EASTER SUNDAY AT ST. SERGIUS OF RADONEZH IN JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA...WITH A HINT/WHIFF OF OSAMA BIN LADEN IN THE AIR!
It's really NOT Easter Sunday...not according to the Russian Orthodox tradition. But, this was supposed to be MY Easter Sunday and that would be according to the Western Christian (Roman Catholic) tradition. And St. Sergius of Radonezh is NOT really located in Johannesburg. The beautiful, relatively new, Russian Orthodox church is located in Midrand, which is somewhat closer to Pretoria, which is now supposed to be called Tshwane. Did you understand all of that?
Well, the Easter Sunday Mass that was not really Easter Sunday Mass lasted the usual amount of hours--according to Russian Orthodox tradition. Starting at 9:30am (actually, that's when confessions began). I couldn't help but notice the confession "booth" was not a private area at all; it was in the middle of the church, at the foot of the icons. Svetlana stood in line and eventually made her confession to the (young), priest. I declined the opportunity--joking to Svetlana that my confession would hold up the proceedings for at least a couple of hours.
Standing for the service is part of the Russian tradition. No cushions on seats...no seats! No kneeling, as in the Catholic tradition. The only relief available is to shift one's weight from one foot to the other. If you're a large person like me, that is not much of a comfort. Really, it is physically demanding to attend an Orthodox service--all part of the sacrifice, I guess.
The non-Easter Sunday service lasted almost until Noon. My feet were aching; my back seemed arched and my shoulders sagged. Svetlana was invigorated! She always seems to be more energetic and alive following an exhausting Russian Orthodox church service. Strange, but true. As stated above, the exact opposite is true for my aged body.
A highlight for me was when the members of the congregation met in the church community room for refreshments. No simple coffee, tea and trays of doughnuts here! No, siree. Waiting for the gathering were a dozen or so tables set with immaculate tableclothes--overloaded with Russian sweet-treats. Svetlana told me there were no dairy products or meats were used in any of the attractive, delectible servings. There were many plates on each table, heaped with sandwiches, pickles, and cold asparagus. Also, there was a great tasting rice dish I've seen at Easter celebations before. Bottles of red and white wines waited only to be blessed by the priest. He said a simple prayer, blessing all the food and drink, and everyone commenced with eating and socializing. Everything was Russian: the food, the language, virtually all the people, and the venue itself, of course.
I learned I was not the only non-Russian present. Sitting across from us was a couple speaking English. The common language was not the original language of this recently married couple. He was an older gentleman with a face aged beyond his years. He answered me with a friendly "yes" when I asked if he was an Afrikaner. She, much younger than him, was a woman from Dughestan, in the southern part of Russia. At first, I was unsure about their relationship because of the noticeable difference in their age. To be honest, my first impression was that she was his daughter. Luckily, I was patient and kept my mouth shut...
The attractive, brown-eyed woman was not Russian. We later learned she was raised in the Sunni Islamic tradition. Apparently, she had converted to the Christian faith at some point in her life, perhaps to marry the older fellow. She met her husband while he was on assignment in Baku, Azerbaijan, I believe.
Svetlana spoke to her in Russian; she conversed easily in the language. Svetlana later informed me that she had a Russian accent that would identify her as someone from the south of Russia. I spoke to her husband in English. The discussion soon led to world politics and America's foreign policy. It was then the man said something that stunned me.
He is an engineer involved in the oil industry. In that capacity, he related how he had an occasion to meet Osama bin Laden's father and two of his (many) brothers! The meeting occured while he was on assignment in Saudi Arabia a year ago. He said they were together for about half an hour, discussing a problem with a certain refining area the South African man was responsible for. He was emphatic in stating how he was very impressed with gentle, kind nature of the father of the most reviled, yet most loved by some, man on earth. He also related how one of Osama's brothers scorned him and considered him an outcast of the family. The other brother present seemed to accept the teachings of Osama, according to the South African engineer's story.
I did not write the South African man's name down (and I cannot remember it at this writing). We are to meet again when the Russian Orthodox Easter service is celebrated next Sunday. He promised to bring a business card for me then. We exchanged goodbyes, shook hands, and went our separate ways.
