# Christmas traditions



## libertylover

On christmas how do different countries and parts of the world celebrate???


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## Silvia

In Italy we usually have family gatherings, like for thanksgiving in the US. We exchange presents, have Christmas trees and other decorations, and we have a tradition about cribs, a sort of miniature reconstruction of Bethlem and surroundings. Sometimes you can hear bagpipers play, that's a typical instrument for Christmas time here. We eat special sweets, too.


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## lauranazario

libertylover said:
			
		

> On christmas how do different countries and parts of the world celebrate???



In Puerto Rico, we also have family gatherings where lots of food and merriment are part of the equation. We enjoy typical holiday dishes (roast leg of pork, rice and pigeon peas, pork liver stew, among other yummies) and beverages (spiked coconut nog/punch) and we put up lots of decorations, including colored outdoor lights. Most PR homes have splendid Christmas trees (real or fake), and there is a local tradition that is somewhat 'similar' to the US caroling.... except that we call them _parrandas_ and they are surprise visits very late at night intended to wake up home residents, who will then open their doors and greet singers, offering them all kinds of holiday snacks.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!


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## Mr X

In Australia we have family get-togethers, and there are often lots of people. For Christmas lunch we have meat and salad and food like that, but all the food is cold, because it's often very hot on Christmas day. (So we have lots of cold meat and salads, and of course beer and punch etc. etc.) Everyone gives presents and there are often lots of lollies and chocolates.
Because it's summer, our Christmas holidays are very long. (The school holidays can be about two months long.) Lots of people go away to the beach or camping on the Christmas holidays, but generally on Christmas day everyone goes and visits their relatives.
Of course, other people in Australia might do different things, but that's my experiences of Christmas.

Mr X.


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## LizBlack

*I* know that even with in my country (USA) the way we celebrate Christmas is highly unique to each family; but there tends to be overarching themes for us. We always get a Christmas tree, it's decorated and the parents, usually the mother, helps the children make Christmas cookies to then eat and enjoy throughout the holiday. Then on Christmas eve they leave some of those cookies out for Santa and in the morning the children rush downstairs to find all their gifts. 

In my own family, Christmas eve we always went to midnight mass, and when we returned home we opened one gift (usually matching pjs) and then the next morning we were always told to wait to open the rest of the gifts until after breakfast; before hand we were only allowed to open our stockings that had been on the fireplace.

Then after all said and done with the gifts, we had a big afternoon meal, usually consisting of ham or turkey with all sorts of dressings and potatoes and such. 

How do people from other countries celebrate? Does it tend to be this same sort of thing? I know that some places Christmas Eve is more when the festivities happen, in comparison.


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## sokol

I think that your way of celebrating christmas is only typical for the English speaking countries, basically - of course with further differences between England, US, Australia and so on.

However, I will only describe proceedings as they do happen here in Austria:

- Christmas Eve: this here in Austria is 'half' a working day (it's a holiday after twelve o'clock), and presents always are presented on the late afternoon (with smaller children) or early evening; the 'proper' Christmas Day here really is already Christmas Eve; after that it's Christmas dinner; and if you're religious, you go to mass afterwards (the so-called _Mette_, hold at midnight traditionally, but nowadays there often is one much earlier so that parents can go with their smaller children too)

- Christmas Day and Boxing Day (the latter being called here Stephanitag, a Catholic holiday): these are the days when relatives visit and present _their _presents to the children of relatives if they do have any special relationship to them (like having been godparents); only relatives living next door might even visit already on Christmas Eve

As for other customs:
- nowadays, mostly there's a Christmas tree, in former times Chrismas *cribs *were very common, some have both (and hardly anyone has no christmas tree and neither a crib)
- the presents are *not *brought by Santa but rather by the _Christkind _(which would be the same as _el nino_ in some - or all? - countries of Amerigo del Sur)
- typical Christmas dinner differs from region to region, and according to social class too; in my family it was _Bratwürstl _(a kind of sausage, although they taste nothing like English sausages), which is more a rural lower class dinner, others do have roast goose or carp
- there are loads of cookies to go with, especially if you have children; cookies were made weeks in advance in my family when I was young (in order to have enough supplies)

