Holidays That Truly Matter

So last night, after dinner, I had a long conversation with my wonderful host parents about Russian holidays and American holidays.  The New Year is the biggest holiday of the year here, with celebrations lasting a full week - though I must admit I don't believe they drop a ball on the Peter & Paul Fortress.  Can't win everything.

It was when the discussion turned to American holidays that the discussion became truly interesting.  Elena and Andrey wanted to know what was the biggest American holiday.  Christmas naturally comes to mind, but I decided that Thanksgiving was the biggest American holiday - underlining the "American" in the question.  Massive meals, family reunions quickly evolving (or devolving?) into family feuds, worst travel day of the year, 300 pound men slamming into other 300 pound men on national television, all of it followed by the single biggest shopping day anywhere in the world.  What could be more American than that?

Despite its flaws (real or invented by me), Thanksgiving is truly an important holiday, one that virtually all Americans cherish.  This was not enough for my host parents - they wanted to know about more American holidays, especially the one involving a small, furry animal.

I want to make it clear that my Russian is mediocre at best, so this was a difficult conversation.  My host father managed to rephrase his question into words I understood, words I will quote here (as best I can): "The day with the small creature beneath the ground who sees himself and then there's a longer winter."

Of course, this could only be Groundhog Day.  Except for those poor souls who actually deal with Punxsutawney Phil on a regular basis, I would like to believe that most Americans realize that this is quite simply a foolish holiday.  However, you do not realize just how foolish, how stupid, how utterly absurd it actually is until you try to explain it in another language.  It was then I realized I can barely explain it in English, let alone in Russian, and that the entire thing is completely ridiculous.

About the only good thing to come out Groundhog Day is the excellent film, which remains a favorite of mine. If nothing else, the movie taught me that a "sweet vermouth on the rocks with a twist" is apparently an awful drink.  All the holiday has taught me is something I already know: learning a foreign language is a constant struggle, but an amusing one, one accompanied by laughs and later by fond memories.  As for Punxsutawney Phil?  I hope on Groundhog Day in 2011 that he decides to do everybody a favor and just run like hell when the door to his burrow is opened.