Holidays. Some of the special days here in PNG are the same that I grew up celebrating, such as Christmas and Easter, though they may be observed in different ways. Thanksgiving and July 4th are 100% American and therefore not recognized by the general population in PNG. They are, however, celebrated by the American community! (Good thing I now know how to make a pumpkin pie). We made a point to observe Cinco de Mayo, but that was mostly just an excuse to have Mexican food. There are some new ones to experience as well. There was some sort of holiday a couple of months ago and the clinic was closed for two days. I never did figure out what that was all about! Sometime later in the year we will celebrate PNG independence.
Today is a new one for me: (observation of) the Queen's birthday. Having once been governed by Great Britain, PNG is one of the members of the commonwealth. Thus the holiday. In England, her special day is celebrated on June 2 which is the anniversary of her coronation. Our neighboring Australia observes the 2nd Monday in June, which is probably why we are celebrating here today. Her Majesty's actual birthday is April 21st. Wow, that is a lot of partying.
So how would you celebrate the Queen's birthday? (All suggestions welcome.) Most of the country just enjoys a day off. Becky and I celebrated with lots of laughs and all things "British": homemade English muffin and a spot of tea to the music of the London Symphony Orchestra.
Happy birthday, your Majesty!
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
~ 1 Peter 2:9
Too bad you can't have horse races in the mountainous terrain of PNG. The queen is quite the equestrian and a tremendous fan of horse racing; and coincidentally, this past weekend was the running of Belmont Stakes. Maybe you could just race some pack animals, as I'm sure they would be more sure-footed than slick-shod horses! I'm sure that tea wasn't sweetened ice tea, huh? Here in the South that's what Her Majesty would get, along with some pulled pork barbecue, corn on the cob and homemade banana pudding. And we'll let her play a game of horseshoes. God Save the Queen!...and all of us. :-)
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