Spirit of Community: Christmas holidays in Ventura
Christmas in Ventura, a made-for-public-television special by Robert Barrett/Barrett Productions, will be airing on cable Channel 6 beginning this week and running through New Year's Day. It features the Ventura British Brass Trio, various Christmas carolers from local churches and singing groups and a wonderful performance on the steps of the Ventura Mission, by the Ventura Youth Choir. To see exact play dates, please visit the CAPS website.
The four showings on cable Channel 6 for this week are:
So much happens in our community that doesn't make "the news." Last Saturday, my daughters and I attended a mass for the Virgen de Guadalupe at the San Buenaventura Mission. The occasion marks the annual commemoration of the appearance of Mary to an Indian convert near Mexico City in 1531. The story carries profound meaning in Mexican culture and continues to reverberate across the centuries and across national borders.
More than 400 worsh
ippers attended the mass in Spanish, filled with the color and richness of Mexican culture. Despite the presence of more than a quarter of our population with Mexican ancestry, many Venturans are unexposed to this fascinating culture that is so intertwined with our history and present-day life. Like St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo becomes a commercial cliche -- a superficial homage that mainly involves drinking. Just as Christmas has been exploited for materialism, the real holidays and values of other cultures are ignored.
We live in a global society. Yet we live here in Ventura. There is so much close at hand going on that can enrich our lives, introduce us to our neighbors and contribute to better understanding of our shared human condition.
Perhaps it's time for a New Year's Resolution: to move beyond our comfort zones in the year ahead and look for ways to learn more about new people and places in our own community.
The four showings on cable Channel 6 for this week are:
- Tuesday, December 15th at 6:30 pm
- Thursday, Dec. 17th at 12 pm
- Friday, December 18th at 8 pm
So much happens in our community that doesn't make "the news." Last Saturday, my daughters and I attended a mass for the Virgen de Guadalupe at the San Buenaventura Mission. The occasion marks the annual commemoration of the appearance of Mary to an Indian convert near Mexico City in 1531. The story carries profound meaning in Mexican culture and continues to reverberate across the centuries and across national borders.
More than 400 worsh
ippers attended the mass in Spanish, filled with the color and richness of Mexican culture. Despite the presence of more than a quarter of our population with Mexican ancestry, many Venturans are unexposed to this fascinating culture that is so intertwined with our history and present-day life. Like St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo becomes a commercial cliche -- a superficial homage that mainly involves drinking. Just as Christmas has been exploited for materialism, the real holidays and values of other cultures are ignored.We live in a global society. Yet we live here in Ventura. There is so much close at hand going on that can enrich our lives, introduce us to our neighbors and contribute to better understanding of our shared human condition.
Perhaps it's time for a New Year's Resolution: to move beyond our comfort zones in the year ahead and look for ways to learn more about new people and places in our own community.
posted by Rick Cole at
10:20 AM
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