Of course there are differences here in Austria; this only describes what a family Christmas traditionally would look like.
Younger generation kids, on Christmas Eve, would go out on Christmas fairs and drink some Punsch and Glühwein; presentation of presents nevertheless here too would happen on Christmas Eve (except for friends you only meet the days afterwards).
And then of course many couples without children and singles nowadays like to spend Christmas abroad in warmer countries or here in Austria in the Alps. Even some families do that.


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## Lingvisten

People in Denmark often have different views on christmas, or "Jul" as we call it (the christian word christmas/kristmesse never quite caught on in Scandinavia). They tend to view the traditions of their childhood home as eternal, without the idea of it ever being different. In fact the christmas celebration has chanced dramatically in the last 100 years or so. Without getting into detailed explanations of every tradition and its origin, I will try to give you a hint of the average Danish christmas.

The main festivities take place on the 24 of december (a normal tradition in Denmark is to have celebration the evening before the actual holiday). People go to mass either before noon or at midnight (the only time of the year the churches are full). In the evening people have dinner with their family (including grandparents, oncles, aunts and such). afterwards they join hands around the christmas tree and sing special psalms while walking around the tree. Afterwards the presents are opened and coffee & sweats are served. People enjoy the company of their relatives until midnight mass or until they go to bed.

The christmas meal:
The most common meat eaten on this day is roasted pork with a crisp skin (the pork dates back to heathen times, where the largest pig would be sacrificed to Frey, the god of fertility). Other animals eaten on this evening could be duck or goose (newer tradition), some people (especially in southern Jutland) also eats sausage. To go with the meat, we eat two kinds of potatoes (boiled, and some roasted with sugar on a frying pan), red cabbage, and lots of thick brown gravy. The dessert is normally ris a' la mande (a danish invention with a french sounding name, which consists of rice porridge, whipped cream and chopped almonds), in the ris a' la mande we put a hole almond, and the one who finds it, wins a price (the dessert and the almond-price is a rather new invention, not more than hundred years old).

All through the christmas season people gather at christmas lunches (I have one tommorow at the university), where they eat till they'll get sick and drink their brains out in "snaps" (a vodka like alcohol) and of course strong christmas beer. people also drink a lot of "gløg", which is warm red wine with chopped almonds and raisins.

The Santa Claus figure is very popular in Denmark, due to heavy American influence. The tradition of giving out presents has been popular in the broad population only for about a hundred years or so (this of course is also connected with the poverty among the masses before WWI). The still living traditions, which are very old, are the eating of the pork and the heavy drinking. Danish folklore contains a lot of supersticions and ancient rituals connected with christmas, that I don't want to waste your time by naming, but if interested in the subject, it's worth mentioning.

I hope this discription wasn't to long.
Merry christmas everyone


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## luis masci

Here in Argentina it’s also a half working day for most people (unless you are a shopping employee, in that case you will be overtime work).
Santa Claus has definitively displaced to el “Niño Dios”, bringing the gifts that here are opened immediately after midnight. Of course we have a tree too.
The religious aspect is taken aside for most people. The most important issue is food for adults and firecrackers for children.
For good or for bad this custom is here strongly attached with this celebration.
Christmas Eve at midnight is the “great moment”, every year there are a lot of children wounded, houses burned, missing pets (scared by the loud noises) and other calamities like these, as a direct consequence of this habit.


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## avok

libertylover said:


> On christmas how do different countries and parts of the world celebrate???


 
Here, in this part of the world we don't celebrate Christmas.


