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Today our Christmas choir from the Well sang in front of St. Katherine's church at the Christmas market before our evening nativity service that would take place inside. This was the most crowded I had ever scene the market and folks continuously streamed past us, which resulted in us handing out nearly all of our flyers advertising the service. We also got some folks to sing along and clap and take home videos (well, we couldn't really help that). Here we are, very close to freezing but having a grand time:
The Well rented out this church (which is Catholic but apparently has a large Russian Orthodox community) for the evening. It is currently exhibiting a collection of Russian icons and paintings. Many people were strolling in to get a look. But our service started at 5:00 and thus we essentially overtook the sanctuary and claimed the space with a giant screen, a keyboard, and some microphones.
At the beginning of the service our tiny choir processed in, a capella, to "Joy to the World," having to literally push our way through groups of people to get to the front. Such a strange experience. We sang a couple more carols before the organist accompanied us on "Hark the Herald." For some reason, we were way off rhythm with the organ and muddled our way through the entire hymn. But I think that was the largest organ, in the largest cathedral, that I have ever sung with in a choir.
The service itself was quite simple, with the children calmly presenting the nativity scene. In the backdrop there was a montage of photos of the same children acting out the story of Jesus' birth. I thought it was very creative. However, I was disappointed with the music they sang because all along there was an under-track of fake synthesized children singing, emanating from the keyboard. I would have preferred to hear their simple voices reverberating throughout the cavernous stucture. But here they are in all their garb:
We did the usual "Silent Night" in several languages and held our lit candles. Afterwards we turned around and found that some of the volunteers had set up a little cafe with free drinks and desserts. 
The chairs that were normally used for contemplating icons or praying to the saints had been placed around small round tables. Needless to say, I had never seen anything like it previously. I go home in four days! Looking forward to relaxing a bit, seeing the family and friends, and revelling in all my cultural baggage only to have it challenged and re-evaluated when I return. The one thing I fear more than possible weather problems (which are not forecast at the moment, but you never know) is dealing with jet-lag. I could be pretty miserable for a couple of days at least. Oh well, it is worth it to go home and be rejuvenated.
Antwerp is only a 45 minute train ride from Brussels, so as yesterday was the grand opening of its Christmas market we decided to take a day trip. We didn't do any of the touristy things since I was there mostly to buy Christmas presents and it turned out that my guidebook didn't even have Antwerp in it, so we'll have to go back sometime and scope out some of the Rubens stuff going on. Andrew, any more ideas of what to do there?
Antwerp felt essentially like a smaller version of Brussels, except that it's a Flemish-speaking town and its major pedestrian shopping street felt a lot wider and bigger. The Christmas market was also very similar to the one in Brussels. The smell of grease from all the frite and waffle stands is permanently engrained in my olfactory memory.
There was also a strange vibe to the city, although we couldn't put our finger on it. We saw live models in windows, pre-teens with pink hair and tripped-out costumes, golden soldiers/angels/children on top of houses, and even a hand chair akin to the one Buster owns in Arrested Development:
If only I could take it home with me.
My overall impression of Antwerp was not as good as Brugge (which I blogged about in this blog's previous life), but I think there's more to it than I saw yesterday and I want to go back in the spring perhaps and explore a bit more. We did happen upon a pub which gave us a taste of old Flanders. It was quite cozy.
In other news, this week I am singing in a Christmas choir which will perform at an English class's Christmas party, a couple of senior homes, and finally at the Christmas market Sunday evening. 'Twill be quite an experience, no doubt. More on that next weekend.
Today I went to my first ever bona fide Christmas market in Europe. I have never managed to be on the continent in December, so I wasted no time in scoping out the territory on this, the second day of December. The market has a cozy atmosphere with plenty of stalls, but I'll have to say that the food and drink is the major draw. Piles of steaming lunchtime fillers (escargots, champignons, and good old potatoes), waffles, crepes, candy apples, sausages, cheese, and hot wraps were available. Then of course there is all the mulled wine, which I did not try today but plan to try at a later date. Everything smelled delectable. Beyond the stalls there are two carousels, an ice skating rink, and a ferris wheel. (I was a bit startled, as I munched on my white chocolate-covered apple, at how quickly the wheel rotated.) Overall, a fun place, although it lacks the myriads of homemade crafts that I remember seeing in the Prague Easter market.
Then we went to the Grand' Place to see what Christmas-y type things were going on there, and happened upon Ol' St. Nick and his helper Black Pete:
Actually, there seemed to be many Black Petes, and they were all 20-something white men with their hands and faces painted black. Was Black Pete the devil made St. Nicholas' slave? An African slave that he bought out of bondage? Or just one of his helpers that acquires soot after jumping through chimneys and delivering presents? Who knows. In any case, the Dutch tradition is that St. Nicholas and his helpers arrive in each town and greet the residents and throw candy to the children. This St. Nick was particularly quiet, and, in keeping with his character, purposely sought out small children to give sweets to. I rather liked his reserved, stately demeanor. I've seen a lot of obnoxious Santas in my lifetime.
Speaking of Santa, the Belgians accuse Coca-Cola of "inventing Santa Claus." I don't know how to confirm that claim. Does anyone else?
The Well rented out this church (which is Catholic but apparently has a large Russian Orthodox community) for the evening. It is currently exhibiting a collection of Russian icons and paintings. Many people were strolling in to get a look. But our service started at 5:00 and thus we essentially overtook the sanctuary and claimed the space with a giant screen, a keyboard, and some microphones.
We did the usual "Silent Night" in several languages and held our lit candles. Afterwards we turned around and found that some of the volunteers had set up a little cafe with free drinks and desserts. 
The chairs that were normally used for contemplating icons or praying to the saints had been placed around small round tables. Needless to say, I had never seen anything like it previously. 
