I’ve come to the conclusion that the American way of celebrating certain holidays must be seen as absolutely ridiculous to the rest of the world…and completely unexplainable. How does one explain leaving a plate of cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve or hunting for Easter eggs presumably laid by a bunny? If anyone could help me out, I’d sure appreciate it. In the meantime, I continue to try to share some of the nuances of our culture…as silly as they are. This year, I introduced PEEPS…the nasty, sugary, bright-yellow candy chicks that make their appearance one time a year. Fortunately my group of kiddos could care less about the significance (or really the insignificance) of this typical Easter candy. They simply inhaled their chick and asked for more.
When I’ve asked about what I consider to be an unusual Ethiopian tradition, I am simply told “its culture” and nothing more. Perhaps when it comes to Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, the tooth fairy, Valentine’s Day, and trick-or-treat I should adopt the same strategy. There are just some things that warrant no further explanation.