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## Pteppic

Norwegians have a lot in common with Danes, and Christmas celebrations are no different. We also celebrate on the 24th, which is also one of the very few times when Norwegian churches are full (most go the service before noon, I think - I've only ever been once). We also gather uncles, aunts and any relative we can possibly stand, who lives within an hour's drive (or sometimes more). 

Roasted pork is the most common dish for Christmas dinner, although in Western Norway, Pinnekjøtt (boiled mutton ribs) is the norm, and people also eat lutefisk (fish prepared with lye - I kid you not) and regular cod. The main dish is usually accompanied by (almond) potatoes and red cabbage or sauerkraut. Sausages and meatballs made from pork forcemeat is also common. Everything is served with gravy or fat from the roasting pan, and of course beer and akevitt (like the Danish snaps). The rice porridge-and-whipped-cream desert is popular here, too, although we find our almond (sometimes skinned, so it's more difficult to find) in the porridge itself - in my family we have the porridge in the early afternoon of Christmas Eve, before the other guests arrive around five pm. Traditionalists out in the country also put out a bowl of porridge for their nisse (a kind of domestic mythological creature that helps take care of the farm), who normally lives in the barn - sort of like leaving out cookies for Santa Clause. Norwegian children don't do the cookie thing, because we celebrate on Christmas Eve.

After dinner, everyone assembles in front of the tree for the gift distributing - in families that includes children small enough to believe in Santa Clause ("Julenissen"), the process is started by one of the grown-ups ringing the door bell in a Santa costume, complete with a sack filled with some of the gifts that would otherwise be under the tree. This is then followed by the same holding of hands around the Christmas tree and singing of Christmas carols that the Danes do, and then comes coffee (avec) and christmas cookies, of which there should traditionally be 7 kinds.

Christmas Day usually involves a smorgasbord (in other words continuous eating and drinking). After that, people usually take a rest on Boxing day (when everything is still closed) or hold various other parties for family and friends who couldn't make it on other days. This continues more or less until New Year's Eve. In older days it was customary for children to dress up and walk from door to door asking for candy in this period (not unlike the American trick or treat tradition on Halloween).


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## dafne.ne

In Catalonia we use to work and at 10 pm we go to the church for a special mass called "Missa del Gall" (Cock Mass). Then we eat some sweets at the same church and come back home. At the following day, we open the gifts and have special family lunch.Weeat "Sopa de galets i carn d'olla" (very good soup with big pasta) and "Pollastre amb prunes i pinyons" (Chicken with plums and pine nuts). We also eat the tipycal sweets and drink our fantastic "Cava" (excellent champagne from Catalonia). 

We use to put all Xmas. decoration  on 13th. December (Santa Llúsia), such as  the Christmas tree  and   the miniature reconstruction of Nativity scene.

At the following day, we continue on holydays, have another special lunch, etc.

Conclussion: we eat too much!.


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## dudasd

Orthodox Christmas in Serbia essentially looks like this: it's celebrated according to Julian calendar (on January 7th) but the celebration actually starts the day before, and it's a family event (nobody goes to other people's homes). For January 6th people prepare lenten food (no dairy, eggs or meat products). In the evening, the head of the family brings a big oak branch into the home ("badnjak") and others wish him hapiness. In old times it was a big log or even a trunk that was put into the fire to burn slowly, during the dinner. The hostess spreads straw all over the floor, puts a tablecloth over it and serves the dinner on the floor. The point is in as many different kinds of food and sweets as possible, because they symbolize wealth. Before the dinner, mother of the family will feign a hen: she will go around the "table" three times, cackling, and children will follow her cheeping. (Father is out of this story.) Then she will take four big nuts and throw each of them to a different corner (starting from the east, in the pattern of cross). After that, the father will light a candle, everybody will say prayers and the whole family will sit down to eat. In some parts, women still prepare special bannocks with a pattern of a ploughed field, and small oxes and plow made of dough. Pigeons, books and some other symbols made of dough can be present.

