before i continue, bear with me as i discuss this word, sidliště. it is most commonly translated as 'housing estate,' which might make sense to a person from the UK, but makes no sense to a North American. i hear the phrase 'housing estate' and i think Tara or something similar: some sprawling compound like the bushes have in kennebunkport or the kennedys have in massachusetts. or, yeah, like scarlett's home. anyway, that's not at all what sidliště means. it's the word for the groups of prefab concrete blocks of flats that mar the landscape of most central and eastern european countries. built up primarily in the 80s and 90s and touted as living utopias, many are now in major need of repair. mine's mostly fine, although the old windows let in mighty drafts and the walls tend toward major cracks. but it's standard living conditions here, and many are extremely nice inside, thanks to money poured into renovation (God bless my landlord for making mine very comfortable). but they look like the projects of North America's big cities from the outside.
don't you agree? (this is a view from my balcony...mine is a mirror of this)
anyway. it wasn't my intention to discourse about sidliště today.
the fireworks, yelling and general commotion are because today is St. Mikulaš day here in czech. i suppose i should like it, since it's the closest thing the czechs have to halloween (one of my very favorite days of the year--what's not to like about a costume and sugar OD?). but i'm not sure. this evening, all over the country, young people dressed as St. Mikulaš (looks like a pope, tall hat and everything), čert (a devil-looking character) and anděl (an angel) walk around together in their rather odd groups of three. they go to the homes of small children (usually homes of family friends, but there have been papers around advertising triplets for hire for a couple weeks), or they congregate in town or local squares (most commonly the center squares of prague).
this is where it gets fuzzy for me what exactly their purpose is. i'm pretty sure candy is given to the little ones. the čert is meant to scare them; the anděl either just looks pretty and Mikulaš gives them the candy or the other way around. i don't really know how it goes. but sometimes only Mikulaš shows up--the čert is usually pretty scary for young eyes and parents don't want to provoke screams if they can help it. (here is where i'd like to give kudos to my wonderful niece kaitlyn, who apparently wanted nothing to do with the santa claus at the mall where my mom took her. only 2, and already knows what's up.)
i mention all this because it's yet another sign that God was, at some point in the not-too-distant past in this country, a significant part of how they did things. i realize i don't know the traditions surrounding the Mikulaš stuff, but my bigger point would be: neither do the czechs i know. everyone just knows it's a time to dress up, scare a couple naughty kids, give candy to some nice ones, and maybe do a shot or two with the parents before heading to the next flat. or at least make a hundred crowns or so ($5-ish) for your trouble.
but you can't tell me that there isn't huge religious (read: Christian) significance behind a motley crew of a popish saint, a devil and an angel. no one else lumps those guys together.
like other things, the tradition has remained. bastardized though it may be, it is still recognizable in its roots.
the czechs may think they're done with God, but holding on to such traditions, secular now though they may seem, says something different to me. they might argue that point and they're welcome to it.
but God's definitely not gone, and he's definitely not done with them.
which reminds me: welcome back, jan hus! i'm glad to see the škoda screen gone, for christmas anyway. i've missed you.
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