Last year when we celebrated Christmas, Sri Swami Vishwananda gave a Satsang on December 25th. He talked about his childhood, colorful Christmas trees and the different ways of celebrating the fesitval of the Lord.
Sri Swami Vishwananda:
You see, when I grew up, celebrating Christmas was different from what you celebrate here.
I grew up in a Hindu family and always they would say that the Christians go to the Church for Midnight mass.
So this was Christmas. For me Christmas was different- firstly of course because it was this festival that everybody… You see what is nice on an island is that everybody celebrates everything. (laughter)
And everybody celebrates it differently. So, here it is always cold. You are always freezing. (laughter) Christmas has to have snow, but gracious God has not make it snow.(laughter)
I like it very much. (Audience laughing) So on the island it’s very warm. It’s even too warm.
And ve
ry often on Christmas, like I told, you all the Christian, not all of them, some of them go to churches, some of them are fully drunk (Audience laughing), but me, when I was small it was always because of the gifts.(Laughing) We will have the Christmas tree, we will have the same Christmas tree like you see here, very colourful, not like the german ones, where there is only gold and which are very dull.(Audience laughing)
Sorry,(Laughing) (Audience laughing), but it’s true I asked them to make a Christmas tree outside. When I look at the Christmas tree, it makes me more sad. (Audience laughing) And now look. How was the Christmas tree before? Boring, no?
You see- when I grew up, celebrating Christmas was different from what you celebrate here. I grew up in a Hindu family and always they will say that the Christian go to Church for Midnight mass. So this was Christmas. For me Christmas was different, because firstly of course it was this festival that everybody… You see what is nice on an island is that everybody celebrates everything. (laughter) And everybody celebrates it differently. So, here it is always cold. You are always freezing. (laughter) Christmas has to have snow, but gracious God has not make it snow.( laughter) So, I like it very much. (Audience laughing) So on the island it’s very warm. It’s even too warm.
Sri Swami Vishwananda:
You see, when I grew up, celebrating Christmas was different from what you celebrate here.
I grew up in a Hindu family and always they would say that the Christians go to the Church for Midnight mass.
So this was Christmas. For me Christmas was different- firstly of course because it was this festival that everybody… You see what is nice on an island is that everybody celebrates everything. (laughter)
And everybody celebrates it differently. So, here it is always cold. You are always freezing. (laughter) Christmas has to have snow, but gracious God has not make it snow.(laughter)
I like it very much. (Audience laughing) So on the island it’s very warm. It’s even too warm.
And ve
ry often on Christmas, like I told, you all the Christian, not all of them, some of them go to churches, some of them are fully drunk (Audience laughing), but me, when I was small it was always because of the gifts.(Laughing) We will have the Christmas tree, we will have the same Christmas tree like you see here, very colourful, not like the german ones, where there is only gold and which are very dull.(Audience laughing)Sorry,(Laughing) (Audience laughing), but it’s true I asked them to make a Christmas tree outside. When I look at the Christmas tree, it makes me more sad. (Audience laughing) And now look. How was the Christmas tree before? Boring, no?
You see- when I grew up, celebrating Christmas was different from what you celebrate here. I grew up in a Hindu family and always they will say that the Christian go to Church for Midnight mass. So this was Christmas. For me Christmas was different, because firstly of course it was this festival that everybody… You see what is nice on an island is that everybody celebrates everything. (laughter) And everybody celebrates it differently. So, here it is always cold. You are always freezing. (laughter) Christmas has to have snow, but gracious God has not make it snow.( laughter) So, I like it very much. (Audience laughing) So on the island it’s very warm. It’s even too warm.
And very often on Christmas, like I told, you all the Christian, not all of them, some of the
m go to churches, some of them are fully drunk (Audience laughing), but me, when I was small it was always because of the gifts. (Laughing) We will have the Christmas tree, we will have the same Christmas tree like you see, very colourful, not like the german one- only gold and very dull. (Audience laughing)
m go to churches, some of them are fully drunk (Audience laughing), but me, when I was small it was always because of the gifts. (Laughing) We will have the Christmas tree, we will have the same Christmas tree like you see, very colourful, not like the german one- only gold and very dull. (Audience laughing) Sorry, (Laughing) (Audience laughing), but it’s true I asked them to make a Christmas tree outside. When I look at the Christmas tree, it makes me more sad. (Audience laughing) And now look. How was the Christmas tree before? Boring, no?
Someone: Yes
Sri Swami Vishwananda: without light.
Someone: I was not here last year.
Sri Swami Vishwananda: Nein, nein, nein. Nicht last year, this year.(Someone laughing)With just yellow, whatever, gold colour. (Audience laughing)(SV laughing)Not nice, eh? (Laughing) So,it was always colourful. Christmas for us, on an island is very colourful, where everybody comes together, you know. Also the Non- Christian and everywhere it’s very busy, whether you go to the villagers or town it’s always busy and always things happening. Everybody is preparing for Christmas, because this time with Christmas and New Year is Holiday time. So everybody gets busy. This is how I grew up. Then later
on, when I started on the spiritual path, which was when I was fourteen years old, no fifteen actually, it changed. On Christmas day we would sing Bhajans, we would pray on Christmas Eve till midnight and after that we would do the same as we did this morning, we will do abishekam and so on.
So this is how it is. That’s why I don’t like snow. (Laughing) (Audience laughing)
Someone: Yes
Sri Swami Vishwananda: without light.
Someone: I was not here last year.
Sri Swami Vishwananda: Nein, nein, nein. Nicht last year, this year.(Someone laughing)With just yellow, whatever, gold colour. (Audience laughing)(SV laughing)Not nice, eh? (Laughing) So,it was always colourful. Christmas for us, on an island is very colourful, where everybody comes together, you know. Also the Non- Christian and everywhere it’s very busy, whether you go to the villagers or town it’s always busy and always things happening. Everybody is preparing for Christmas, because this time with Christmas and New Year is Holiday time. So everybody gets busy. This is how I grew up. Then later
on, when I started on the spiritual path, which was when I was fourteen years old, no fifteen actually, it changed. On Christmas day we would sing Bhajans, we would pray on Christmas Eve till midnight and after that we would do the same as we did this morning, we will do abishekam and so on.So this is how it is. That’s why I don’t like snow. (Laughing) (Audience laughing)
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