Seara de 25 februarie a fost o seara dedicata lumii basmelor japoneze, lume in care am incercat sa ne strecuram si noi. Am aranjat, astfel, un decor deosebit, de basm japonez, basmele fiind inspirate in general de viata cotidiana rurala veche, simpla a japonezilor de rand. Din decorul nostru au facut parte un paravan shoji, un lampadar si tatami, un decor cat mai simplu, asa cum se gaseste si in casa traditionala japonza.
Tot in spirit japonez, dra Minodora Buta si-a facut aparitia intr-un frumos kimono japonez, pentru a intregi decorul nostru prin prezenta sa.
Cu toate lucrurile pregatite, am fost gata sa intram in lumea de basm. Am inceput prin a ne prezenta pentru a ne cunoaste mai bine, ca de obicei, iar apoi am inceput discutiile prin a provoca participantii sa isi exprime cunostintele deja avute despre basmele japoneze.
Cativa participanti au dovedit ca acest subiect le este destul de cunoscut, exemplificand cu cateva basme japoneze cunoscute de ei.
Dupa ce participantii au povestit basmele cunoscute, am continuat prin a citi cateva basme japoneze, cu suport vizual in imagini. Am citit Momotaro, Urashima-taro si Omusubi Kororin. Dra Minodora a citit mai intai povestea lui Momotaro, baiatul nascut dintr-o piersica gasita, devenit o mare bucurie pentru doi batrani care nu reusisera sa aiba copii toata viata. Acesta, odata crescut mare, a plecat de acasa intr-o calatorie pentru a se razbuna pe niste oni, spirite rele, care hartuiau satele din jur, distrugand si furand bunuri. Pe drum acesta a intalnit trei animale care l-au urmat in calatoria sa: un caine, o maimuta si o pasare, care la randul lor fusesera hartuite de catre oni. In final, acestia au invins oni si s-au intors in sat cu toate bunurile furate de catre oni.
Dupa cateva concluzii si dupa ce am vizionat si varianta animata a povestii, am trecut la al doilea basm, Urashima-taro, putin mai trist. Acesta povesteste despre un pescar simplu care a salvat o broasca testoasa de niste copii, pentru ca mai apoi sa fie dus intr-o vizita de trei zile intr-un regat pe fundul marii de catre o printesa aparuta din adancuri. Dupa trei zile acestuia i s-a facut dor de casa si s-a intors pe tarm, primind la despartire o cutie pe care nu avea voie sa o deschida cu nici un pret. Cand a ajuns acasa, a gasit totul schimbat si a aflat de la un batran ca trecusera 300 de ani de cand plecase el. Atunci s-a simtit singur in acea lume si a dorit sa se intoarca la printesa, in mare. In speranta ca deschizand cutia va gasi calea spre aceasta, acesta o deschise. Spre surprinderea sa, insa, inauntru era prins chiar timpul care trecuse peste el, astfel ca acesta imbatrani imediat.
Cea de-a treia poveste vorbea despre doua familii de batrani, una saraca si buna la suflet si alta saraca si zgarcita. Intr-o zi barbatul din familia saraca si buna la suflet, plecat fiind la munca, isi scapa o minge de orez, omusubi, parte din merindea sa pe acea zi, intr-o gaura de soareci. Acesta auzi un cantec iesind din gaura si incantat de acest lucru isi arunca si ultima minge de orez, dupa care pe nesimtite fuse atras si el in gaura unde se rostogoli precum o minge. Drept rasplata pentru orez, acesta primi de la soriceii care locuiau inauntru o masa si drept cadou o lada cu mai multe monede de aur. Intors acasa bucuros mosul impartasi si vecinilor, familia saraca si zgarcita, de cele intamplate. Auzind acestea baba cea zgarcita, dupa ce pregati o gramada de mingi de orez, omusubi, il trimise pe barbat ei sa faca acelasi lucru. Acesta merse si gasind gaura cu pricina rostogoli un sac de mingi de orez, si pe nesimtite fuse si acesta atras inauntru in gaura. Aici fusese invitat la masa ca si celalalt mos, timp in care avea loc si dansul de preparare a galustelor de orez, mochi. Neinteresat mosul cel zgarcit cauta aurul pentru a il fura. Soarecii insa stinsera lumina si incepura sa il muste. Ajuns acasa, acesta isi pierdu orice dorinta de bogatie si avere.
