How Du's Grandma Turned Into a Weasel
A Christmas Tale
After Jesus was born, three Magi came from the east. The star went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. And having been warned in a dream not to go to king Herod, they returned to their country.
My Chinese friend Du considers France a Catholic country. I argue otherwise. It is Christmas Eve, and we are walking through the center of Lille. I propose stepping into the Gothic cathedral. Inside this impressive church, designed to hold 7,000 people, we see a small gathering of about forty, mostly Africans, listening to the performance of an African choir. The music is beautiful, and the architecture is breathtaking, but it does not matter. I feel the dark, freezing emptiness. And that’s Christmas Eve, the day when the church should be full. Whenever I step into a church in France, one word comes to mind: grave.
But Du does not feel what I do. Her perspective is refreshing. She enjoys the music but finds the entire concept of a church foreign. “Where I come from, we do not have religion,” she says. I urge her to tell me more, and she gives this intriguing response:
“We do not have God. If you are in trouble, sometimes an animal can help you. But it wants something in return.
When my grandmother was young, she was in trouble. A weasel came to her in a dream and said: ‘I know how to help you. Give me half of your life, and I will get you out of trouble.’
You must understand that this happens often. If you say no, the animal will come again and again. It may take a long time until either the animal gives up or the human gives in.
My grandmother said yes. The weasel entered her and took half of her personality. Afterward, my grandma became known as a wise woman. She could successfully heal children who were almost dead. She would also know how to find things no one else could locate. For instance, if you lost a cow in the mountains, you would come to her. The weasel-woman would demand a gift. It could be something small and insignificant, but you had to offer it. Only then would the weasel tell you where the cow was.
During these events, her voice would change, and she would not accept human food. Instead, she ate animal food. Afterward, she would wake up with no recollection of what had happened or what she had said.
When my grandma died, we found the dead body of a weasel under her deathbed.”
This captivating story, from a country of no religion, told on Christmas Eve, gave me much to ponder.
The weasel appearing in a dream.
The wise woman, demanding a gift, then guiding villagers to find a lost object.
The three wise men, the Persian magi traditionally trained in dream interpretation. Guided in their dreams, they carry three gifts.
The freezing winter night, broken by the light of the star: the link between the earthly and the divine.
The dark silence of an enormous, empty church—broken by twenty brave voices and a djembe, announcing the Gospel, the "good news": the coming of a small baby.
The wise woman, bringing the half-dead baby back to life.
I’ll leave you with this. Merry Christmas.
Post Scriptum
We are raising money to purchase this second-hand military ambulance for the 67th brigade of the armed forces of Ukraine. The cost is only Eur 4800 and it can save many lifes. Here is the link for English fundraising page (Eur) and Polish fundraising page (PLN). Pay in 1 minute with debit card, google pay, apple pay.
The action is organized by all-female grassroots nonprofit group from Opole, Poland. I personally know and trust the organisers, led by Ola Czarnecka, very experienced nonprofit worker who understands the situation in great depth and remains in constant direct contact with those on the frontline.
