Cultural Event Paper Essay

This paper is to discuss my experience on a trip to Orlando, what I saw and what value those experience had for me as an expression of 21st century culture in this country. Some connections discovered between the event and different topics we have been reviewing on this course will also be discussed. Cultural Event As a great fan of visual arts of any kinds with special interest in sculpture and figurative art painting, I visited a place called â€Å"Holy Land Experience† in Orlando, Florida because of what I’ve heard about the place, how they showcase ancient Jewish architectural designs, ancient history of Jerusalem and key biblical histories. It was meant to be a vacation trip with the intention of giving the family a treat; however the visit to this Christian theme park ended up being educational for me more than it was a thrill for the family. Beautiful buildings bringing to life ancient Jewish architectural designs, what with all the workers dressed in traditional Jewish attire even men wearing gowns and covering their heads with scarves exactly as described in some of the books read in the past on Jewish cultures. With their long beards, those men made the place looks almost like a modern day bible story land and getting to the Jerusalem street market, we had an opportunity to travel back in time to an ancient land that is 2000 years old and thousands of miles away from United States. Passion dramas and live religious shows emphasizes the rich Jewish ancient culture of Passover, that is the eight-day festival celebrated in the early spring from the 15th to the 22nd day in the Hebrew month of Nissan. This festival is to celebrate the deliverance of Jewish people from Egypt after many years of slavery. Local foods from traditional Seder favorites like brisket and matzoh ball soup to kosher-for-Passover, yeast-less cookies and brownies were all displayed during the live shows, to again make visitors experience nearly as real as possible. They also have a scriptorium museum; center for Christian Antiquities where some defaced historical items are kept for display. Among these antiquities found in this scriptorium museum are parts of the remains of Noah’s ark. It is just an imitation of the real but constructed in such a way to make it look as real as it can be. Despite we are in the 21st century, most people in this country still connect or relate with one religious value or the other. So as a Christian, who has never been to Israel to see firsthand these historical sites, the art impressions at â€Å"Holy Land Experience† reenact biblical histories. Some of the histories like the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ who is the founding figure of Christian faith and other histories that surround him as recounted in the bible and other literatures I’ve read in the past are more real after visiting this site. I discover that since I have visited the â€Å"Holy Land Experience† my connection with Christian faith has been stronger than ever and now the image of those historical sites visited lingers in my memory. We now also take communion at home on a regular basis in remembrance of how Jesus Christ broke the bread which symbolizes his body and share the wine which symbolizes his blood with his disciples before his crucifixion. Conclusion Relating this experience with ideas and themes we’ve been talking about on this course, I can conclude that though Christianity has evolved in many ways, there are still a lot of similarities in the Christian cultural patterns and traditions when compared with the early days.