Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Friday, December 22, 2017

Carpe Diem Weekend-Meditation #12 Christmas Troiku


!! Open for your submissions next Sunday December 24th at 7:00 PM (CET) !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's almost Christmas and we are entering the weekend before Christmas so it's time for a new weekend-meditation and as you maybe remember recently the Facebook-page My Haiku Pond Academy and Carpe Diem Haiku Kai organized a Troiku contest. This contest was built around a haiku by Jane Reichhold:

golden shade
under the redwoods
evergreen violets

© Jane Reichhold

There were mre than 30 contestants and earlier this week the administrator of My Haiku Pond Academy and I finished the judging. I have read wonderful Troiku in that contest and that made me proud. I couldn't have dreamed that Troiku, my invention, would be the theme for a contest.

peaceful Christmas
 For this weekend I love to challenge you to create Troiku. I will give you a few haiku to use for the Troiku (more about Troiku you can find in the menu above). I have chosen a classical haiku, a haiku by Jane Reichhold and one by myself. I have tried to use a theme for these haiku ... and ... no surprise I think ... that theme is Christmas (wintertime).

winter solitude –
in a world of one color
the sound of wind

© Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)

Christmas bells
pouring excitement
into the air

© Jane Reichhold (1937-2016)

Christmas bells
silent night
snow falls softly on the graveyard
the Savior is born

© Chèvrefeuille

Three nice haiku to work with I think. You may use them all or just one or two ... that's up to you. I am looking forward to your responses ... your wonderful Troiku.

This weekend-meditation is open for your submissions next Sunday December 24th at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until December 31st at noon (CET). Have a wonderful weekend, full of inspiration and the joy of Christmastime.


Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Christmas Stockings now available


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's my pleasure to give you our new exclusive CDHK E-book "Christmas Stockings", especially created as a gift for you for Christmas. I hope you will enjoy the read and that you will read it not only now, but also after Christmas.

You can find this special CDHK Christmas-gift at issuu.com through the following app:

Monday, December 18, 2017

Carpe Diem Extra December 18th 2017 Last Call For Submissions


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As you all know I am busy with creating a special CDHK E-book for the holidays. "Christmas Stockings" is getting its form already, but there is still room for a few contributions. So this is the Last Call For Submissions for this special E-book.
I appreciate all your work and there will not be any kind of selection, except this one: the submissions have 'holidays' as theme and that means Christmas, New Year and all that has to do with it.

You can still submit your Japanese poetry until December 19th 10:00 PM (CET). Please send your contribution, your submissions to our e-mail-address: carpediemhaikukai@gmail.com  Please write "holidays e-book" in the subject-line.

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host.

Carpe Diem Seven Days Before Christmas 2017 #2 everlasting love


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

We are counting down to Christmas  and today I love to speak about "everlasting love". What does it mean? Everlasting love isn't that a wonderful love? In my opinion Christmas is about everlasting love. As I read the Christmas story about the birth of Jesus Christ than it's the start of a love story. God decides to save the world, His wonderful Creation. He looked at the world and He saw what His Creation has become. He sees who people are at war with each other, He sees how religions collide with each other ... only for the truth they all think they speak about.

Everlasting love isn't exclusively for believers in any kind of God, Allah, Spirit or what name you will give it. Love is, in my opinion, sacred energy. Without love we cannot survive ... than humankind will die ... We need to be loved, to be respected, to be trusted, to be .....

everlasting love ...
the waterwillow and the brook
living together

© Chèvrefeuille

Maybe you can remember this haiku. I recently published it in one of our episodes. This haiku, maybe not my best, shows you how I see everlasting love. The Waterwillow can not live without the brook and the brook can not live without the Waterwillow. Let us go a bit deeper in this idea. I think this "earth-water" connection is similar with living together as humans. Living next to each other notwithstanding our religion or spiritual philosophy is the same thing. We can not live without our neighbors, we need them. In a way this is a kind of everlasting love too.

Everlasting love ... God send His Son to live with all earths inhabitants ... Jesus taught us how to live with each other. He taught us to love our neighbor like ourselves. Everlasting love is really everlasting ... it's a love for eternity and we can see that around us. In this time of year we try to bring out that love again.

Everlasting Love

Take your time to find that everlasting love ... I believe that you will find it just around the corner or in your home ... look up to the ceiling ... yes there it is the mistletoe ... and you all know what that means.

everlasting love
like a river flows onwards
uncertain of its goal
rising from the depths of the pond
lotus flowers

© Chèvrefeuille

It wasn't easy to create this episode, because I believe in everlasting unconditional love, but I had some trouble with finding balance in this episode. I think ... it has become a very nice post.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until December 25th at noon (CET).


Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Carpe Diem Extra #43 Carpe Diem Kamishibai Kurisumasu


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

In this time of year, the time of family fun and celebrations, Christmas ... In our family we have a custom to tell our children stories with the feeling of Christmas and that custom brought me the idea to bring a special Kamishibai episode.
Kamishibai is the title of one of our CD features in which the goal is to write a haibun. That's were this special CD-Extra is about. I love to challenge you all to write a story, a haibun, that fits the time of year, Christmas. This extra special feature I have called "Carpe Diem Kamishibai Kurisumasu". (Kurisumasu is the Japanese word for Christmas). The goal is to write a haibun fitting the time of year in which you may use a maximum of 250 words. You can choose your own "prompt/theme" but it must have to do with this time of year.
To make it a greater challenge I will grant one of the contestants who submit a Kurisumasu-haibun the possibility to write an epsiode of Tokubetsudesu in January 2016. She/he may choose her/his own theme and may challenge our haiku family members to respond on it.

This Kamishibai Kurisumasu challenge is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 24th at noon (CET). Have fun!

By the way: don't forget to submit your haiku (a maximum of three) for our WINTER kukai. You can submit haiku for this kukai until December 23rd 10.00 PM (CET) to our emailaddress:

carpediemhaikukai@gmail.com

Don't forget to write "winter-kukai" in the subject-line.


Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Carpe Diem Seven Days to Christmas #6, New Born King


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

We are counting down to Christmas, and I realized myself that I am writing our episode for Christmasday, so I have mis-counted myself, but ... well ... no problem ... I just write a new episode of this temporarely feature. This day I have chosen for the story of Christmas, not the story about Mr. Scrooge (in my opinion one of the best Christmas' stories), but that real story from the Holy Scripture as described in the New Testament in the book of the Evangelist Luke chapter 2 verses 4 to 20 (NIV).

The Birth of Jesus (Luke 2: 4-20; NIV)

4 Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
 
Credits: Angels appearing to the sheperds
Isn't it a great story? In a way I always become a bit emotional as I read this wonderful story ... just that feeling of the sheperds ... brings tears into my eyes. Those man, the lowest of the lowest, were granted the joy of being the first to hear that Jesus Christ the Saviour was born in a stable laid in a manger. I only can say... rejoice ... Jesus Christ is born.

laid in a manger
our saviour and new born king -
real Christmas


© Chèvrefeuille

I wish you all a wonderful, magical and mysterious Christmas ...

This episode of Seven Days to Christmas is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 25th 7.00 AM (CET).




Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Carpe Diem Seven Days to Christmas #5, Angels


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

We are counting down to Christmas and today I have chosen for angels. In the wonderful Christmas story there is a big role for the angels ... they are telling Mary that she will have a baby and in the story they (the angels) are telling the sheperds that their King is born ... In a lot of Christmas Carols there are angels and of course there are angels-decorations to make the tree beautiful and your home.


Credits: Chrisas Angel

listen, listen
do you hear that sweet fragile song?
a choir of angels

© Chèvrefeuille

What a nice haiku (how immodest), but I like this one a lot. I hope that this episode of our Countdown to Christmas will inspire you all.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 24th at 7.00 AM (CET). Have fun!

Monday, December 22, 2014

Carpe Diem Time Glass #15, Christmastime



Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It is time for a new Time Glass episode our special feature in which the time to respond is limited to 18 Hours ... and what a great prompt I have for you this time ... I have found a gorgeous photo to inspire you all. For this episode I stay close to the time of year ... Christmastime ...

I just had to ... Christmas is the biggest celebration of the year and we are all in Christmas joy ... I even have changed our background temporarely ...
Here is the image you have to use for your inspiration next to our prompt 'Christmastime'  ... have fun ... be inspired and remember you have only 18 hours to respond.

Credits

This episode is open for your submissions at 7.00 PM (CET) and will close in 18 hours December 23rd at 1.00 PM (CET)  ....


Carpe Diem's Seven Days to Christmas #4 shooting stars


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Carpe Diem is counting down to Christmas with haiku and today we have our 4th episode of that countdown. This time I have chosen for shooting stars, because Christmas started with the Star of Bethlehem and Christmas is a time of good wishes ... so shooting stars are in my opinion a great prompt for our Christmas Countdown ... if you see a shooting star than you can do a wish ... that's the legend told of course ...

I love to share a haiku which I published on one of the Wordpress weblogs of Carpe Diem Haiku Family for a prompt of the Shadows meme:

thousand shooting stars
nothing to wish for anymore -
it’s raining silver


© Chèvrefeuille

Credits: Star of Bethlehem

This episode of our Christmas Countdown is open for your submissions at noon (CET) and will remain open until December 23rd at noon (CET). We are almost there ... Christmas is coming closer ...

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Carpe Diem's Seven Days to Christmas" #3, candles


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

We are counting down to Christmas with haiku here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. And candles and Christmas are belonging together .... so today we will have candles for prompt. Candles are bringing light, warmth, joy, peace and romance. I can see myself in front of the fireplace on a deerskin, a nice glass of Gluhwein, candlelight, sweet music on the background and the one I love close to me ... sharing her love and warmth with me. Outside snow is falling and gardenlights burning .... at the other side of the street ... the doors of the church are open and awaiting the people to celebrate Christmas ...

