Merii Kurisumasu: Christmas and the Kurisumasu Keki

19/12/2008 - 00:00
Author: Ukeboy
Japan
0 Comments
Read in IT

December... month of good intentions, of fir trees, of coloured and bright balls which reflects the colored light bulbs characterized by lively and cheerful lights, accompained by christmas choruses, true or electronic... month when everything seems made of a Christmas that blooms every year, and us becoming excited.

Now as never in the whole year, we can feel on our own pale and cold skin, the Christmas spirit is in the air. Or at least in these pages, where we tried to give some little Santa Claus♂ (and Santa Claus♀) to make you hear the little voices that say "it's Christmas! Did you do the xmas tree? And the Panettone?" Well, actually we lack the tree, as soon as possibile we'll try to steal it somewhere to make you happy... but who will place the balls will be us, can't complain!
But before doing such a stick up, just talk about serious stuff... let's do a 6500 kilometers jump (will they be enough?) and go in that happy island where a smily town is set: Tokyo.

Hey... what?! Shibuya in Christmas style! When did japanese people start to be catholics?
Well, calm down. In Japan in fact, only the 1% or just a little less population is catholic, so don't be scared, The Church of Rome haven't been in the east yet. And it's clearly visible.
So why do they celebrate Christmas?

Japan has been for ages a eastern country equally to the big capitalist western cities, with a big cultural extension which has taken place in about two centuries, it imported so many traditions of the rest world, absorbing them just like a sponge. In fact in "Nippon-land", Christmas doesn't have any religious or spiritual meaning, but it just became a habit to feel the xmas spirit and to exchange presents, build the xmas tree, making children see for mistake the arrival of Santa Claus by the roof, or by stairs... everything that before was a western prerogative, now they feel it like if it was their, thinking of being part of that sweet liquid natal called "Christmas atmosphere".

Obviously, the eastern touch must be somewhere, to make everything a little particular and different from out so boring traditions, that tastes as much as premanifactured-habits, isn't true?

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...

Not! It's not a birthday cake but the Kurisumasu keki, or simply the Christmas cake.
Isn't it simply fantastic?

But, behind this kawaii-ness, there's a so crude logic: in fact, this name is also used to call the over 25 years unmarried women. The reason is simply: In Japan they use to compare women to sweets, and because the cake is appreciated the 23rd, 24th of December, but becomes useless the 26th.... in consequence an unmarried woman who already stepped over the 26th year.... I let you complete the sad syllogism.

Any how in Japan the Chrismas exists and nothing's missing: there are school plays about the Nativity, the snow on the roofs - which in Italy sometimes is just a dream - , there are choruses of Adeste Fideles, or Silent Night, there are some Santa Claus inside shopping centres, the Christmas lights in the cities...

Christmas illumination

And so another time, Japan turns me - but even "us" - without words, in front of this beauty...
It is a straordinary country, with a millenary culture and mysterious and charming traditions, but sometimes, even this magical land characterized by unic tastes and a unequalled life, is kidnapped by the beauties of a continent which has been grown up by religion and slowly abandoned to that consumerism without any sense, to the progressive abandoning of the spirit of celebrations. Abandoning that instead they, The Rising Sun, don't seem to practice, don't even seem to feel. It seems on the contrary, that that atmosphere of eastern shintoism, constantly pervades the air, making Japan that utopic dream of perfection and freedom so desired by us "oldy" western people, that maybe have forgotten so quickly the way to live a tradition with a personal meaning, and not because someone gave us a disposable tradition's spirit.

I leave you with a wonderful website when you'll be able to admire the perfection of some magical lights and songs... don't worry if the website is written in Japanese, everything you will have to do is to left-click on the links to view pictures! Tokyo Christmas
Or rather, if you are so patient to watch this video, you will see never-seen spectacural things: