Christmas with the Lands was one of my most memorable holidays- at home or abroad. The sheer number of people that showed up and the traditional festivities were unbelievable. First of all, I thought my mom's family gatherings were big- usually several/dozen uncles and aunts and cousins and a few freinds. But the Land's holiday gatherings bring a whole new meaning to BIG. Most of Peter Land's (grandad) 9 children shwoed up. Most of the 9 children have several children of their own, as well. And even some of those children have kids, too. And that's just family! Then there are all the family friends ans random guets that have somehow heard about the event from somewhere over the years. And freinds bring their friends and cousins brings their freinds what seems like most of the local village stopped by for a little while. and there are miscellaneous people like me- a tourist who met the family while hitch-hike racing! And yet, no matter how/why you were at the celebration, everyone was warmly welcomed and wonderfully fed. We ate a traditional meal called "hangi" - which is meat/potatoes/ cumara/ taro root wrapped in banana leaves steamed in a pit in the ground for a few hours. The meal takes days of preparation to kill/clean the animals to be cooked.
While the meal is cooking, the most unusual and awesome (and my favorite!) tradition takes place. All the males play a giant game of rugby/soccer/football- where the only rule is there are no rules! To score, you must get the ball in the opponents goal- two sticks in the ground- by whatever means possible. Running, throwing, kicking, tackilng (whether or not you have the ball) is all permitted. It is thoroughly exhausting, to say the least. Even with my soccer and rugby experience, playing with hardened farmers and Maori men put this unique "sport" in a league of its own. I was most surprised to see the older men participating- and going hard out, too. Joeseph and his brother who are all about 50, were out running barefoot in the field, getting right in the middle of huge dog piles on the ball, and tackling each other to the ground- laughing, limping, and smiling the whole time. Afterwards, we feasted on the "hangi" and stayed up socializing with the whole group.
The next day, I went with one of the cousins to a "Rainbow Gathering." A "Rainbow Gathering" is essentailly a bunch of hippies living int he bush for a few weeks- singing songs, dancing around campfires, and praising Mother Earth and rainbows. It very much reminded me of my Northern Light middle school and renewed my appreciation for all that Michelle and the school taught me.
"The days of childhood, they go by so fast
Our Time to dream just doesn't last
Don't wish the season of youth away
And dance in the light of the rainbow days"
A song I llearned at Rainbow goes like this:
"Deep down inside, I've got this everlasting light
It's shining like the sun, it radiates on everyone
And the more that I give, the more I've got to give
Yes, it's the way that I live, and it's what I'm living for!"
After a few days of camping out, the weather turned bad and a few of us decided to leave and wait out the storm somehwere else. I spent a quiet New Year's Eve with a Land cousin and returned to the farm a few days ago. Already, I have cut my finger with the axe, again!, and am practicing taking care of my body and staying physically healthy/functional.
Even spending a few days away from the Land's farm has made me appreciate this palce so much more. This sober, supportive community that encourages practicing spiritual development in daily life is rare to find in the world- I am so lucky/fortunate to be here!
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