A loud night in Zagreb
Well, it seems today is a big wedding day here (makes sense as it is one of the last really nice weekends you can count on weather wise). This means lots of noisy car convoys honking their horns. I cant really complain about this like I did about the traffic because this is kind of traditional. Before cars they would hire a brass band and promenade through town playing loud music. Now, apparently, they just drive around honking their horns.
I was actually going to blog about this earlier for different reasons. I went out today to take some pictures of a part of town I hadn't seen before (well, I used to live about a block from this part of town 20 years ago, but it is very different now). On the way back I decided to stop for lunch at a place on Opatovina (its a little pedestrian street running north from Dolac). I was there last weekend (seems like this is turning into a habit, but I'll explain why later) so I wasn't anticipating anything out of the ordinary. While I was eating I hear the annoying noise of a car horn honking continuously, so I took a look and noticed a car parking by the church at the end of Opatovina (this is part of Kaptol, the old ecclesiatical part of the city, so you can't turn around without tripping over an old church or monastery) with white balloons tied to the mirrors. So, it was obviously part of a wedding party.
Now, to the part that really stuck in my mind. A few minutes later, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Reflected in the tinted glass barriers around the outdoor seating of the restaurant was a flag waving. I stood up to see what was going on (looking very foolish to all the locals enjoying their lunches I'm sure) and there was a guy in front of the church waiving a full sized Croatian flag. As he waived it, people who were taking pictures and chatting started moving inside. So, this was the sign that the wedding ceremony was about to begin. No church bells ringing, but the waiving of the flag.
So, what's the point? The point is, this is how the nation becomes embedded in the day to day life of the people. The nation is at the very beginning of the family. To Americans a wedding is the consensual joining of to people. If you're religious, there is a spiritual element to the ritual, God brings two people together. If you are secular then the state is recognizing two people making a commitment. But here it is also a national act. Social reproduction is national reproduction. Marriage is not just between two people, or God and two people, or the state and two people; it is between the nation, the state, God, and the two people. And as such, every day in marriage is a day in celebration of the nation.
So, there it is, the nation embedded in every day life.
Just an observation.
Ok, I am going to attempt to upload my Adobe software again. The last time I did this my computer crashed and I ended up spending a day reloading all my software (including the basic operating system). If you don't hear from me for a while, you can assume the same thing has happened.
I was actually going to blog about this earlier for different reasons. I went out today to take some pictures of a part of town I hadn't seen before (well, I used to live about a block from this part of town 20 years ago, but it is very different now). On the way back I decided to stop for lunch at a place on Opatovina (its a little pedestrian street running north from Dolac). I was there last weekend (seems like this is turning into a habit, but I'll explain why later) so I wasn't anticipating anything out of the ordinary. While I was eating I hear the annoying noise of a car horn honking continuously, so I took a look and noticed a car parking by the church at the end of Opatovina (this is part of Kaptol, the old ecclesiatical part of the city, so you can't turn around without tripping over an old church or monastery) with white balloons tied to the mirrors. So, it was obviously part of a wedding party.
Now, to the part that really stuck in my mind. A few minutes later, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Reflected in the tinted glass barriers around the outdoor seating of the restaurant was a flag waving. I stood up to see what was going on (looking very foolish to all the locals enjoying their lunches I'm sure) and there was a guy in front of the church waiving a full sized Croatian flag. As he waived it, people who were taking pictures and chatting started moving inside. So, this was the sign that the wedding ceremony was about to begin. No church bells ringing, but the waiving of the flag.
So, what's the point? The point is, this is how the nation becomes embedded in the day to day life of the people. The nation is at the very beginning of the family. To Americans a wedding is the consensual joining of to people. If you're religious, there is a spiritual element to the ritual, God brings two people together. If you are secular then the state is recognizing two people making a commitment. But here it is also a national act. Social reproduction is national reproduction. Marriage is not just between two people, or God and two people, or the state and two people; it is between the nation, the state, God, and the two people. And as such, every day in marriage is a day in celebration of the nation.
So, there it is, the nation embedded in every day life.
Just an observation.
Ok, I am going to attempt to upload my Adobe software again. The last time I did this my computer crashed and I ended up spending a day reloading all my software (including the basic operating system). If you don't hear from me for a while, you can assume the same thing has happened.
posted by The Solitary Traveller at 8:38 PM
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