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Said the night wind to the Festive Fan

"Want to go where I go?"

An island in the sea, Festive Fan

"Want to go where I go?"

Witness Christmas, where it’s communist

They just keep it hidden from sight

They just keep it hidden from sight

Wow.  Spring has sprung.  The weather is warmer, the grass is greener, and two hairy bears have emerged from hibernation.  Yes, Mark and Bob are back and awake.  They are ready to travel on an empty stomach, but this podcast better serve up a location with some decent cuisine.  Well, the Gods have delivered, as we are off to a place with bold flavors from its Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences, and known for a famous sandwich filled with savory ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard … yes, we are off to Cuba!  

Did you know that this little island was the inspiration for the song Do You Hear What I Hear?  It may sound like an old classic carol, but it was inspired by the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.  At the time, the United States and the Soviet Union were locked in a dangerous confrontation over nuclear missiles discovered in Cuba. The world feared that the conflict could lead to a nuclear war, and the song was a written as a plea for peace.  In the song, the night wind tells a lamb about a star, the lamb tells a shepherd, and eventually a king learns about a child who will bring “goodness and light.”  It reflects on the Nativity, but this is a real example of how Cuba has played a central role in shaping world history.

So, the Festive Fans are off this tiny communist nation to understand how it celebrates the holiday. Cuba has strong Catholic roots, but after the revolution in 1959, public celebrations of Christmas were prohibited.  Only after Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1998, Christmas was officially reinstated and Cubans were finally able to embrace the holiday again.  We also view the documentary Revolution Rent to explore modern-day Cuba through the journey of Cuban-American theater director Andy Señor Jr.  He returns to the country where his parents were exiled to stage the Broadway musical Rent on Christmas Eve.  The film follows putting on the stage production from auditions to opening night and offers a nuanced portrait of contemporary Cuban society.  

Cuba.  So close and yet so far away.  We have experienced so much together -- the Revolution, the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Mariel Boatlift, and Elián González – and yet we still behave like two lovers in a spat, slamming our collective doors shut. Our breakup was loud and public, full of accusations and hurt feelings, and both sides walking away angry. Now, with our long, shared history, we have to settle with anguished glances and pining away for a nostalgic past. In fact, as we write this, we are contemplating another ill-timed attempt to get back together, convinced that if we just push hard enough, everything will somehow go back to the way it was. We still have a lingering sense that somehow our story as a couple isn’t finished. The passion may have cooled, but that jealousy, it still simmers.  

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