#AdventReading Day-15: The Christmas Mystery - The Seventh Sheep

 

credit: Flora Waycott

Nowadays Joachim's Mama and Papa are as excited as Joachim when morning comes, and they are about to open the next door of the Advent Calendar. By the way, if you have your own Advent Calendar, would you think about cheating, and peeping what's inside tomorrow's door? Joachim once had that thought, but he controlled himself. I wonder whether his parents didn't have the same impulse.

Anyway, door no. 15 is for islands and skerries (islets) with houses on them. Elisabet and the gang (two kings, two angels, three shepherds, one Roman, six sheep - do I forget someone/something?..) has reached the Venetian lagoon. It's in the year 797, so that Venice is still young. Only few centuries ago The Venetians settled there to take refuge from sea pirates and barbarians. And while they are looking out, a boat is approaching; inside which stand some sheep. The rowing man offers them one sheep after Ephiriel saved him from drowning as he fell from the boat, and it becomes the seventh sheep of the growing flock.

Venetian Lagoon - today

After that, they resume their journey through Aquileia (an ancient town in Italy), and Trieste (a city on the Yugoslavia border). Tomorrow they will arrive at Croatia.

Same as yesterday, Joachim's Papa immediately consults his atlases (he also brings home a historical atlas) to locate the towns Elisabet and the gang has passed. To explain why he needs more than one atlas, here's a rather funny answer:

"History is like a big pile of pancakes where each pancake is a new map of the world." - it made me craving for pancakes!

Later in the afternoon, the family stop by at the market to look for John the flower seller, but he's nowhere to be seen. They ask the bookseller where John is from, and the bookseller reveals that John said he was born in Damaskus. Damaskus is the capital of Syria, so.... does that mean we will meet John again soon? 

Previous posts:

- Day-1          - Day-13
- Day-2          - Day-14

- Day-3 

- Day 4 

- Day-5 

- Day-6 

- Day-7 

- Day-8 

- Day-9

- Day-10
- Day-11 
- Day-12

#AdventReading Day-14: The Christmas Mystery - Isaac the 3rd Shepherd

credit: Flora Waycott

In term of plot, the fourteenth chapter is, by far, the flattest. There's almost no interesting thing happen.

A picture of a raft with people, animals and angels appears inside door number 14 when Joachim and his parents opens it. Of course, they are the fourteen pilgrims who are going to Betlehem through time and distant.

Their raft is sailing across River Po towards Padua. During their journey, people often see a glimpse - only a mere split of a second - of the weirdest procession they have ever seen. Some think it's a heavenly phenomenon, but most of them think it's only a reflection. I think the same goes with our faith. Some of us truly believe in God, in His Way and His Truth, in Heaven, but some might think it's just a tale. Just like Joachim's Papa. Unlike Mama, he's only interested in Elisabet and the gang's journey through distant - he even brings home a large atlas to follow their route by finger, which he confirms because he finds it in his atlas. He does not really believe that they could travel through time.

The River Po

When the pilgrims arrive at the town gate of Padua, they see a man in blue tunic sitting on a stone, who introduces himself as Isaac, the third shepherd, and he too is going to Betlehem with them.

Ephiriel looks at his angel watch; it shows the year 800. At Christmas Day Charles the Great or Charlemagne will be crowned Emperor of Rome.

Goodbye for now, and see you again tomorrow!

Previous posts:

- Day-1          - Day-13

- Day-2
- Day-3
- Day 4
- Day-5
- Day-6
- Day-7
- Day-8
- Day-9

- Day-10
- Day-11 
- Day-12

#AdventReading Day-13: The Christmas Mystery - The Sixth Sheep

credit: Flora Waycott

Today is the 13th day of Advent, and the story gets more mysterious and complicated every day. Remember the existence of two Advent calendars, Joachim's and Elisabet's? Well, today Elisabet finds a picture of an Advent calendar, just like hers, inside the 12th door of HER Advent calendar. She asks Quirinius what's inside it (the Advent calendar in the picture), and his answer would make your head spin.

Each door contains Elisabet's fragments of name - real and reversed. So in door-1 is Elisabet, door-2 Lisabet, then Isabet and so on until Et. After that came Te, Teb, and so on until Tebasile inside door 14. Next door is repeating door 1, and so there's door 22, 23, and 24 left. Door 22 is for Roma, 23 is Amor, and the last one is for Jesus.