On the very Christmas day, family - or at least one member - will usually go to the church (but not always, because there are many non-religious people who celebrate Christmas because of tradition). After the mass, the family will wait "polaženik" (or "polažajnik") - "visitor" - who is the main figure. In earlier times it was usually a beggar or just a passer-by, nowadays people chose their "polaženik" and call him/her earlier. Polaženik must be treated with all the honours. He gets presents (food and always something woollen), together with the special bread made like a plaited round girland with crossed ends. Polaženik takes one oak branch and pokes the fire (a similar effect can be achieved with an electric range  ) and says: "As many sparks, so much money; so much happiness, so much health..." etc. After he leaves the home, the family will light a candle and sit to dine. After the prayers, everyone will get one piece of a special bannock which is full of surprises (a coin - money; a fruit of cornel - health; a bean - sheep; a piece of the treshold - the home will rely on him; a piece of yoke - that one will work much that year, etc.). Red wine is obligatory. Afternoon or in the evening, closer friend and relatives may visit each others to wish merry Christmas.

Of course, there are many other customs that can vary from area to area. But the accent is actually more on some pagan traditions, sanctioned by Church, rather than on classical Christian ceremony.


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## anthodocheio

Well, there are lots of things to say, I’ll just make a try.

Here in Greece we are orthodox as in Serbia, but we have the same calendar as in the rest of the Christian countries. That means that TOMORROW IS CHRISTMAS!! 

Here the Christmas mass is not the previous day in the afternoon. It's on December 25, really very early in the morning. 5 o’clock am! So that makes it hard on it’s own.. 

Anyway, my family and I we do go to the church (not from the beginning.. hmm) and then we eat a very special, really rich breakfast with meat and wine. (Have in mind that we are actually fasting before.) Actually, this is a two-family tradition. I don’t know what happens out there...
The Christmas meal is at noon/afternoon (around 2 pm for example. Here always this is the main meal of the day..). This one is for family. The more we are, the better. Grandparents, uncles.. 
 
Christmas Eve is half working day, here too. (I also was working today, on 23 I mean. Although is Sunday, due to Christmas becomes working day...)

For students and teachers, Christmas Eve is the first day of Christmas vacations which last 12 days or two weeks (This has always confused me...). 
On this day we don’t celebrate. We prepare everything for the following day. You know.. Clean the house, cook all special dishes...
The most typical thing of this day, are the carols.. On “Eves” (Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, etc.) we have the carols. Children, normally, go from door to door, asking the owners “May we say them?” (the carols) and then they give them some money (at least), or some money and something sweet...

Hmm.. And that’s all for now, because here is three o'clock and I will not be able to get up in the morning to hear them singing.

Cheers!


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## Brioche

Mr X said:


> In Australia we have family get-togethers, and there are often lots of people. For Christmas lunch we have meat and salad and food like that, but all the food is cold, because it's often very hot on Christmas day. (So we have lots of cold meat and salads, and of course beer and punch etc. etc.) Everyone gives presents and there are often lots of lollies and chocolates.
> Because it's summer, our Christmas holidays are very long. (The school holidays can be about two months long.) Lots of people go away to the beach or camping on the Christmas holidays, but generally on Christmas day everyone goes and visits their relatives.
> Of course, other people in Australia might do different things, but that's my experiences of Christmas.
> 
> Mr X.



Well, _some _Australians have cold food for Christmas, and _others_ have hot foods.

On Christmas Day I'll be eating hot, roast meat, hot, roast potatoes, and other hot vegetables. Later I'll have some hot Christmas pudding. However, the mince pies will be cold!

We will pull Christmas Crackers, read the silly jokes in them, and put on the paper crowns.


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## avok

anthodocheio said:


> Well, there are lots of things to say, I’ll just make a try.
> 
> Here in Greece we are orthodox as in Serbia, but we have the same calendar as in the rest of the Christian countries. That means that TOMORROW IS CHRISTMAS!!


