September, as I mentioned in my previous post, is celebrated in Colombia as Friendship and Love month. Think of this as a less-commercialized, all-inclusive Valentine's Day. (And for once in Colombia, here it is minus the saint?) And this past week was Semana de la paz or peace week. Peace and love mean different things to different people, but these holidays were special because we don't really have anything equal in the USA.
Love and Friendship Month
Today is the official love and friendship day, but it is really a month-long celebration. The most significant tradition is the game of amigos secretos-- secret friends! This is basically secret santa, where everyone has a name of a friend and leaves sweets and small gifts around for specific people. Only secret friends is better for a few reasons. Number 1, it's not around Christmas, so it's not overshadowed by other gifts for the holidays. Number 2, its for friendship, so there's no pressure like we might think of a secret admirer. Number 3, most of the gifts (usually given once a week) are candy, so it doesn't break the bank to have multiple secret friends.
I'm doing secret friends with my 10th grade girls. It's much more fun to give cards and sweets of love to everyone and anyone, rather than the obligatory Valentine's-I-need-a-date-or-I-will-never-find-love feelings. This holiday really just celebrates love. Amor. In all its forms. I also appreciate that "I love you" can be expressed in multiple ways in Spanish. Te quiero is the more inclusive love, for friends, family, anyone you care about. Te amo is "mas profundo"-- deeper and more profound. As someone that likes to express my love openly, its nice to have more options to express.
Peace Week
At the start of this week, each teacher and student was given a lime green ribbon to wear on our shirts for the week. This week's prayers were themed with peace, and students gave short presentations on what peace means to them. Of course, the desire for peace in Colombia is obvious. Colombia has been in a civil war with FARC for decades. Much of the country is considered to be unsafe, and Colombia has the second most displaced people in the world after Sudan. Fortunately, President Santos has just announced new peace talks with FARC leaders to be held in the next few months. Peace talks have been attempted before, but from what I have read, these talks seem promising. Colombians want peace and take the week very seriously as a time of reflection and hope.
Which makes me think a lot, as an American in Colombia, about my own country's relationship with the concept of peace. We certainly don't have a week to celebrate it. In fact, Colombian peace week falls right during September 11, perhaps the one day where Americans are reminded of our own lack of peace. And now we have the Embassy attacks and yet another portrayal of the extreme cultural misunderstandings we have with Islamic cultures of the world.
Why do we always seem to default to violence? Why is there such a lack of peace education? Students in schools now need to be taught about 9/11; they barely have the memories if they were born at all. I propose we teach our kids about the violent acts in the context of working towards peace. America may not have a civil war to reconcile, but we have a culture of violence that is at war with our own country's peace.
Peace and love is not just for hippies, not just for Vermonters, or the Swiss, or for Colombians. Peace is a human desire, and love is the ultimate human emotion. I didn't expect to gain so much from celebrating these holidays here in Colombia, but they have been a valuable part of my experience here. I want to bring peace and love celebrations back to the US. Who's with me?
