Elves In Sombreros: A Look At Christmas In Thailand
Of course, elves in sombreros, Snow White and those ever-present Dwarfs
, and let's not forget Frosty in his less-than-immaculate snowsuit. Without this cast of unlikely characters it wouldn't be Christmas in Bangkok.It often said among the many foreigners here that the Thai can never quite get it right. They often use blue Christmas lights instead of green and sometimes pink and yellow too. I once saw a nativity scene which featured the seven dwarfs in place of the apostles and it wouldn't have surprised anyone if a smiling Winnie the Pooh, honey pot and all, was tucked snugly into the crib reserved for Baby Jesus. This is Xmas in the LOS (Land of Smiles for the uninitiated).
I was in a taxi cab when I noticed the elves in big yellow sombreros. These were large wood cutouts that lined up along a stretch of road next to a popular shopping district here in Bangkok. It seems that overnight these areas become bedecked with different interpretations of Christmas and New Years. It is a sort free association for the Thais who seem to take any opportunity to revel in cuteness with little regard for tradition. Hello Kitty, Tom and Gerry and that stupid blue cat everyone loves so much all have a place in the echelon of Christmas spirits. They haven't yet trifled with the image of Santa, but I've been on the lookout for a sleigh driving Goofy all week and I'm sure there has to be one somewhere. It's only a matter of time. As for the reindeer; these too seem to be acceptable on there own meritorious cuteness, but again, I'm on the lookout. Perhaps a team of flying rabbits or pink teddy bears will someday replace them at the head of Santa's sleigh. As for the Christmas tree, there's a hotel on New Road that keeps a Christmas tree up all year in the lobby. This dusty and rather distressed tree is crowned not with a Star of David but with a trio of pink wedding bells that congratulates some happily wed couple from Christmas past. I have witnessed other examples, but you get the idea.
It's probably true that some foreigners find this complete bastardization of Christ's birth as unfathomable and in poor taste, I on the other hand find it refreshing and if anything and perhaps sadly so, a more accurate representation of what Christmas has truly become and to most of us western consumers, what it truly represents. In any case, it is Christmas in the Land of Smiles. So on behalf of everyone in the Kingdom, I'd like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, Happy Cinco Dimayo and congratulations!
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