Aceste trei basme au fost folosite pentru a exemplifica basmul japonez si pentru a creea o atmosfera de basm. Daca Momotaro, primul basm, a fost putin cunoscut, celelalte doua nu au fost cunoscute deloc. A fost interesant de observat cum unele aspecte ale acestor basme se regasesc si la noi, si in alte basme din jurul lumii.
In final am avut ultimele discutii si seara s-a incheiat cu obisnuitul timp de discutii, poze si de prajituri, in aceeasi atmosfera de basm.
***********English Version Bellow:***********
25th February’s evening was dedicated to the world of Japanese legends, a world we also tried to sneak into. We prepared a special fairytale setup in a Japanese traditional style since Japanese legends are usually inspired from old rural life. The decorations consisted in a shoji panel, a traditional floor lantern and tatami mats, a simple decoration, close to what you would find in a Japanese traditional house. In the same Japanese spirit, Ms. Minodora Buta made her appearance in a beautiful kimono, to make the decoration even more effective with her presence.
With all the setup prepared, we were ready to begin our incursion into the Japanese legendary world. We started by introducing ourselves in order to know each other better. Afterwards, we started the discussions on the subject by asking the participants to tell what they knew about Japanese legends. Some of the participants proved that the subject was not totally foreign for them and even gave some examples of Japanese legends.
We went on reading a few Japanese legends, namely Momotaro, Urashima-taro and Omusubi Kororin. Ms. Minodora read the legend of Momotaro first, the boy who was born from a peach, a gift for an old family who couldn’t have children thus far. The boy grew up and went into a journey to get revenge for the evil the oni, bad spirits, had done to the surrounding villages, destroying and stealing from the people. On his way to the oni hideout, Momotaro made friends with a dog, a monkey and a bird, who followed him into his quest. In the end, they defeated the oni and returned home taking with them the goods that the oni stole from the villages.
After drawing a few conclusions and after watching the animated version of the legend, we went on to the second legend, Urashima Taro, a rather sad story which talks about a fisherman who saved a turtle from some children that were playing and beating her. In exchange he was invited by a princess to visit a castle at the bottom of the sea. After three days he started to miss his home and wanted to go back. He did so, receiving a box which he was told to never open. When he returned home, he found everything changed and that 300 years had passed since he left. He started to feel lonely in that new world and wanted to return to the princess, however he didn’t know of any mean to do so. He tried to find a way by opening the box, but all that he found inside was the time that had passed, which turned him instantly into an old man.
The third legend talked about two families of old people, one poor and kind and another one poor and greedy. One day, the man from the poor and kind family went to work on the field and accidentally dropped one of his rice balls into a mice hole, which was part of his food for that work day. He heard a song coming out of the hole so he threw his second and last rice ball into the hole, and then unaware he was drawn inside, too. As a reward for the rice balls, he was invited to eat and then he received a box with several golden coins from the mice living in the hole. Upon returning home, the greedy family heard about what happened and decided to send the man to get money from the mice as well. The man went and rolled inside a bunch of rice balls and then went inside the hole, too, looking for the place the mice kept the gold. After finding the gold, he tried to steal it, but the lights went off in the hole and he got bit repeatedly by the mice. He returned home with nothing, also losing his will to get rich.
These three legends were used to give examples of Japanese legends. If Momotaro, the first one, had little been known by the participants, the other two had not been known at all. It was interesting to observe how some aspects of the legends can also be found in our literature, as well as in universal literature.
In the end we had time for final remarks and discussions and the evening ended with the usual time of pictures and cookies.
