Czech Christmas Mass in Brussels

The land of Dvorak and Kafka is a magical place. Bohemia is a fairytale land full of mystery. So it is not surprising that Czechs love Christmas.

To outsiders, Czech Christmas traditions and rituals may seem absurd at first. But dare to joke about them with Czechs and you will be shot down with complete earnestness. Czechs take their Christmas very seriously indeed.

Prague Zoo has recently unveiled a cage containing three Santa Clauses. They are billed as a very invasive species, but visitors need not worry, as they will be shipped back to New York Zoo on 23 December. There is no need to fear that these bearded red monsters will scare away the beloved little baby Jesus who magically brings presents to Czechs on Christmas Eve.

So whilst the Czech Republic is reputedly the most secular country in Europe, it is startling that the Czech Christmas appears so authentically Christian in its practice and values.

Take the Czech Christmas Mass for example. It is their most beloved Christmas carol and Czechs flood to see it performed live every year.

This reporter was privileged enough to witness a performance last weekend in a church in Brussels. Before you atheists and agnostics out there dismiss it out of hand, no priest nor mass is actually involved. It is a beautiful melodic carol for a full choir with soloists and musical accompaniment.

While the nine parts begin with first Kyrie and then Gloria, they do not proceed with Snoria and Boria as one may suspect of some dusty 18th century musical piece. The piece begins with the bass tenor booming 'Hey, Master!' as the birth of Jesus is reported to shepherds on the Bohemian hills. It progresses with general excitement and rejoicing over the birth of the saviour.

Details aside, it is a very rewarding experience for any music-lover and/or Christmas-enthusiast. A general warmth and good cheer spread throughout the rapt audience as the 45-minute piece was performed with grace and fervour.

It was a very open event and there were representatives from all generations, with many families and small children. The little sprogs raced around the aisles playing tag and letting out squeals of delight or cries of displeasure on a whim. But nobody minded. The spirit of Czech Christmas was all around us.

Links:

Organisers of the event: Inspiration Tcheque

Pictures from the concert

Czech Christmas Mass entry on Wikipedia

Video of caged Santas

Margaret Thatcher the Great

An old woman of 87 died today following a stroke. Millions of other old women also died today. Let's put the death of Margaret Thatcher into context.

Yes, she was the Prime Minister of Britain from 1979 to 1990. Yes, she was Britain's first, and to date, only female leader. Yes, she was the 'Iron Lady' and all that.

But did she really change Britain for the better? Was she really Britain's 'greatest peacetime leader' as current Prime Minister David Cameron said today?

Whilst the global media machine sucks all intelligent analysis out of this story and honorable members of the Establishment eulogize Thatcher to death, let's take off the rose-tinted spectacles.

The roots of today's financial crisis can be traced by to her deregulation of banking in the City of London.

Her draconian crack-down on the miners' strike of 1984 undermined the political power of ordinary people.

Privatisation is no great success story. Just travel by train in the UK and find out for yourself.

Would Britain today be so precariously perched on the edge of Europe without Thatcher?

Her record on human rights is tainted: she opposed sanctions against apartheid South Africa and was an admirer of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Finally, just like her successors Major, Blair, Brown and Cameron, she was certainly not a peacetime leader as the British military has been kept busy since Ireland and the Falklands, in the Gulf, Afghanistan and most recently Libya.

It is arguable that Prime Ministers David Lloyd George (1916-22) and Clement Attlee (1945-51) with their welfare policies, notably the National Health Service created under the latter, did far more for the basic needs of the British people than Thatcher. (Whilst Churchill was clearly in a class of his own!)

So when you watch the BBC tonight and witness the blind celebration of a 'national icon', with mere lip-service to what a charmingly controversial figure she was, spare a thought for what Thatcher really was about and what she really did for the people of Britain.

Paint It Black

Dark Romanticism - From Goya to Max Ernst

The Städel Museum, Frankfurt Main:  until 20 January 2013
Musée d’Orsay, Paris:  04 March until 09 June 2013

The exhibition 'Dark Romanticism' is a treasure trove of ghoulish art which is sure to leave even the most well-heeled gallery goer slightly unhinged.

If you are familiar with Gothic literature, such as Mary Shelley's ‘Frankenstein’ or the tales of Edgar Allen Poe, then you will be in a good position to appreciate the major themes of the exhibition: the supernatural, death and horror.

As scientific and social progress faltered with the descent of the French Revolution into unadulterated violence, artists began exploring irrational elements of human nature. Therefore the major part of the exhibition is rooted in 19th century European art.

It begins with Johann Heinrich Fuseli’s painting ‘The Nightmare’ (1802). A woman is hounded by a demon and a vacant-eyed horse in her sleep. This evolves into Franz Stuck’s ‘The Sin’ (1893). A dark-haired nude stares from the picture, as an evil green viper hisses at us from her shoulder.

Spanish artist Goya features strongly. Despite sketches of dismemberment and rape, there remains a dreamlike quality in all his work which renders it immediately accessible and intriguing. Another highlight is the set of little black pen-and-ink wash pieces by none other than French writer Victor Hugo. His impressionistic doodles are a delight to behold and it is amazing that he considered his artwork to be a mere hobby.

Clips from early black and white horror films embellish the overall gothic mood. Nosferatu, Frankenstein and Dracula are all there along with some more esoteric footage. Not to be missed.

Arguably the curators have tried too hard to extrapolate dark romanticism into the later 20th century. Instead of showing Dali and Hitchcock, a room exploring the massive influence of gothic literature would have added an important dimension to the otherwise comprehensive show.

'The Nightmare' (1802)