After arriving at the Mystic Waterfall we all shared a pomegranate given to Tao by a monk at the start of our pilgrimage. I'm not certain of its symbolism in Tibetan culture, but I know that the Greeks served pomegranates as offerings to the spirits of the dead and to honor the compassionate nature of the god Dionysus. Given that we had traveled 7000 miles to build memorial shrines for our ancestors, hang prayer flags for the health of our families, and to bathe in the waters blessed by a compassionate god, I couldn't think of a better symbolic gesture than to eat a pomegranate, except maybe to have toasted with a pomegranate martini. I wonder how shaojiu would work as a mixer. Next time I vow to find out.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Pomegranates in Greece
After arriving at the Mystic Waterfall we all shared a pomegranate given to Tao by a monk at the start of our pilgrimage. I'm not certain of its symbolism in Tibetan culture, but I know that the Greeks served pomegranates as offerings to the spirits of the dead and to honor the compassionate nature of the god Dionysus. Given that we had traveled 7000 miles to build memorial shrines for our ancestors, hang prayer flags for the health of our families, and to bathe in the waters blessed by a compassionate god, I couldn't think of a better symbolic gesture than to eat a pomegranate, except maybe to have toasted with a pomegranate martini. I wonder how shaojiu would work as a mixer. Next time I vow to find out.
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