OK, OK, I admit it. I’ve complained enough about dark skies and short days. There are upsides to the long December nights, though. Dark communities have ways of overcoming those somber times with beautiful, light-filled traditions. On my last dark bicycle commute home from my office at the Hague one December Tuesday, I arrived in Delft to find all its stately buildings on the Oude Delft street lit up in a rainbow of colors.
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| Rainbow lights along the Oude Delft street. |
After dinner, we all ventured out to find a huge street
festival with music, food, crafts, and more lights everywhere we turned. This wasn’t like a Hanover festival, where
all activities take place on the Green with a single venue for music or other
entertainment. Even in Delft, a city of
under 100,000 people, this festival had the scale of something much
bigger. Every time we turned a corner we
came upon another stage. Modern music?
Check. Choral groups? Check. Traditional English carols? Check. A Gospel choir in the Old Church? It all was
there. Ice skating on one of the town
squares? Also possible. Bonfires along the canal? This was precariously but beautifully
executed. And snow in this rainy,
moderate climate? Magically, yes. We
were covered with snow showers as we walked through the streets enjoying the
season. As much as we all were longing
to return home, I felt a pang of nostalgia for Delft, before we even packed a
bag.
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| Look at the snow on the caps of those carolers! |
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| We weren't the only ones enjoying this seasonal treat. The streets were packed! |
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