こんにちはEigemannです。
(English below)
ウチの実家は代々仏教徒なので、JoseとJayの兄弟に出会うまでは、キリスト教、特にカトリックについてはほとんど知識がなかった。彼らが金曜日にハンバーガーを食べようとすると、自分が「今日、金曜日だぜ」と言って、彼らが「ああ、そうだった」と言いながらフィレオフィッシュを注文する姿が印象的だった。Jayは特にそれを気にしているタイプだった。その状況が面白くなってよくに言うようになったが、「好きなときに好きなものを食べられないなんて不便だな」とも感じていた。
Joseは映画『エクソシスト』がものすごく怖いと言っていた。確かにホラー映画だが、もっと怖いホラー映画はたくさんあるし、『エクソシスト』は自分にとってそこまで怖い映画ではなかったので不思議だった。Joseがあんなに怖がるのも想像できなかったが、彼の恐怖の根源は、聖書に関する言及や悪魔の存在の捉え方が、非キリスト教徒の自分とは異なっていたからだろう。
そんな96年のクリスマスはJoseの実家で過ごすことになった。アメリカに来てから数回目のクリスマスだったが、友達の家で家族と過ごすのは初めてだった。実はクリスマス以前にも何度かJoseの家に泊まったことがあり、その時に、お祖父さんが使っていた部屋のベッドで寝ることになった。自分は霊感など全くないのだが、その夜、不思議な体験をした。寝ていると誰かに体を引っ張り上げられるような感覚に襲われたのだ。あまりにもリアルすぎて本気で焦り、近くのリネン室に逃げ込んで夜を過ごした。翌朝、Joseが飛び込んできてまた驚いた。どうやら焦ってリネン室に入った際、シェードを壊してしまっていたらしい。翌日聞くと同室で寝ていたGaryも、何か違和感を感じていたという。
今回はあの部屋には泊まらなくて良いということで、クリスマスに行くことに快諾した。Sidneyはいつものように懐いてきたし、Joseのお母さんもクリスマス用のたくさんの料理を準備してくれていた。部屋には大きなクリスマスツリーが飾られ、下にはプレゼントが置かれていた。映画でよく見る光景だが、実物を見るのは初めてだった。夕食を腹いっぱい食べた後、皆でリビングでまったりしていた。なぜかその家にATARI 2600があり、プレイはできなかったが、骨董品なのでどんなゲームがあるのかを探していた。
深夜になると、突然「出かけるぞ」と言われた。どこに行くのかと思ったら、教会に行くとのこと。こんな夜更けに教会に行くのは初めて知った。てっきり25日になってから行くものだと思っていた。仏教徒なのに教会に入って良いのか少し心配だったが、特に制限はなく、教会の中に入った。中は広く、装飾も煌びやかで明るかった。もっと荘厳で薄暗いのかと思っていたが、ダークファンタジーのような世界観とは違った。ミサが始まり、司祭と思われる人が話し始めたが、何を言っているのかは全くわからなかった。しかし、そのような場には慣れていた。母が一時期、カルトに深くハマっていた時期があり、広い会場で説法を聞かされることが頻繁にあったからだ。言語や宗教は違っても、儀式の進行や信者の態度には万国共通するものを感じた。ただ、カトリックのミサでは知らない人とハグをする場面があり、少し戸惑った。最後にJoseに「信者専用の儀式があるけどどうする？」と聞かれ、「後ろで待っている」と答えた。多分、パンとワインを受け取る儀式のことだろうと思った。
翌日のクリスマス当日。のんびりできると思ったら、実はここからが本番だった。親戚の家を訪問するというのだ。JoseとJay、それに彼らのいとこ4人で４軒くらいの家を回った。Joseの両親は別の車で移動した。最初の家でお腹いっぱいになったが、その後も3軒ほど回り、どの家でも大量の料理が出てきた。当然全部食べられるわけもなく、ほとんど手をつけられなかった。4人とも疲れ果ててアメフトの試合を見ていた。これも日本のお正月に親戚回りをするのに似ているなと思った。どの家も大勢の人が集まり、大量の料理と酒が用意されていた。白人やフィリピーノもいたので、彼らの親戚で白人と結婚した人たちなのだろうと思った。周囲から「もっと食べろ」と勧められ続けたが、4人とも完全に食べ過ぎでダウンしていた。毎年こんなことをしているのかと感心した。
Joseと彼の家族には、実際のクリスマスがどのようなものかを見せてもらい、とても感謝している。あの経験がなければ、映画で見るクリスマスしか知らなかっただろう。クリスマスイブの教会の様子を見る機会も、後の人生で訪れることはなかったので、非常に貴重な体験だった。この経験が、あの年の自分にとって一番のクリスマスプレゼントになった。
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Since my family has been Buddhist for generations, I knew very little about Christianity, especially Catholicism, until I met the brothers Jose and Jay. One thing that stood out to me was when they’d try to order hamburgers on Fridays, and I would remind them, "Hey, it’s Friday today," and they would respond with, "Oh, right," and then order something like a Filet-O-Fish instead. Jay, in particular, was mindful of this. I found it amusing and started reminding them often, but I also thought, "It must be inconvenient not to be able to eat whatever you want whenever you want."
