Feb 9: To laugh or to cry?

February 8, 2005

Earlier, I mentioned that Chinese New Year is coming on February 9th.

But actually, that day is marked by two feasts whose moods contrast with each other. On one hand, that day is the start of the Chinese New Year, the Spring Festival, a day of feasting, joy, good luck and all those feng shui and tikoy stuff. On the other hand, that day also marks Ash Wednesday, a solemn, no-meat-diet day and also the first day of Lent, the season commemorating the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Nope, Lent does not start on the first day of the Holy Week. It starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Black Saturday preceding Easter Sunday.)

Hmmm…which one should be celebrated? Some people will prefer the happier feast. But the religious ones will prefer the more solemn latter. I don’t know if there will be some who will attempt to celebrate both. Imagine someone celebrating the festive New Year with an ash mark on his forehead, eating tikoys and stuff but couldn’t eat meat. Hehehe…

But did you know that the dates of both feasts are governed by the same moon? The Spring Festival is celebrated on the first new moon of the first month of the lunar calendar, which falls either in January or February. On the other hand, Ash Wednesday is determined by counting forty non-Sunday days backwards, starting from Black Saturday, the day before Easter. Easter in turn is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox in Rome (March 25). As a consequence, the Holy Week falls either in March or in April.

So therefore, these two contrasting feasts are actually two sides of the same coin. Or as I put it, the two faces of the same moon. Just like the name of my blog!

Or maybe the yin and the yang.

Stairway To Heaven: Recap

Continuing from the scene where Cholo offered his small gift to Jenna… (tumutugtog na naman ang Bogoshipda).

Tinanggap nga ni Jenna ang gift ni Cholo. Her face seemed very solemn. Then sinabi ni Cholo, “Naguguluhan ka ba?”. Kinuha ni Cholo ang cellphone. “Heto…”. Then binigay niya ito kay Jenna. Pero hinawakan lang ni Jenna ang cellphone at tinitigan; apparently, mukhang gusto niyang tawagan si Charlie sa cellphone, pero nag-alangan siya at hindi na rin tinawagan. Cholo noticed Jenna’s inaction, then he said, “Sige, hipan na natin yung mga kandila. Sabay tayo.”. Then nagkatitigan sina Cholo at Jenna. Pero imbis na hipan nilang dalawa ang mga kandila, naiba ang target of attention ni Cholo at napunta sa mukha ni Jenna. Hinaplos ni Cholo nang dahah-dahan ang pisngi at bandang itaas ng tenga ni Jenna; nung una, isang kamay muna ni Cholo ang pinanghaplos, then maya maya, dalawang kamay na ang humahaplos sa magkabilang pisngi ni Jenna. Mukhang hahalikan na ni Cholo si Jenna. Pero nung malapit nang halikan, medyo pinigilan ito ni Jenna. Then nakita ni Jenna na tumulo ang luha ni Cholo sa ibabaw ng kamay niya (ni Jenna). Pinabayaan na ni Jenna na lumapit lalo ang bibig ni Cholo papunta sa kanya. Pero nung malapit na malapit nang magkahalikan, napaiyak si Cholo at sinabi: “Jodi…Jodi…”. Upon hearing that, tuluyan na itong pinigilan ni Jenna at nagtangkang lumayo kay Cholo. Tumayo si Jenna at naglakad na paalis, pero pinigilan siya ni Cholo. Itinulak si Jenna sa sopa para paupuin…

Biglang hinawi ni Cholo ang mga kurtina sa bintana, kaya pumasok ang sinag ng araw at biglang nagliwanag ang kuwarto kung saan sila nagda-dine. Nagalit na si Cholo.

Cholo: “Bakit mo ba ako pinahihirapan nang ganito? Bakit ayaw mong aminin na ikaw si Jodi? Bakit ba ako nagpapaloko sa iyo? Amin mo na! Aminin mo na na ikaw si Jodi!!!”…

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