Every letter of J-E-S-U-S are printed in different colors, representing all the colors of rainbow. And sure enough, rainbow is in the picture inside door 13 of Joachim's Advent calendar. You can't expect less, can you?

Like us, Elisabet is wondering: why rainbow? The answer is quite as beautiful as the rainbow:

"When it’s been raining heavily, and the sun breaks through the dark clouds, the rainbow appears in the sky. It’s as if a little bit of Jesus is in the air, for Jesus was a rainbow between heaven and earth."

By the way, they are now in Italy, in the 10th century. It's year 904 when they reach a trading city called Pavia, which, says Ephiriel, had a university that was famous throughout Europe. I wonder what a university looked like in the 10th century!

Next they are about to go across the River Po by boat, when a farmer offers a sheep to them. And so, now there are... err... how many of them? Anyway, right after they are on the river, Quirinius asks Elisabet to open door no. 13 of HER Advent calendar, inside which a man carrying a sheep appear on the picture....

I must leave you here before your head spinning much faster.

Previous posts:
 - Day-1

- Day-2
- Day-3
- Day 4
- Day-5
- Day-6
- Day-7
- Day-8
- Day-9

- Day-10
- Day-11 
- Day-12

#AdventReading Day-12: The Christmas Mystery - Quirinius

 

Credit: Flora Waycott

Here we are at last... the 12th day, halfway to Christmas! I have to confess that I was not quite sure at first that I'd be able to do daily blogging for 24 days. But here I am now! And if I can make it this far, then it would not be that hard to finish until the 24th, right? *fingers cross*

Joachim and his parents have been wondering whether John the flower seller did indeed wrote all the hidden stories. Then Mama remembers something; a long time ago there's a little girl was missing from their town when she's Christmas shopping with her mother, and has never been found since. Is the girl called Elisabet? Papa investigates, and yes! A Elisabet Hansen was missing in 1948.

Meanwhile, do you remember how the bookseller told Joachim and Papa that John the flower seller has put a photograph of a woman called Elisabet in the store window? Papa gets the photo from the bookseller, so now they are looking at a photo of a young woman with long fair hair, with a large dome in the background at the top of the photo. The dome is of St. Peter's in Rome.

But first thing first: the picture inside door no. 12 is a man in red tunic holding a sign. The story today titled: Quirinius. The pilgrims has arrived in Switzerland. They pass Lake Geneva, the Rhone river, St. Maurice monastery, before finally arrive at a mountain pass. At the top of which stands St. Bernard hospice (I'd hoped they at least look at the St. Bernard dogs, but that's not happening today). After Impuriel re-tells the story of the Good Samaritan (linking it with the rescue service run by Benedictine monks at the hospice) and criticizing priests who don't help others, they see a man in red tunic holding a sign: "To Betlehem". He introduces himself as Quirinius, Governor of Syria.

Quirinius gives Elisabet the sign and tells her to turn it right round, and lo and behold... it is an Advent calendar with twenty four doors! Above each door is painted a young woman with long fair hair, standing in front of a church with a large dome on the top!! Quirinius tells her to open the first twelve doors, inside which she finds pictures of each member of their group.

It is in the year of 1045 when we leave them all; Christmas is approaching!

Previous posts:
- Day-1
- Day-2
- Day-3
- Day 4
- Day-5
- Day-6
- Day-7
- Day-8
- Day-9
- Day-10
- Day-11

#AdventReading Day-11: The Christmas Mystery - Balthazar

 

Credit: Flora Waycott

Day 11 is a bit different for Joachim, as now the secret pieces of paper from his Advent calendar has become a family secret, so that he can now (almost halfway through to Christmas) share all the excitement and wonder with his parents.

Caspar isn't alone now; the second Wise Man joins the group - it's Balthazar, King of Sheba. The groups first finds him on a boat on the side of Rhine river; they think he's the ferryman. 

The year is 1186, and Ephiriel points out at some beautiful churches. I begin to think that Ephiriel's showing churches at every phase of their journey must means something. Perhaps it's to highlight how Christianity has developed since Christ's born 2000 years ago? 

