Religon and Fireworks

The great use of firecrackers and fireworks in conjunction with Christian religious services is so different from what I grew up with. 

It is hard to step back and accept what these people obviously see as a significant part of their worship.  The amount of firecrackers drowned out the sound of the church bells, and the fireworks were well done, seeming to draw attention to the celebration rather than detract from it.

But as I said, it was jarringly different from what I am used to.  The number of christmas lights and small electronic devices playing christmas carols made for an annoying background noise.  The use of icons and statuary has always been something that jars against the Anglican themes I was raised in.  Once the procession started, taking a statue of Mary for a slow journey round the centre of town, there was a constant barrage of noise from both fireworks and firecrackers.  The casual use of fireworks was also something quite different, with random people setting off fireworks in spaces barely large enough for safety.  Most times there were people within five meters of the steel tubes used for launching the larger ones.  The immediacy of this meant it added to the whole scene, tying the whole crowd into the experience of the visual display.  My western eyes found the whole thing to be gaudy and over done on the one hand, but on the other hand I could see both the sincerity of the participants and going by the size of the crowd it meant that a large slice of the town joined in.

I did not stay for the whole procession, choosing to slink away when it was less than half over, and I could hear the noise echoing off the walls behind me as I went down to the lake.  I have avoided religion for the most part on this trip of mine.  I long ago accepted that different people worship god in different ways and it is not something that I choose to do.

It is too easy to mock or look down on what others do as part of their belief, and disregard the emotions and sincerity of the worshipers, forgetting that their upbringing was so different from mine and their expressions and outward display of ceremony are thus far removed from what I experienced as part of my cultural norm.  It does enhance my travel and bring me farther along the road to understanding these people and how they contrast as well as mirror those who I grew up with.

Because it was night, and personally I find flashes to be intrusive, I dd not take any photos.  I may wander up to the church in the next day or two and take a few, just to round out this article.