I must admit that I'm not feeling Christmassy. It's a worry because generally I love Christmas but I guess this year, a fragmented family filling distant obligations, a bah humbug friend being totally weird and the pressures of work . . .just not jingling my bells. Perhaps I should be living in China:
Oh c'mon China, it's Christmas, get into the spirit (perhaps I will too). Okay maybe a dose of "The Santa Claus" will do it for me.
BEIJING (AFP) – Dozens of mainly foreign residents of Beijing dressed up as Santa Claus as part of a worldwide weekend costume parade got a lump of coal in their Christmas stockings -- ejection from
The group was taking part in Saturday's SantaCon -- a worldwide event that sees people don Santa's familiar red suit and white-brimmed hat and make merry in cities around the world including the Chinese capital, two revellers said.
About four hours into the day-long event, which in Beijing takes the form of a pub crawl, dozens of revellers entered Tiananmen Square -- the scene of mass pro-democracy protests in 1989 that ended in a bloody army crackdown.
As they gathered for a photo, police intervened, the participants said.
"You are causing a social disturbance -- leave the square now," one partygoer, who asked not to be identified, quoted a police officer as saying to the group. "If you want to visit Tiananmen, come in the appropriate way." (yeh with a shopping back and standing in front of a tank)
Another participant told AFP: "Everyone just dispersed really quickly in an effort not to get into trouble. The cops did follow us out, but the party moved on and there were no problems."
One disgruntled Santa claimed, "China stole my Christmas," but the first participant interviewed by AFP said he thought the incident had given the event some bite.
"I think people sort of liked getting kicked out of Tiananmen Square. I think it added a bit of edginess to what otherwise would just have been a pub crawl," he said.
Oh c'mon China, it's Christmas, get into the spirit (perhaps I will too). Okay maybe a dose of "The Santa Claus" will do it for me.
23 comments:
I do rather like the idea of a "social disturbance", it's such a useful term. In the spirit if the season, I will use it often over Christmas (AB screaming at bloody carol singers, "Bog off you're causing a social disturbance")
Well, I will have an exam next week so I am far from the Christmas feeling but I have already bought all the gifts.
i lack any christmassy mood, also...
I think the pub crawl may have dulled a few brains in that crowd; anyone who's been in China for more than a week or two (my brother is over there often on business) knows that the government takes Tiananmen Square very seriously, and gatherings of large groups, with or without Santa costumes, is one of the things that make the officials in Beijing very, very nervous. The Santa posse should have known that was gonna happen, but as I said, looks like the fumes from the pub crawl was interfering with good judgement by that time.
I could send you the snow!
Hard to think about Christmas when I'm busy coping with the endless snow and ice, including getting it all off the car every morning. I guess once Christmas Eve finally rolls along I'll get into the festive spirit. We're already scoffing mince pies though....
I'm all for social disturbances! Especially when a pub crawl in included. Good times! Good times!
Christmas is coming on strong over here...i'll send you a link you might enjoy..and you can forward it on to Grouchy-puss.
Well, Baino, you still have a few days to go...so perhaps your bells will start to jingle soon.
I got a kick out of the socially disturbing santas!
Amelie is on its way from Netflix. Yay...
we got smashed with snow and ice...first day out in a couple days...it probably helped the christmas spirit though...and what better way to end a pub crawl than being kicked out..lol
Causing a disturbance my arse. Reminds me of a pornographic fiction blog I once accidentally clicked on. Well I don't like pornographic women's ficitn OK??? But I did leave a comment about a fireman who was dressed in red undies. How the hell he could put out a fire dressed like that I've no idea. But he reminded me of santa claus. Maybe they should have dressed as strippers. Maybe the police would take photos of their own then... who knows??
Geez I could do with a social disturbance and a pub crawl - as long as I was 'safely' escorted home and didn't have any vomit in my santa beard......
Whoa Santa - don't go there! That aint ho-ho-ho territory. All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth back, and a decent trial.
Sihirens night
Hohorid night
All is calm...
Oops
Cheel up honey, I wasn't feeling vely Chlistmassy too, until we got a tlee and decolated it. And of coulse we've got lots of snow. That helps. Now I'm dleaming of a white Chlistmas ;-)
(Sorry, poor attempt to make a joke about the Chinese not being able to say R. In fact, years ago we often went to a particular Chinese restaurant and we got to know the Chinese owners a bit. Once I had a soar throat and the very sweet Chinese mother said: "You have to linse linse linse with salt watel! Is good!" So whenever someone has a soar throat now, you know what we say: "linse linse linse!")
Come on, Girl Friend, get yer Ho-Ho-Ho on. Don't let the humbugs get you down. Grab some chardy (OK, maybe a lot of chardy), play some carols, and go with it.
What more do the Chinese authorities expect Santa to do - he already dresses in red for goodness sake.
And carries out covert surveillance on citizens - have they been naughty or nice? Too many Christmas stockings for the one-child policy?
The blogworld can have a weird effect on me. It can make me feel lonely when I hear people taking a break from blogging to prepare for the season. I'll read on some of your past posts to catch up. And Baino, I do want to add that my first US trip was in 1992 and my last was in 2008. My husband was from Charlotte, NC and when my mother-in-law passed away last June, it was a closing of a chapter of my life and my travels to the US. I do miss the country and the time gone and maybe there will be a new reason to travel to that wonderful country again in the future.
i am sending you a slathering kiss just to shake you up.
:)
@Carolina; when the "r" has an "or" or an "er" sound, as in course and water, the "r" is not substituted with an "l". Try saying it out loud as you've written it and you'll see what I mean.
I'm not feeling particularly christmassy yet either. Something to do with so many price rises recently and on the horizon, I suspect. Soon enough, christmas will be for the rich only.
No I've not touched it!
I was naming a product that is unavailable just in sheer bloody mindedness.
I haven't been near anybody involved in that ever since... 17 or 18 days ago. That feels like an eternity, I have to say.
Tiananmen Square was one of the first major news stories that I paid attention to. I remember being so confused by what was happening, how it even could be happening. None of the adults had an adequate answer.
A Santa Crawl? I want to do that! But not in China, I guess!
Idiots, them chinese; absolute feckin' idiots; and dangerous with it.
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