In the movie, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, human society is invaded and replaced without that human society realising. Nicole Kidman wore a very bad wig and ten kilos of botox in an excruciatingly bad remake of the 1970s classic last year. Sydney at the moment is dealing with its own type of invasion. Instead of carrying pods and throwing up all over you, they are carrying ipods and orange fluorescent backpacks singing random songs of halleluiah at you. Yes World Youth Day has landed it's big fat papal arse on the emerald city.
World Youth Day is an international convention of young Catholics organised by the Catholic Church. It occurs every four years and is kind of like a Catholic Woodstock…….except there are no drugs, no sex and no alcohol…..so really it's more stock, less wood. I have no idea how long the concept has been going but this year it is Sydney's turn to host the event. It is actually the biggest convention ever to come to Australia…even bigger than the Olympics in 2000.
The Pope touched down on Sunday and since then an estimated two hundred and fifty thousand "pilgrims" have followed. Consequently Sydney has been turned into some sort of Las Vegas styled Catholic World. Suddenly the streets are awash with peddlers selling Glow in the Dark Virgin Maries, Flying Jesus's and Stick on Stigmata. It is impossible to catch a train, buy a bottle of milk or tend one's garden without a pilgrim popping their head up and singing a ditty about Jesus. And that's the thing. These pilgrims cannot seem to stop singing. I'm wondering if somebody is spiking their holy water. They all think they are the Van Trapp Family singers continually bursting into song in public locales. The city streets and offices are full of the echoes of hymms from my Catholic youth. Sitting in my office I continually feel like I am in Church and find myself accidentally genuflecting every so often.
So yeah being brought up a stiff upper lip "don't clap your hands" Catholic, I'm finding the evangelocal Jesus rocks attitude a little nauseating. Having said that though, there is a great atmosphere in the city at the moment. After gym last night I went for a walk around the city and Darling Harbour. There was a fantastic vibe with people having an awesome time. Earlier in the evening there had been a mass to over 150 thousand people (how many barrels of holy wine would you need for that) at Barangaroo: Sydney's former wharf otherwise known as the Hungry Mile. This mass was then followed by a rock concert. The aerial pics looked amazing. It certainly has been a great introduction to Barangaroo as a public space particularly a concert area.
It was all good, until my journey home on the train which was pilgrimmed wall to wall. As per usual, they did not stop singing. Hymn after hymn of waiting for the lord, saying hello to the lord, saying goodbye to the lord and wondering where the lord has gone. No wonder Jesus sacrificed himself…he did it to get some peace and quiet.
World Youth Day is an international convention of young Catholics organised by the Catholic Church. It occurs every four years and is kind of like a Catholic Woodstock…….except there are no drugs, no sex and no alcohol…..so really it's more stock, less wood. I have no idea how long the concept has been going but this year it is Sydney's turn to host the event. It is actually the biggest convention ever to come to Australia…even bigger than the Olympics in 2000.
The Pope touched down on Sunday and since then an estimated two hundred and fifty thousand "pilgrims" have followed. Consequently Sydney has been turned into some sort of Las Vegas styled Catholic World. Suddenly the streets are awash with peddlers selling Glow in the Dark Virgin Maries, Flying Jesus's and Stick on Stigmata. It is impossible to catch a train, buy a bottle of milk or tend one's garden without a pilgrim popping their head up and singing a ditty about Jesus. And that's the thing. These pilgrims cannot seem to stop singing. I'm wondering if somebody is spiking their holy water. They all think they are the Van Trapp Family singers continually bursting into song in public locales. The city streets and offices are full of the echoes of hymms from my Catholic youth. Sitting in my office I continually feel like I am in Church and find myself accidentally genuflecting every so often.
So yeah being brought up a stiff upper lip "don't clap your hands" Catholic, I'm finding the evangelocal Jesus rocks attitude a little nauseating. Having said that though, there is a great atmosphere in the city at the moment. After gym last night I went for a walk around the city and Darling Harbour. There was a fantastic vibe with people having an awesome time. Earlier in the evening there had been a mass to over 150 thousand people (how many barrels of holy wine would you need for that) at Barangaroo: Sydney's former wharf otherwise known as the Hungry Mile. This mass was then followed by a rock concert. The aerial pics looked amazing. It certainly has been a great introduction to Barangaroo as a public space particularly a concert area.
It was all good, until my journey home on the train which was pilgrimmed wall to wall. As per usual, they did not stop singing. Hymn after hymn of waiting for the lord, saying hello to the lord, saying goodbye to the lord and wondering where the lord has gone. No wonder Jesus sacrificed himself…he did it to get some peace and quiet.
C
5 comments:
As someone who both lives and works in the northern end of the CBD, I have been dreading the arrival of this event. It promised all the fun of APEC minus the fences, and we know what a joy that turned out to be.
But even my hard, cynical shell has been cracked a little by the sheer enthusiasm of the pilgrims. However I also wish they would shut up just once in a while...
Nevertheless I lunged at the opportunity today to escape the Catholic theme park Sydney has become, and will be watching it all from the peace and quiet of the Central Coast... I hope you will find some solace from the event too!
Look on the bright side, since you were raised Catholic, you know all the songs they're singing. So in case you wanted to join in one day, you'll know the verses. ;-)
I ventured to Chinatown this morning and at 9.15am the Church in George Street Haymarket was overflowing with what sounded like a rock concert underway inside.
My train trip home resembled a singalong scene from The Singing Nun
Well, I had my own little bit of peace and quiet...3000 kms away in warm FNQ! Back this arvo (Sat) just in time for the BIG ONE at Randwick - not that I'm going of course! LOL
I have to say it has been an exhausting day. Here I was up the crack of dawn, mutton dressed as lamb and off to Royal Randwick in my sunday best, with a goon of sherry disguised as cherry cola, cause those pilgrims have drank our fair city dry of all the good red wine....what a floor show that pope put on, and I have to say it was fitting that the pope and his clergy of backing dancers decided on Randwick, after all its the only place they can legally ride a 3 year old...good nite and god bless, and please let our city of Sydney return to the sins it is famous for....Miss Cath Lick
Post a Comment