When the Middle East Meets Rio de Janeiro

Singing bossa-nova in St Michael's Jazz Fest: Ipanema's & One Note Samba. =) 

Happy Mother's Day

To all the mothers, but most especially to my mom, who might very well empathize with the cartoon... =P

The previous post

I think I need to learn how to blog again. The previous post was a bit confusing. =/ So here follows some [graphic] explanation for the unexplained in the last post. 

First I suppose I did more than most Brazilians do to celebrate Easter, but here, besides 55 days of Lent , during the Holy Week, people go to church everyday. Then, on Thursday they wash their feet. On the       "Great Friday" (not "Good Friday"), the day to remember Jesus was crucified, people dress in black and drink vinegar (as Jesus did, because Jesus drank vinegar, when asked for water). Then, on Sunday, 00:00 people break the fasting with nice food. There is also Easter Monday, which is a National Holiday, from the ancient times and people eat fish, coloured eggs, visit friends, dress new clothes. 

This is the "Palm Craft" we hanged on our door on Palm Sunday. It's super traditional.

And this is the church which looks like a synagogue - but also looks like a mosque. Only the external architecture, I mean.

Finally, this year I baked a squared "Simmel Cake". And since I couldn't find chocolate eggs or balls, I put 11 pieces of chocolate to represent the disciples. My interpretation of the Simmel Cake for 2013:

First Aniversary & Happy Easter!

The title of this post troubles me. Each topic deserves per si one post. But without internet the last month (or months?), I didn’t have the opportunity to blog much.

No complaints, tho, because, I borrowed Madame Adrienne’s internet USB whatever, and now – here am I! \O/ Merci beaucoup to her.  

So, May 5, and today is Easter in this part of the world. I already wrote my “Ode toEaster” last year, but I could never know, that in such an international city, I would celebrate Easter twice this year. Not bad at all.

In case you’re curious to know why, it’s the following: the Western Church (e.g. the Protestants & the Roman Catholics) and the Eastern Church (i.e. the Orthodox Church, the Coptic Church and a number of small Christian groups in MENA) have different liturgical calendars. Now, some Western Christians, living in the  East, want to celebrate special occasions according to their calendar. Personally, I am pleased with any dates as long as we celebrate, so I am more than happy to celebrate Christmas and Easter twice.

And it might be my impression, but it seems to me that Easter here is a bigger thing than Christmas. Well, I didn’t do much, besides putting my Palm leaves on the door (which actually, the owner of my apartment did) and washing my feet in a Church that looks pretty much like a synagogue. However, I sang in Church the beautiful Mozart “Laudate Dominum”  and after calling the family in Brazil and some trays of muffins, I am mixing my “SimmelCake”. Well, you might doubt that, since I am typing this post, but I was tired of standing in the hot kitchen and decided to blog a bit. =P

He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!!

Happy Easter!!! 

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