This week is a long holiday that extended from Saturday
until today (Wednesday). Over the weekend was the harvest celebration of Chuseok, the Korean Thanksgiving
holiday. This year, Chuseok Day was on Sunday, September 30,
but the holiday is observed for a total of three days (September 29 – October
1). It is by far
the biggest and most important holiday in Korea. It is a time when family members
from near and far come together in their hometowns in the countryside to share
food and stories and to give thanks to their ancestors for the abundant
harvest.
Today, 3rd October is Gaecheonjeol, or Korean National Foundation day. This holiday celebrates the creation of the state of Gojoseon (ancient Korea) founded by Dangun Wanggeom in the year 2333 BC. Traditionally Gaecheon (which means "Opening of Heaven") refers to 3 October B.C. 2457, the date when Hwanung (the “Supreme Divine Regent” and son of Hwanin, the “Lord of Heaven”) descended from heaven to live with mankind. Along with his ministers of clouds, rain, and wind, he instituted laws and moral codes and taught the humans various arts, medicine, and agriculture.
Today, 3rd October is Gaecheonjeol, or Korean National Foundation day. This holiday celebrates the creation of the state of Gojoseon (ancient Korea) founded by Dangun Wanggeom in the year 2333 BC. Traditionally Gaecheon (which means "Opening of Heaven") refers to 3 October B.C. 2457, the date when Hwanung (the “Supreme Divine Regent” and son of Hwanin, the “Lord of Heaven”) descended from heaven to live with mankind. Along with his ministers of clouds, rain, and wind, he instituted laws and moral codes and taught the humans various arts, medicine, and agriculture.
It is interesting that these two holidays occur about a
week before we of Fiji celebrate our national day marking our independence from
Great Britain on October 10th 1970, while also remembering the signing of the
Deed of Cession on October 10th, 1874. It is ironic that while the
Deed of Cession is kept safely and copies of the text are well read, no one
really knows the location or contents of the Instruments of Independence that
Prince Charles presented to the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara in Albert Park on
October 10th, 1970.
Last week as I concluded my fortnightly meeting with my
thesis supervisor, I wished him a happy Chuseok and shared my experience last
year of spending Chuseok with the family of my Senior Pastor here in Korea. My
supervisor asked me if we have any special thanksgiving holidays in which the
extended family comes together. I told him about our long weekends during
Easter and of Christmas and Boxing Day holidays, as well as Prophet Mohammed’s
Birthday and Eid celebrations as well as Diwali and how many of us in Fiji
visit each the homes of friends and families during these holidays regardless
of our different ethnicities, cultures and religions.
He was quite moved by this and said that despite our
problems, Fiji truly had something special.
I noted a comment made a month ago, by a member of the
Constitution Commission, Professor Satya Nandan, that the new constitution of Fiji will need to be regarded
as a sacred document - created for the people by the people of Fiji so that no
one can destroy it.
As I reflected on my supervisor’s comment and Professor
Nandan’s statement as well as a recent face-book discussion on the issue of
Christian State versus Secular State for, in which I participated – I could not
help but wonder if there is a third option for us in Fiji.
How
does one invoke or develop a sense of sacredness about a document that
may enshrine Fiji as a secular nation, given that the terms sacred and secular
are often used to describe two distinct areas of life?
Essayist Peter Saint-Andre writing of the modern dilemma
of sacred versus secular writes of a concept of natural religion argues that “the concept of the sacred runs deep in the human mind, and
that at least some "religious" concepts are potentially universal. We all share in our nature
as human beings, and there is much more that we have in common than is peculiar
to each one of us.”
Saint-Andre suggests that not only can the sacred be secular,
but also that the secular can indeed be sacred. He writes: “Who could deny the importance of either our
material or our spiritual existence? Both are inherently vital spheres, thrown
at war with one another by certain traditions within Western thought.” He
calls for the development of what he terms called “natural religion,” and a positive bridging of the destructive gap
between the material and the spiritual, the secular and the sacred.
So is there a way in which the sacred and the secular can
meet in Fiji? I believe so.
Early last century,
eminent sociologist, Emile Durkheim, developed a theory on “Civil Religion”.
According to Durkheim, “to the degree a collection of people is a society, it will exhibit a common
("civil") religion.” In other words, a civil religion is what
"unites into one single moral community”.
Robert Bellah, another
eminent sociologist, writing in the 1960s defined civil religion as "the
religious dimension that exists in the life of every nation through which it
interprets its historic experiences in the light of its transcendental
reality." Civil religion is comprised of a sacred system of beliefs,
myths, symbols, and ceremonies that give meaning to the concepts of
"nation" and "state."
Bellah actually based his theory on the United
States of America, which while being viewed as a secular state, at the
same time holds to "an institutionalized collection of sacred beliefs
about the American nation," which is symbolically expressed in America's founding
documents and presidential inaugural addresses. It includes a belief in the
existence of a transcendent being called "God," an idea that the
American nation is subject to God's laws, and an assurance that God will guide
and protect the United States.
Bellah saw these beliefs in the values of liberty,
justice, charity, and personal virtue and concretized in, for example, the
words In God We Trust on both national emblems and on the currency
used in daily economic transactions.
Those who support a Christian state may be interested to
know that even Israel has a civil religion that connects Judaism and “secular”
concepts of nationhood.
Consider the observation about the way that many of us
celebrate sacred (holy) days (holidays) irrespective of our religious
backgrounds. The many non-Christians who exchange gifts at Christmas, the
non-Muslims who visit their Muslim friends and relatives on Eid, the non-Hindus
who enjoy the dress, lights, sweets and fireworks of Diwali. Whether we observe
that religion or not, we all celebrate it in some meaningful way – even if it
means something different to us.
Consider our national unity in excitement, celebration
during the Rugby Sevens World Cup in 1997 and 2005, and our nationwide
jubilation and celebration recently when Iliesa Delana won Fiji and Oceania’s
first gold medal at the Par-Olympics.
Consider also the pledge of allegiance and flag raising
ceremonies common to most schools in Fiji.
Whether imposed from above
or emerging from society, civil religion presents an understanding of a
society's role in history and each person's role as a citizen.
Perhaps this is a middle ground in which the sacred and
the secular can meet.
Perhaps.
“Simplicity, Serenity, Spontaneity”
ENDS
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