Later, I suddenly realized I shook hands with someone who no doubt shook hands with Osama bin Laden's father! It was a strange and unusual circumstance for me...and certainly MY Easter celebration 2006 in South Africa will not soon be forgotten! I'm looking forward to talking to this couple again next week...and learning more about Osama bin Laden's father and two brothers. I was even thinking perhaps this engineer fellow could put me in touch with the bin Laden family. Surely he must have senior bin Laden's business card, right? Wait a minute...do I really want to "do business" with a bin Laden? Nah! Double nah!!
Well, the Easter Sunday Mass that was not really Easter Sunday Mass lasted the usual amount of hours--according to Russian Orthodox tradition. Starting at 9:30am (actually, that's when confessions began). I couldn't help but notice the confession "booth" was not a private area at all; it was in the middle of the church, at the foot of the icons. Svetlana stood in line and eventually made her confession to the (young), priest. I declined the opportunity--joking to Svetlana that my confession would hold up the proceedings for at least a couple of hours.
Standing for the service is part of the Russian tradition. No cushions on seats...no seats! No kneeling, as in the Catholic tradition. The only relief available is to shift one's weight from one foot to the other. If you're a large person like me, that is not much of a comfort. Really, it is physically demanding to attend an Orthodox service--all part of the sacrifice, I guess.
The non-Easter Sunday service lasted almost until Noon. My feet were aching; my back seemed arched and my shoulders sagged. Svetlana was invigorated! She always seems to be more energetic and alive following an exhausting Russian Orthodox church service. Strange, but true. As stated above, the exact opposite is true for my aged body.
A highlight for me was when the members of the congregation met in the church community room for refreshments. No simple coffee, tea and trays of doughnuts here! No, siree. Waiting for the gathering were a dozen or so tables set with immaculate tableclothes--overloaded with Russian sweet-treats. Svetlana told me there were no dairy products or meats were used in any of the attractive, delectible servings. There were many plates on each table, heaped with sandwiches, pickles, and cold asparagus. Also, there was a great tasting rice dish I've seen at Easter celebations before. Bottles of red and white wines waited only to be blessed by the priest. He said a simple prayer, blessing all the food and drink, and everyone commenced with eating and socializing. Everything was Russian: the food, the language, virtually all the people, and the venue itself, of course.
I learned I was not the only non-Russian present. Sitting across from us was a couple speaking English. The common language was not the original language of this recently married couple. He was an older gentleman with a face aged beyond his years. He answered me with a friendly "yes" when I asked if he was an Afrikaner. She, much younger than him, was a woman from Dughestan, in the southern part of Russia. At first, I was unsure about their relationship because of the noticeable difference in their age. To be honest, my first impression was that she was his daughter. Luckily, I was patient and kept my mouth shut...
The attractive, brown-eyed woman was not Russian. We later learned she was raised in the Sunni Islamic tradition. Apparently, she had converted to the Christian faith at some point in her life, perhaps to marry the older fellow. She met her husband while he was on assignment in Baku, Azerbaijan, I believe.
Svetlana spoke to her in Russian; she conversed easily in the language. Svetlana later informed me that she had a Russian accent that would identify her as someone from the south of Russia. I spoke to her husband in English. The discussion soon led to world politics and America's foreign policy. It was then the man said something that stunned me.
He is an engineer involved in the oil industry. In that capacity, he related how he had an occasion to meet Osama bin Laden's father and two of his (many) brothers! The meeting occured while he was on assignment in Saudi Arabia a year ago. He said they were together for about half an hour, discussing a problem with a certain refining area the South African man was responsible for. He was emphatic in stating how he was very impressed with gentle, kind nature of the father of the most reviled, yet most loved by some, man on earth. He also related how one of Osama's brothers scorned him and considered him an outcast of the family. The other brother present seemed to accept the teachings of Osama, according to the South African engineer's story.
I did not write the South African man's name down (and I cannot remember it at this writing). We are to meet again when the Russian Orthodox Easter service is celebrated next Sunday. He promised to bring a business card for me then. We exchanged goodbyes, shook hands, and went our separate ways.
Later, I suddenly realized I shook hands with someone who no doubt shook hands with Osama bin Laden's father! It was a strange and unusual circumstance for me...and certainly MY Easter celebration 2006 in South Africa will not soon be forgotten! I'm looking forward to talking to this couple again next week...and learning more about Osama bin Laden's father and two brothers. I was even thinking perhaps this engineer fellow could put me in touch with the bin Laden family. Surely he must have senior bin Laden's business card, right? Wait a minute...do I really want to "do business" with a bin Laden? Nah! Double nah!!
posted by JOBURG JOURNAL at 8:59 AM
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