Saturday, December 27, 2003
Baba Noel
Here’s the reason I like Riverbend’s blog—she’s the best teacher I’ve got. I so often learn something new about life in Iraq that I had never imagined! Check out her charming description of Christmas in Iraq:
Kids in Iraq also believe in Santa Claus, but people here call him 'Baba Noel' which means, "Father Noel". I asked the children what he looked like and they generally agreed that he was fat, cheerful, decked in red and had white hair. (Their impertinent 11-year-old explains that he's fat because of the dates, cheerful because of the alcohol and wears red because he's a communist!) He doesn't drop into Iraqi homes through the chimney, though, because very few Iraqi homes actually have chimneys. He also doesn't drop in unexpectedly in the middle of the night because that's just rude. He acts as more of an inspiration to parents when they are out buying Christmas gifts for the kids; a holiday muse, if you will. The reindeer are a foreign concept here.
I don’t know if kids out in Ramadi believe in Santa, or even know who he is. Ramadi seems to have a fairly conservative Muslim reputation, and while there’s plenty of secular influence (“PEPSI COLD! PEPSI COLD!”), I haven’t seen any evidence of Christianity in town. Next time I am privileged to have a conversation with some Iraqi children—I’ll be sure to ask them about “Baba Noel.”
Kids in Iraq also believe in Santa Claus, but people here call him 'Baba Noel' which means, "Father Noel". I asked the children what he looked like and they generally agreed that he was fat, cheerful, decked in red and had white hair. (Their impertinent 11-year-old explains that he's fat because of the dates, cheerful because of the alcohol and wears red because he's a communist!) He doesn't drop into Iraqi homes through the chimney, though, because very few Iraqi homes actually have chimneys. He also doesn't drop in unexpectedly in the middle of the night because that's just rude. He acts as more of an inspiration to parents when they are out buying Christmas gifts for the kids; a holiday muse, if you will. The reindeer are a foreign concept here.
I don’t know if kids out in Ramadi believe in Santa, or even know who he is. Ramadi seems to have a fairly conservative Muslim reputation, and while there’s plenty of secular influence (“PEPSI COLD! PEPSI COLD!”), I haven’t seen any evidence of Christianity in town. Next time I am privileged to have a conversation with some Iraqi children—I’ll be sure to ask them about “Baba Noel.”
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