 
What? Hmmm correct me but why do I think that the Greek (?) Orthodox Christmas is on the 10th of January? (or 6th )  I am confused


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## cherine

avok said:


> What? Hmmm correct me but why do I think that the Greek (?) Orthodox Christmas is on the 10th of January? (or 6th )  I am confused


I guess you're confusing the Greek Orthodox with the Coptic (Egyptian) Orthodox. Coptic Orthodox Christmas is on January 7th.
So, in Egypt, only Catholics -who are not so many- will be celebrating Christmas tomorrow.

As for their tradition, I'm afraid I don't know much about it. All I know is that there's big mass at the Church on Christmas Eve, then big meals "compensating" the long fasting


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## Chazzwozzer

avok said:


> Here, in this part of the world we don't celebrate Christmas.


For non-Christian Turks, the (mis)concept of Christmas is inextricably intertwined with New Year's Eve celebrations. From this point of view, we _kind of _celebrate Christmas. It's just that it's not on the 25th December, but on the 31st and customs normally associated with Christmas find a completely secular translation.

Surprisingly, a number of Turks don't even know the difference between _Yıl Başı_ (New Year's Day) and _Noel _(Christmas). If you ask Joe Blow what he'll be doing for _Noel_, he'll probably tell you about his plans for _Yıl Başı_, which is also a bit puzzling as he calls, like almost all the people around here, December 31 _Yıl Başı_, which is actually January 1st.

On December 31 in Western Turkey, Christmas trees and traditional Christmas decorations are put up, Jingle Bells is heard, phenomenon of Santa Claus is almost everywhere and Christmas-themed films are on TV.

On December 25, well, only some Christian communities are in the hustle and bustle of holiday activities. Turkish president and the PM deliver Christmas messages for Christian citizens. That's pretty much all about that.



avok said:


> What? Hmmm correct me but why do I think that the Greek (?) Orthodox Christmas is on the 10th of January? (or 6th )  I am confused


January 6 is the day when the followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is probably the largest Christian community in Turkey, celebrate Christmas.


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## toolmanUF

Chazzwozzer,

Thank you so much for clarifying that! I am trying to learn Turkish, and I have had several Turkish friends tell me that "yil basi" is how you say Christmas in Turkish. I try to correct them, but of course it is not in my place for me with my 3 months of beginning Turkish to find fault in their Turkish! However, I couldn't understand why they all seemed to associate Christmas with New Years!


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## L'irlandais

toolmanUF said:


> Chazzwozzer,
> 
> Thank you so much for clarifying that! I am trying to learn Turkish, and I have had several Turkish friends tell me that "yil basi" is how you say Christmas in Turkish. I try to correct them, but of course it is not in my place for me with my 3 months of beginning Turkish to find fault in their Turkish! However, I couldn't understand why they all seemed to associate Christmas with New Years!


Hi there,
Perhaps because it's a Muslem country and they don't share the Christian tradition of Christmas.
(I'm guessing, so maybe you'd best ask them for clarification.)

By the way, *Happy Christmas everybody !*


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## Chazzwozzer

L'irlandais said:


> Hi there,
> Perhaps because it's a Muslem country and they don't share the Christian tradition of Christmas.
> (I'm guessing, so maybe you'd best ask them for clarification.)


I don't think it's correct to label a country where secularism is considered to be a 'sacred' concept by many as Muslim, which explains why all secular Christmas traditions can be observed on December 31 in Turkey.


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## L'irlandais

Chazzwozzer said:


> I don't think it's correct to label a country where secularism is considered to be a 'sacred' concept by many as Muslim, which explains why all secular Christmas traditions can be observed on December 31 in Turkey.


Good Evening Chazzwozzer,
Turkey is/remains a predominantly Muslim country.  France, where I live, also claims to be secular; however it remains a predominately Catholic country.  It is important to call it such, in a Cultural Discussion, so as to avoid confusion.

It explains why *toolmanUF*'s friends didn't make the distinction; and as you say yourself why many Turks -





> don't even know the difference between Yıl Başı (New Year's Day) and Noel (Christmas).


