30pm, hungry and completely content with our Christmas Eve. We finished our evening by eating instant noodles and video chatting with friends and family around the globe. 

So Many Nativity Scenes

I have a suspicion that crèches are on the verge of outnumbering the Buddhas in this town, which is a feat considering that the shops peddling the holy family and their menagerie are actually rather meager in number. Oh, but the shops are stuffed; a situation akin to a good rummage sale with boxes piled upon boxes, where digging is mandatory to uncover the seven different layers of things. It is a stuffy, dusty, sweaty activity.

What is not piled in the boxes is hanging from a criss-cross mayhem of pipes. Blinging stars, anointed-in-the-holy-neon-light baby Jesuses, twenty seven different varieties of stringed lights, and the pixelated angel foam board cutout. However, all this pales in comparison to the abundant number of plastic-wrapped humans and barnyard animals waiting patiently to be chosen for a cave.

I posted this picture on Instagram earlier this month. It was a moment I was so disappointed that I did not have my actual camera and that I did not capture the moments leading up to the departure. My caption that day was: If I ever write a book that involves the kidnapping of a baby Jesus figurine, this will be my inspiration. Rolled in plastic sheeting, heavily tape-gunned to the back of a motorbike, and driven away like it was the greatest loot ever acquired in a heist.   

It was the screech of the tape gun that drew my initial curiousity, but I stopped rummaging to watch Jesus get stuck to his ride; all while the buyer gingerly held him in place and the shopkeeper wielded the tape gun like a baton orchestrating the greatest of symphonies.  

As the days passed and cave after cave were being constructed, I imagine that the scene I had witnessed was not an anomaly in the surrounding shops. Every so often these past weeks, I have spotted a cow on a motorbike floorboard or a Mary head peeking out of a bag. Yet, my attention quickly became enamored with the scenes being created - each unique in design.

A baby in a hammock is a common sight in these lands, so I was not surprised to find Jesus hanging in one as well. 

The holy family finally showed up in the church cave. 

Though, the scene on the other side of the church sent us into a fit of giggles. I definitely do not remember the giraffes or reindeer from the Christmas story. Plus, the ghastly looking sheep give the impression that observing the birth was sickening.   

The other church went small and simple with their scene. 

But, the street behind the main church did not get the simple memo. This behemoth includes a snow blowing machine! 

The residents of this street must have had a creche competition. 

The man who lived in this house was really excited I was walking and taking pictures. He made sure I stopped at his, even taking a few seconds to fuss about it so my picture would be perfect. 

It is Christmas Eve, so our evening plan is to visit the go-big-or-go-home church for their evening program then meander to see what else we can uncover. This may be the town that never finishes decorating, which is absolutely delightful. 

Photojournal: Big City Christmas Decor

This is an interruption in posts about the Christmas decor of our tiny town due to a jaunt to the giant metropolis of Ho Chi Minh last week. As expected, while we traveled, so much more was added. The street in front of our studio even received the light canopy treatment! I need a couple of days to walk around with my camera to document the new additions. Though, I do feel it is a futile effort.

Thus, while I compile new local pictures, I shall share pictures of holiday bedazzlement discovered between paperwork runs in the capital. 

As expected, most holiday embellishment was found around the malls and high-end hotels.

The Saigon Center embraced all the pink. To frolicking flamingoes on the rooftop to the unicorns welcoming the masses at the front doors. It was a lot of pink. 

I did not even get a picture of the inside giant pink and white ball pit/playground/photo op area on the first floor.

I feel Takashimaya understood this was the year to blend world events with holiday tradition. Their World Cup thematic decor was awesome - a delight for all who walked outside and inside of their store. 

While many of the upscale hotels had decorations, it was really the Rex Hotel that showed off in style. Their display reminded us of The Peninsula in Hong Kong. 

The City of Caves

The coworker who forewarned of the massive amount of lights also inquired about the importance of caves to Christians in that same conversation. I was puzzled. Caves? I replied that I had no idea. 

Again, weeks later, the answer to the question emerged in a wild array of visual interpretations. Instead of cobbled together stables, our little town erects faux caves. They appear in a mishmash variety with a hodgepodge of materials. From paint splattered tarps to striped rice bags to someone's ratty workshirt to insta-freeze foam to paper mache - these caverns appear in doorways, passageways, and church courtyards. 

I actually have few pictures of the stage being set for the crèche because I actually did not recognize what they were to be. So many things hang outside homes here that another tarp or random sheet looks like the makings of a laundry line or a storage space. Thus, only when those hanging materials started to take a shape and gain bedazzlement alongside a motley assortment of livestock and solemn looking people, did the connection between the season and caves bridge together. 

In their soon-to-be finished state, the artistic interpretation for these grottos is vast. The competition for a bigger and better is definitely evident around town. So far, the Catholic church across the street from our studio is winning. Whoever is chairing their decoration committee is a go-big-or-go-home type of person. 

It is a jaw-dropping scene; definitely in scale with the cathedral it leans upon. The teens love to ride their bikes through the tunnels and the kids squeal with delight in having a run of the place before the holy family appears...and they are starting to be sighted around town.