Anyway, Impuriel says something worth to reflect:

"Christmas is the world's biggest birthday party, for everybody in the whole world is invited to join in. That's why the party has lasted for so many years."

We celebrate Christmas every year, but has it ever occurred to us whose birthday we are celebrating? Or do we tend to assume Christmas as OUR own party? 

The next moment the group meet a rider on horseback (that is also the picture appears inside door no. 9 of the Advent calendar). He's a soldier, and is really scared when Impuriel impulsively buzzes around him crying: "Fear not! Fear not! Fear not!" Poor soldier... LOL!! 

They are in a town called Worms, in the year 1119, and about to journey through the Alps, following a route over the St. Bernard Pass. Can't wait to read their next adventure!

Previous posts:

- Day-1
- Day-2

- Day-3
- Day 4
- Day-5
- Day-6

- Day-7

- Day-8
- Day-9

- Day-10

#AdventReading Day-10: The Christmas Mystery - Impuriel (A Cherub)

 

If you have been wondering whether this story is not rather quietly boring, with partly predictable plot every day, you're not alone. And Gaarder seemed to read our minds, because right when it's starting to get (too) convenient, a conflict is presented to us.

Joachim has been keeping his secret pieces of paper inside his "secret" locked box, and hiding the key. His mother has given him the box, and promised never to open it without his consent. But Joachim often blurts out bits of knowledge - which a boy his age is supposed to be innocent of - to his parents, that they begin to worry. Today Mama opens the secret box and reads all the stories, that Joachim is so enraged. It's not so much the revealing of the secret, as the fact that Mama has broken a solemn promise, and that he cannot trust her anymore. It's a reminder to parents, never to make promise they cannot keep, or break the one they have made. Joachim's mother should have confront him to open the secret box with him, instead of sneaking and stealing when he's not around.

But enough of the drama, let's reveal the content of the secret paper.

The new addition to the pilgrims is... another angel. It's a cherub really, called Impuriel. It's Elisabet who sees him first when they arrive at the St. Bartholomew Church in Paderborn, which was built in 11th century.

So there are ten of them - men, girl, angels, and sheep, and they continue on to the city of Cologne, on the bank of River Rhine. It's year 1272 angel-time, and the Cologne cathedral is still under construction at that time (the construction was completed in 1880). I've been to the finished cathedral myself about twenty years ago. It's a magnificent architecture, indeed!

Cologne Cathedral - today

And today's journey ends with another wise words from Ephiriel, that Elisabet (and I) hid in her heart:

"Every person on earth is a unique work of creation."

Previous posts:

- Day-1
- Day-2

- Day-3
- Day 4
- Day-5
- Day-6

- Day-7

- Day-8

- Day-9

#AdventReading Day-9: The Christmas Mystery - The Fifth Sheep

 

Credit: Flora Waycott

When opening door number eight of his Advent calendar, Joachim finds a picture of a man playing a pipe. Consulting the hidden story, it turns out that the piper is Pied Piper of Hamelin. A legend said that a town in Germany called Hamelin had been plagued by rats. The officials hired a rat-catcher - a pied piper (a man in colorful clothed who plays pipe). When he played his pipe, the rats followed him. He led them to the river, where they all drowned. However, the officials broke their promise, and didn't pay him full reward. Enraged, the piper returned to the town, played his pipe, and this time all the children in the town followed him, disappeared, and were never seen again.

Pied Piper of Hamelin - led the rats out of town

Pied Piper of Hamelin - led the children away

The pilgrims are now entering Germany, in the Middle Ages (1304). When they are about to leave Hamelin, a sheep is running towards them, and joins the others... to Betlehem! To Betlehem!

Meanwhile, Joachim accompanies his mother to the market, and lo and behold... who do you think he sees in the flower stall? ;) And when his Mama is wondering how the flower seller can bear to stand there in the middle of cold winter, Joachim's answer is priceless:

"That's because part of the glory of heaven has strayed down to earth."

Of course, he's been quoting from Ephiriel, but still, it'd make you deep in reflection. 

Aren't we all, human beings, carry the "part of the glory of heaven that has strayed down to earth", albeit only the tiniest part?

Previous posts:

- Day-1
- Day-2

- Day-3
- Day 4
- Day-5
- Day-6

- Day-7

- Day-8