Malaysian of my age were astonished to experience Santa & Santarina as we know them today. Santa's life has diversified into more complex with commercial missions, and is not merely giving out presents to children as St. Nicholas did in the 4th century.
Santa was turning up everywhere as a benign source of beneficence during 1950. This commercial success has led to the North American Santa Claus being exported around the world. Santa was life-sized, jolly, and wearing the now familiar red suit. He appeared in magazines, in papers, on billboards, shop counters, and even at sex sites promoting businesses. I've seen many contrivances of this evolution. Santa is about to sell coca cola drinks; to promote Citibank cards by presenting you a bunch of money [today's ad at TheStar]; to sell Apple's Ipod [today's ad at TheStar].
Nevertheless, Santa's life is gleeful, he has today discarded his reindeer and accompanied by beautiful santarinas commercially [pic of holiday promotion at Everland, South Korea, as shown in TheStar today]. And many santarinas are going nude there [sorry no offend no link here]! He embodies holiday cheer, happiness, fun, and gifts-warm happy aspects of the commercial Christmas season.
Anyway, in our matured eyes, there is nothing fulsome and rowdy associated with Christmas ads. These have appealed to our better side at Christmas. They are designated to sell a product and destined to create festive environment as well. They do so by appealing to something in our souls that comes alive in a special manner during this season, displaying something nature, pure, generous and human concerned, something Christmas....
You know, today is the day Chinese celebrate "dong zhi" or the "thang yuan" festival, which rendering "the arrival of winter" meaning. And my family is enjoying our thang yuan besides the Christmas tree and under the environment of Christmas musics. Ya, we got the sensation of winter during which dong zhi and Christmas are coming together. Is that odd? Otherwise I'll call this as 2 in 1 merry Christmas Dong Zhi!
Happy Christmas Dong Zhi to you!
Santa was turning up everywhere as a benign source of beneficence during 1950. This commercial success has led to the North American Santa Claus being exported around the world. Santa was life-sized, jolly, and wearing the now familiar red suit. He appeared in magazines, in papers, on billboards, shop counters, and even at sex sites promoting businesses. I've seen many contrivances of this evolution. Santa is about to sell coca cola drinks; to promote Citibank cards by presenting you a bunch of money [today's ad at TheStar]; to sell Apple's Ipod [today's ad at TheStar].
Nevertheless, Santa's life is gleeful, he has today discarded his reindeer and accompanied by beautiful santarinas commercially [pic of holiday promotion at Everland, South Korea, as shown in TheStar today]. And many santarinas are going nude there [sorry no offend no link here]! He embodies holiday cheer, happiness, fun, and gifts-warm happy aspects of the commercial Christmas season.
Anyway, in our matured eyes, there is nothing fulsome and rowdy associated with Christmas ads. These have appealed to our better side at Christmas. They are designated to sell a product and destined to create festive environment as well. They do so by appealing to something in our souls that comes alive in a special manner during this season, displaying something nature, pure, generous and human concerned, something Christmas....
You know, today is the day Chinese celebrate "dong zhi" or the "thang yuan" festival, which rendering "the arrival of winter" meaning. And my family is enjoying our thang yuan besides the Christmas tree and under the environment of Christmas musics. Ya, we got the sensation of winter during which dong zhi and Christmas are coming together. Is that odd? Otherwise I'll call this as 2 in 1 merry Christmas Dong Zhi!
Happy Christmas Dong Zhi to you!
2 comments:
oh well... ok, merry xmax dong zhi to you!
you know, i never like the 'thang yuan' balls, and have never ever eaten it before.
although santa has become so commercialised, and yes christmas is not about santa (but that little babe jesus), and occasionally you see me grumbling about santa hijacking christmas :) i still hold on that we need santa during christmas (there i'm not that bad!), especially for the kids.
Lucia, merry xmax dong zhi to you too!
We have entering into a high tech world, not only Santa has been commercialized but also been imaged to utilize moden gadgets such as computer and handphone! Nevertheless he is still projected as kids' lover!
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