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...the eccentric, strange, and less than orthodox in the world of religion. |
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Sacred Corn Beer & a real Good Friday |
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As the Christian faith spreads across the world, it picks up an
interesting cultural nuance here and there along the way. Some
traditions have been embraced by most Christians of different
cultures with open arms while others will never be welcomed into the
collective fold. The German father of the Protestant
Reformation, Martin Luther, contributed the beloved Christmas tree
to Christendom which is all but universally accepted while the
Japanese Christmas Cake will probably never find a home
beyond the shores of Land of the Rising Sun. Sacred corn beer,
heartily drank by the Tarahumara Indians of the Mexican state of
Chihuahua in celebration of Holy Week, falls into the latter category.
During G |
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ood Friday, the Tarahumara get
loaded off barrels of their beloved tesguino (sacred corn beer),
which God Himself taught them to make and they in turn gratefully make
offerings to Him with. According to their syncretistic belief
system, getting divinely hammered chases
out the "large souls" inside of their bodies leaving only
the child-like "small souls". After having well drunk, they engage in a ritualistic dance
that is more than a mere photo opt for curious tourists who
come to celebrate Holy Week with the tribe. You see, the Raramuri (the name the Tarahumara
call themselves) believe the remote canyon country they live in is
the center of the universe, and as God's chosen people it
is up to them to ensure that the universe is not destroyed by their
failure to cut the rug before the Lord Almighty on this most holy of
days. Perhaps King
David's wife Michal wouldn't have got all bent out of shape over his
dancing before the Lord if the stakes were that high. Or if
she was drunk on corn beer...