Hello everybody!!! I strike back again!!!

I spent the whole Chistmas holidays in San Fernando (Cádiz, Spain) with my family and friends. This holidays use to be very special for me, concretely the day that we celebrat the most is the 6^th of January. Maybe for you this date is not importan but in Spain is the day we receive the christmas presents. That day we celebrate “Dia de los Reyes Magos” (Three Wise Men in english, both names sound amazing). The night from 5^th to 6^th the Three Wise Men (Melchor, Gaspar y Baltazar) go around the world in their camels (yes, very exotic) and they spread magic, illuson and christmas presents if you were a good kid or if not you receive coal (sweet coal, really delicious).

This is the spanish tradition for Christmas and is very important and original. Of course it comes from the Bible. Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar were three wise men that were observing the sky, trying to find knowledge about the universe and God when they saw a shooting star. They interpreted that as a prophecy about the appeareance of God in the Earth so they decided to travel very far, following the shooting star to meet God. They expected a powerful man, with a crown, servants, someone serious and clever, someone that could give them answers. But what they found was a little poor baby just borned some days ago that stayed in a stable with a cow and a donkey. But the saw in his smile the miracle of life and they worship him as their God. Moved by his innocence they decided to travel once per year to bring joy and presents to the little kids, because Jesus is on all of them… and of course to the adults that are kids inside 😀

I know that in some other countris they have different trditions about this. In Italy, for example, The Good Witch Bafana (are there bad witches? This sounds like patriarchy ¬¬) is the one that bring the presents the 6^th of January. I am going to tell you the story. The old Bafana was an old and poor woman that lived in Jesus times. The Three Wise men asked her for water for their camels and because she was nice they invited her to go with them to worship the new born God. But It was very cold, and the old lady did’t want to go because she felt that she couldn’t afford the trip. So then, the three men continued their trip and Bafana stayed in her house. But during the night she regreted her decision and went out of his house, filled with candies and presents, to follow the three kings. But sadly she couldn’t find them and without any guide it was imposible for her to find the baby Jesus. So she decided to share what she had with all the kids she could find in the way expecting to find baby Jesus. Someone told me that she is still looking for him without noticind than bring joy to the kids is bring joy to God.

I am not a religious guy (not at all, even I ama anti-religious) but I love this tales and traditions. It is folklore and I love folklore, even when it comes from a religion that insisted in eliminate another forms of folcklore, another ways of thinking and believe, etc. I love to enjoy the way the collective imagination works creating these stories, how they come from older things than we know, how they mix with other kinds of culture. And that’s why I am sharing this stories with you. I am supposed to write about Romania, but sometimes I think is important to talk about my culture or another cultures because the multicurality is the aim of this volunteer program. And I am glad to share it with you 🙂

But as the 6^th of january is the las free day it also used to be mixed with another not that good feelings. That they we are enjoying the magic, family and presents but the nex day you have to go back to school, university, work or Romania in my case. Coming back it’s a strange procces. You have to say goodbye to the holidays with your family, friends, boyfried (I miss you a lot) without worries etc. But also it is a reborn moment that offer new opportinities. Of course we have to keep doing the same activities but we are now in interesting new projects too. We are working with the volunteers from youth capital, starting a new project about european elections and civic engagement and we have to develope our personal project. So individually my volunteer mates and mee we have to come out with an idea, create a project and do it. My self esteem is fu**ing me because I cannot see me leading something like that (or nothing in general) so it’s being very hard to decide one idea (I have lot, A LOT) and start this new process. But I will tell you about this in the next blog (or not, I am a plot twist guy) when, with a little bit of luck and a lot of effort, this will be decided.

So see you next time! And hugs for you! 😀

PD: the image in the post is a detail from a painting that I found in the Art museum in Baia Mare and I think it is simply perfect for this post. Just saying.