Holiday Traditions

A few years ago, Joe and I were in PaP for the celebration of Haitian Flag Day or the equivalent of our 4th of July. We went to the Palace and watched as what seemed like thousands of young people marched by in bright red and blue outfits. Most would stop at some point and do a very intricate about face routine then continue marching with drums and vocal cadence. We were very impressed with the color and pagentry of the event.

After watching much of the parade we wandered into the beautiful park and took photos of school children and young people who came from the countryside for the event. Kids clowned for the camera and whole families would pose just to see themselves displayed in the digital display window.

Last week, May 18th, we celebrated Flag Day, again, but this time in Sousafilip and the participants were students of one of the primary schools in SaP. It was filled with traditon and pagentry if not quite as elaborate or crowded.

This time we were allowed to make a presentation to the young people and parents. I told them no country is more important than the country one calls "home" and what makes a country great is the work of the people to make their country a "good home" of all of it's people. Pride in Country is basically pride in it's people who work to make their "home" a good place with food and water; health care and education; industry and joy available to all people.

We then went outside to watch the same marching drills we had seen before, celebrate the raising of the Haitian flag, and join the parade that marched throughout the three communities that make up Sousafilip. The whole thing lasted from 9 am to nealy 2 pm with no fire crackers!!

Observing the crowd of proud parents, there were young dads with baseball caps reversed, tank tops and shorts. Mama's coached from the sidelines as kids got out of step. One little toddler stood the entire time of raising the flag with her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and a blue cap on her head with red socks on her feet. As the flag was raised and saluted with a hand vertical above the heart, such serious looks on faces adorned with red and blue beads brought a mist to my eyes.

The song that kept playing in my head was "This Is My Song...a song of peace". I have grown to love this country that has welcomed us but more the people who have called us friend, no longer alien. Yet, on this Memorial Day, I long for "home" which is no "better" but just mine. We would be playing soft ball and eating outdoors watching the clouds. We would have attended a memorial service somewhere and I would have been misty eyed as "taps" were played. Perhaps the toddler with hands in her hip pockets would have been my Phoebe.

The third verse of the song says, "this is my prayer....that hearts united learn to live as one." As we can learn to live in other cultures, survive with less and love the same things in people who speak a different language, it seems we can learn to live as one people of God's creation. The traditions may be different, but as they touch our hearts with goodness and our actions become more alike than different, are we coming closer? That is my prayer this Memorial Day, 2009.