Question For Fr. Cappie

[incarnatewordsister]

Hi,

I am writing a paper for my liturgy class and I need help. I need to know what kind of images (decorations, symbols, banners) are used for the liturgical seasons in the southern hemisphere.

For example, we know that Christmas over there happens in summer and that Catholics living in the Southern Hemisphere suffer some consternation because of the reversal of seasons. For them, there is no correspondence with their natural cycle and the Church Year. (or do they?)

I need to know if the liturgical decorations or symbols used over there somehow relate to their natural cycle.

For example, using the image of light for Christmas, seeing that the true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

I don't know, I'm still in the process of thinking about it. I would appreciate some help if you can. I promise to pray for you.

Thank you and may God bless you.

Sister Mary Helga

[cappie]

The calendar of the Christian Church as currently set up is primarily a foreign document.
A northern hemisphere document. And that’s a problem for those of us who live in the southern hemisphere.

In the Lectionary each of the church seasons were originally aligned to the seasonal changes of the northern hemisphere natural year.

For instance, Easter is a northern spring festival of new life. But in the southern hemisphere Easter occurs in autumn, a season of change, of ‘little deaths’, as leaves - millions of them - fall from ‘northern’ trees.

While Christmas, as many cards show, is a northern,primarily indoors, midwinter festival,
urging the return of the sun.

But in Australia Christmas is a midsummer outdoors festival in the midst of the heat and glare of the sun, often bush fires, and usually blow flies.

So we seem stuck with its ancient cosmology and seasonal irrelevance!

Australian poet Les Murray has said that the four traditional seasons of the northern world are the greatest and most significant cultural import Australians have seen.

I agree limiting ourselves to a cultural colonialism with northern or European origins,
we risk missing or not seeing what actually ‘is’.

As in the Central Highlands (Vic) from mid-August: local wattles - yellow and gold - start to bloom heralding a new dawn after winter's inactivity.

As in the Central West (NSW) from mid-November: the smell of drying earth and blossom
fills our nostrils with bursts of Jacaranda purple.

Perhaps Australian poet Judith Wright has the clue to our reluctance. In the 'Introduction' to A book of Australian verse she writes:

“For many years, a conception of Australia as a country to be loved and valued for its own sake was rare and difficult to uphold… What did arise… was, not a love of the country as such, but rather of the freedom its great distances provided” (Wright 1968:2).

There have been some attempts to write Christmas carols specifically for Australia John Wheeler of Five Australian Christmas Carols fame comes to mind.

I remember the first time I sung ‘Carol of the birds’
It was magnificent!

Out on the plains the Brolgas are dancing
Lifting their feet like war-horses prancing:
Up to the sun the wood-larks go winging
Faint in the dawn light echoes their singing -
Orana! Orana! Orana! to Christmas Day (Wheeler).

Our Australian hymnbook, Together in Song, has the James/Wheeler classic,
‘ The North Wind

The north wind is tossing the leaves
the red dust is over the town
The sparrows are under the eaves
And the grass in the paddock is brown
As we lift up our voices and sing
To the Christ child the heavenly king.

The tree ferns in green gullies sway
the cool stream flows silently by
the joy bells are greeting the day
And the chimes are adrift in the sky
As we lift up our voices and sing
To the Christ child the heavenly king.

© Bill James (WG) and John Wheeler 1948

Another Hymn is: Across the plains one Christmas night: The Three Drovers

Across the plains one Christmas night,
Three drovers riding blythe and gay,
Looked up and saw a starry light,
More radiant than the Milky Way;
And on their hearts such wonder fell,
They sang with joy "Noel! Noel!
Noel! Noel! Noel!"


The black swans flew across the sky,
The wild dogs called across the plain,
The starry lustre blazed on high,
Still echoed on the Heavenly strain;
And still they sang "Noel! Noel!",
Those drovers three, "Noel! Noel!
Noel! Noel! Noel!"


The air was dry with summer heat
And smoke was on the yellow moon;
But from the Heavens, faint and sweet,
Came floating down a wond'rous tune,
And as they heard, they sang full well,
Those drovers three, "Noel! Noel!
Noel! Noel! Noel!"



the then Australian Council of Churches ran an
Australian Advent hymn-writing contest.

One of the entries, penned by Jeff Guess, offers this:

Come, see the light break, come watch the sun
Here on this new day, Christmas begun,
Start from the dark branch, crown of a King,
Flowers of purple blossom and cling.
Melaleuca morning mantle
Cascades from heat and from night
Bears upon its royal holly
Birth of peace and love and light.

Since those days others have also composed new, southern hemisphere, hymns.

One which is most appropriate, I reckon, is written by Shirley Murray:

Carol our Christmas,
an upside down Christmas;
snow is not falling and
trees are not bare.
Carol the summer, and
welcome the Christ Child,
warm in our sunshine and
sweetness of air (coc).

These are a few examples but Christianity in Australia is liturgically a European construct.

By limiting ourselves to a cultural colonialism with northern origins, we risk missing or not seeing what actually ‘is’.