Jose said that the movie The Exorcist was incredibly scary. Sure, it’s a horror movie, but there are plenty of scarier horror films, and to me, The Exorcist wasn’t particularly frightening, so I found it strange. I couldn’t imagine Jose being so scared, but perhaps the reason for his fear was related to his understanding of the Bible and the existence of demons, which was different from my perspective as a non-Christian.
That Christmas in 1996, I spent it at Jose’s house. It was one of the few Christmases I had experienced since coming to America, but it was the first time I spent it with a friend’s family. Actually, I had stayed over at Jose’s house a few times before Christmas, and during one of those stays, I slept in a bed in the room that had belonged to his grandfather. Although I don’t usually have any sense of the supernatural, I had a strange experience that night. While I was asleep, I suddenly felt as though someone was pulling me upward, and I nearly floated out of the bed. It was so real that I panicked and ran to a nearby linen closet, where I spent the rest of the night. The next morning, Jose burst into the room, startling me again. Apparently, in my rush to the closet, I had broken a window shade. Later, when I asked Gary, who had been sleeping in the same room, he said he had also felt something strange.
This time, I was told I wouldn’t be staying in that room, so I gladly accepted the invitation to spend Christmas with Jose’s family. Sidney, as usual, warmed up to me right away, and Jose’s mother had prepared a large feast for the holiday. The house was decorated with a big Christmas tree, and there were presents placed underneath. It was a scene I had often seen in movies, but this was my first time seeing it in real life. After we stuffed ourselves with dinner, we relaxed in the living room. For some reason, I discovered an Atari 2600 at their house. We couldn’t play it, but it was like a relic, and I spent some time digging through the games they had.
Late at night, Jose suddenly said, "We’re heading out." I wondered where we were going at that hour, and it turned out we were going to church. I had no idea people went to church at such a late hour—I had thought they would go after it turned to the 25th. I wasn’t sure if it was okay for a Buddhist to enter a church, but I was allowed in without any restrictions. Inside, the church was vast and brightly decorated. I had imagined it would be more solemn and dimly lit, but it didn’t feel like a dark fantasy setting at all. The mass began, and the priest started speaking, but I didn’t understand a word of what he was saying. However, I was used to this kind of atmosphere. My mother had been deeply involved in a cult for a time, and as a child, I was frequently made to listen to sermons in large halls. Even though the religion and language were different, I felt there was something universal in the way rituals were conducted and how the congregation responded. One thing that surprised me about the Catholic mass was that strangers would come up and hug you, which felt a bit uncomfortable. Toward the end of the service, Jose asked me what I was going to do while they were going to do some activity for the congregation. I told him that I would wait at the back. I assumed it was the ceremony where they distribute bread and wine.
On Christmas Day, I thought I would have a relaxing day, but it turned out the main event was still ahead. We were going to visit their relatives' houses. Jose and Jay, along with their cousin visited about four houses, while their parents traveled separately. I was already full after the first house, but every house we visited afterward offered large amounts of food, too. Of course, I couldn’t eat any more, and none of us touched much of the food. We were all exhausted and ended up watching a football game. This feast reminded me of New Year’s in Japan, where we visit relatives. Every house was packed with people, and there was always plenty of food and alcohol. There were white and Filipino family members, so I assumed some of their relatives had married outside their race. People kept encouraging us to eat more, but we were all too full and completely drained. I was impressed that they did this every year.
I’m very grateful to Jose and his family for showing me what a real Christmas is like. Without that experience, I would only have known Christmas through movies. I also had the chance to see what a Christmas Eve church service was like, which was a rare opportunity, as I haven’t visited a church since. That experience became the best Christmas present I received that year.
To be continued.
