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Retire Early
Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler
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In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
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Christmas
Season Around the World
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
We have been traveling the world for
four decades, and have had the privilege of celebrating the December
holidays in both Western and Eastern cultures alike. One year we experienced
four different New Years in a matter of months!
As those in
Guatemala know, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25th,
and it is a high holy day revered in the Church. However, countries with large
Buddhist populations such as
Thailand,
Laos, and
Vietnam are different. The story of
Jesus’ virgin birth with the special star in the sky and the three kings
following that star leading the wise men to the manger in Bethlehem holds no
special significance to them. But all of these countries are more than
willing to join in for a festivity, and they have adopted the
Santa-Claus-and-his-reindeer-style of Christmas as well as gift giving.
Mix this time of
year with the Western New Year of January 1st, Chinese
New Year in the middle of February, the Balinese Hindu New Year in the middle of
March and the Thai Buddhist New Year in the middle of April, and one can find
themselves making merry from Thanksgiving in November (a U.S. holiday) all
the way through the spring.
Below we share some
quick moments from our own years of festivals and revelry in differing
cultures.
Latin America
Living in a
Christian country such as
Guatemala or
Mexico, there would be no reason at
all to celebrate Christmas without the birth of Christ. He IS the reason for
the season. No Christ, no Christmas.
There are posada
reenactments of Joseph leading Mary riding a donkey searching for a room at
the inn. Eventually they make their way to a Bethlehem style manger usually
at the local Cathedral. You
will witness processions, shepherds, Christmas carols, angels, and a special
bright star in the night leading the way for the Three Kings to bring
expensive gifts to the Newborn Child King.
The Cathedral and Christmas tree in
Panajachel, Guatemala
Latin
America with its deeply Catholic roots has plenty of Christmas trees, and
Santa's elves delivering presents, but the main feature, the primary focus is
the birth of Jesus.
Vendors
sell hand crafted creches complete with hand made sheep, cows, statues of Mary,
Joseph, Baby Jesus and Angels in the sky. The Three Kings riding camels,
bringing their gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to the stable are also
for sale. Pine needles provide a carpet in front of stores and hotels
welcoming guests, and
wreathes made of chamomile all provide the familiar scent of Christmas for
Guatemalans.
Thailand
Buddhist Thais celebrating Santa and his elves
Buddha
was born 500 years before Christ, but that doesn't prevent the Thais from
joining in on the fun of a western style Christmas. They probably have no
idea that Santa Claus is derived from Saint Nicholas, a young man centuries
ago in what is now present day Turkey, who used his inheritance to help the
poor and sick. Their experience of Santa is from the Coca-Cola ads with the
polar bear.
No
matter, they are "all in." The Thais have a great sense of fun, called "sanook." If there is a
way to smile, be entertaining, and participate in some festivities, they are
first on the scene.
Songkran, Thai New Year
In
mid-April there is an observance of the Buddhist New Year with a water cleansing.
Traditionally, one pours water respectfully over the hands of the elders in the
community, and clearing out of the home from the old year is done. These
modern days, the celebration of
Songkran how now become a water festival,
complete with buckets of water and full water pistols.
In
Chiang Mai, the town gets into the drama and excitement and if you are on the street,
you can expect to be drenched in a matter of minutes. Protect your digital
equipment and wrap your important papers such as your passport in plastic.
Then walk the streets, purchase a bucket or water gun and join in the fun with total abandon.
Laos
The BEST coconut encrusted onion rings
In
Luang
Prabang, Laos, on the banks of the
Mekong River, we celebrated the Christmas season by walking the twinkly lighted streets. Lovers and friends amble arm-in-arm while Christmas
music wafted through the night air. We chose an open-air street side
restaurant to watch passers-by while we had an evening snack.
Coconut
coated, deep fried onion rings served with a sweet, spicy chili sauce was
something new to us and unforgettable. Crisp to perfection, we have never
had them anywhere else!
Mexico
Pozole, a traditional soup served on Christmas Eve in Mexico
Mexico
is filled with traditions, especially regarding what to eat on Christmas
Eve.
In
Chapala,
Mexico, we
were invited to a friend's house to join the family for midnight dinner on
the night before Christmas. "Mama," standing on a ladder, stood her full
four-foot, seven-inch frame stirring a huge pot of pozole on the stove with
a wooden paddle large enough to power a canoe. She
and the pot were about the same size! The entire family squeezed into the
dining room, where botanas and bottles of tequila were on the table.
Eventually, just after midnight, the pozole was finished and ready to serve.
Sliced
radishes, shaved cabbage and shredded pork were added at the last moment to
the hominy and soup broth,
with squeezes of lime. Tortillas all around! A tasty tradition in Mexico.
Even
though cultures differ around the globe, throughout the Christmas season the idea of kindness towards
mankind, sharing wealth and friendship with others prevail.
Goodwill
to all and
Peace on Earth.
About the Authors
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli are
recognized retirement experts and internationally published authors on
topics of finance, medical tourism and world travel. With the wealth of
information they share on their award winning website RetireEarlyLifestyle.com,
they have been helping people achieve their own retirement dreams since
1991. They wrote the popular books, The
Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement and Your
Retirement Dream IS Possible available on their website
bookstore or
on Amazon.com.
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