White and Red

We were in the car with my friend Mrs. Wang and her daughter Angelina, heading to a park to play. In the CD player was a disc of Western classical music. Gounod's Ave Maria came on, and Myles recognized it, but wasn't sure what it was.

"It's the Ave Maria," I told him. "The Hail Mary in Latin."  I then added for Mrs. Wang's benefit the Chinese title, "Wanfu Maliya"


I reminded Myles that he had heard my sister Kate sing it at Maeve's funeral, and then my sister Megan sing it at Kate's wedding. At this, Mrs. Wang asked for clarification, because she wasn't sure she heard me correctly. How could a song be appropriate for both a funeral and a wedding. In China, she said, these are often two different things. Funerals are白事, white events, and weddings are 红事, red events. I explained to her briefly how the Ave Maria was a prayer for our most vulnerable times, whether they be mournful or joyful.

At Easter Vigil I was reminded of her statement about the difference between 白事 and 红事 when I saw the newly baptized after Mass. They had been clothed in white as part of the Rite, as is the Catholic Church's tradition, and each also had a red flower pinned to the tunic. I've blogged before about Liturgical colors and Chinese cultural colors, particularly white. Last Saturday Night I saw them, with their white tunics and red flowers. Catholic Baptism, simultaneously 白事 and 红事. Congratulations, I thought, on choosing your way to live and your way to die.