As I was preparing this episode a haiku by Buson came to mind, but I had to change it a bit to fit Christmas, but here is the original first:

Lighting one candle
with another candle--
spring evening

© Buson

This one could be easily be for Easter, but we have Christmas within a few days so I have adjusted it to this time of year:

lighting one candle
with another candle -
Christmas Eve

© Chèvrefeuille

Credits: Christmas Candles
Christmas is coming closer and I am looking forward to what it will bring us all .... Just enjoy Christmas and remember the true meaning of it ....

This episode of our Christmas Countdown is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open for just 24 hours, so you can respond until December 22nd at 7.00 PM (CET). Have fun!


Saturday, December 20, 2014

Carpe Diem's Seven Days to Christmas #2 Christmas decorations


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

We are counting down to Christmas with haiku ... and today I love to talk about 'Christmas decorations' ... The most of you will have Christmas decorations all over their house inside and outside I think ... I have only decorated the inside of our house. Of course I have a Christmastree. This year with only white, silver and gold decorations ... My house feels warm and cosy and everywhere in the living room we have candles, twinkling lights and guirlandes of pine tree ... Softly sounds Christmas music ... ah, this time is wonderful and full of romance. The only thing we haven't yet is snow .... well we stay on dreaming of a White Christmas.



snowflakes falling
the world becomes a wonderland
I wake up

© Chèvrefeuille

I stil keep on dreaming about a White Christmas ... maybe it will be happening once again ... that would make Christmas even more beautiful ...

This episode is now open for your submissions and will remain open until December 21st at 7.00 PM (CET). Be inspired ...


Friday, December 19, 2014

Carpe Diem's 'Seven days to Christmas' #1 mistletoe



Dear Haijin, visítors and travelers,

As I told you in our yesterday's Sparkling Stars I will post the next days an extra episode to count down until Christmas ... today is our second extra post for Christmas. Christmas is (in my opinion) the most beautiful time of the year and I think it's great to count down.
This CD Christmas count down will last until Christmas Eve, because that's to me the ultimate day of Christmas. For this extra episodes I will share prompts which have to do with Christmas and you have 24 hours to respond on these episodes. Next Monday there will not be a Timé Glass episode, because these extra X-mas episodes are a kind of Time Glass challenges.

Today I love to ask you to respond with an all new haiku on mistletoe ...

there she stood
laughing her wonderful smile
"kiss me quick"

© Chėvrefeuille



I like that mistletoo tradition ... to me that's what's Christmas about ... peace and love ... sharing the light of the Newbirn King with eachother and the world.

Let there be peace and love spreading around the globe. No differences between races, no differences between rich and poor. We are all the same ... loving and caring people ... that's Christmas.

This extra Carpe Diem Christmas episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 20th 4.00 PM (CET). So you have just 24 hours to respond. Have a great Christmas!


Thursday, December 18, 2014

Carpe Diem Sparkling Stars #15, " Christmas Stockings"


!! I am a bit late with this episode of Carpe Diem Sparkling Stars, my excuses for that !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It is time for another bi-weekly episode of our special feature Sparkling Stars in which I share "masterpieces" "sparkling stars" written by classic and modern haiku poets for your inspiration. It's somewhat similar with our Carpe Diem Specials in which I share a haiku by our featured haiku poet for your inspiration.

In this episode of Sparkling Stars I have a nice haiku to share for your inspiration written for this time of year, several years ago.

Christmas stockings
hanging above the fireplace
awaiting presents


© Chèvrefeuille


The goal of this special feature is to write a haiku (or tanka) inspired on the one given, this time a haiku by myself, trying to catch the same mood ... it's not neccessary to use the classical syllables count.
Well ... we are on our way to Christmas. I like this time of year and maybe I will write every day an extra episode with Christmas as theme. For now .... just have fun .... and have jolly good Christmas time.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 25th at noon (CET).

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Carpe Diem #620, Christmas Carols


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

In this time of year, the season of holidays, on ever corner of the street you can hear Christmas Carols, so today our prompt is Christmas Carols. I love Christmas Carols and if possible I even listen to those carols in mid-summer. Their message of peace is not only for Christmas-time, but also for the whole year I think.
As you all know we have all prompts extracted from Jane Reichhold's Saijiki and she gives the following examples for this prompt:

in the old folks' home
practicing Christmas carols
children again

howling sea winds
Christmas carols
sung by the local choir



Today is the second Advent sunday and during this time we are on our way to Christmas, to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Christmas carolers
praising their Saviour and King -
rejoice Christ is born

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until December 9th at noon (CET). I will publish our next episode, first light, later on. For now ... have fun!