  That is, because they are more than likely not Christians, so for them it's all the same.


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## Chazzwozzer

L'irlandais said:


> Good Evening Chazzwozzer,
> Turkey is/remains a predominantly Muslim country.  France, where I live, also claims to be secular; however it remains a predominately Catholic country.  It is important to call it such, in a Cultural Discussion, so as to avoid confusion.
> 
> It explains why *toolmanUF*'s friends didn't make the distinction; and as you say yourself why many Turks -  That is, because they are more than likely not Christians, so for them it's all the same.


Right, but isn't a bit weird to have all the Christmas decorations, some Christmas songs and those Christmas trees on December 31 in a predominantly Muslim country? I might be wrong, but I think it has something to do with secularism. Is there any other country like Turkey so that we can compare the so-called 'Christmas traditions'?


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## cherine

Chazzwozzer said:


> Right, but isn't a bit weird to have all the Christmas decorations, some Christmas songs and those Christmas trees on December 31 in a predominantly Muslim country? I might be wrong, but I think it has something to do with secularism. Is there any other country like Turkey so that we can compare the so-called 'Christmas traditions'?


It's not weird to have Christmas decorations on December 31 in a country with no Christian majority but which is influenced by Western customs 
Egypt is not a secular state, and most Christians in Egypt (those following the Coptic Church) celebrate Christmas in January, not in December. But on December 31, you'll see decorated Christmas trees, people buying gifts, many children waiting for the gift of Baba Noel (Papa Noël) -or Santa- and national tv broadcasting Christmas movies 
This might look like a very ignorant people, but the truth is that the coincidence of the two celebrations (Christmas and New Year) make people associate between them, specially that -as I said before- Christmas is not celebrated in December.


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## alexacohen

Hi,
I think that many Christmas traditions aren't Christmas traditions at all, but merchandising.
In Spain Santa Claus, or Papá Noel, or even the Christmas tree, were foreing traditions, unknown till last century.
Here we had the miniature reproduction of the Bethlehem village, more or less complete with the virgin Mary, her husband and her son, a mule and an ox, little shepherds, little angels displaying "Hallelujah", rivers made with chocolate wrappings and the three wise men on their camels travelling through a desert made from sand or sawdust.
On a corner stood king Herod's castle, with Roman soldiers at its door.
The three wise men kept "walking" till they reached the cardboard box where Jesus family, the ox and the mule stood, on 5th January.

That night, children had to go to bed early, leaving one shoe each under a window or in front of the fireplace, so the three wise men could leave their presents beside each shoe.
There was a family dinner on the 24th December, Christmas Eve; another one, but less formal, on the 31st December, which usually lasted well into the early hours of the next year, and maybe lunch on the 6th January, with excited children holding for dear life what was left from their toys.
Now we have Christmas trees, Papá Noel, Santa Claus, San Nicolás, and the traditional Christmas sweets (turrón, marzipan, dried figs and dates) have been substituted in many cases for panettone, cookies, brownies.

No wonder people gets confused.


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## avok

I guess many Christmas traditions are pagan (?) in origin but Saint Nicholas was born in Patara, Antalya now in modern Turkey and lived his life in Myra/Demre in Antalya.


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## alexacohen

avok said:


> I guess many Christmas traditions are pagan (?) in origin


No one can know for sure when Jesus Christ was born. 
The date was set to coincide with the winter's solstice. There was already a celebration in Roman times around that date (Sol Invictis), and a Celtic one (Yule).
So yes, many of the traditional ways of celebrating Christmas were originally pagan (fir tree, mistletoe). 
And this is as far off-topic as I will go.


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## ireney

A side note: while in Greece, because of the many movies and whatnot coming from the West of Greece presents have started being given at Christmas, the tradition says that St. Basil brings them on New Year's day really. Perhaps this helps explain some of the confusion around the East Med what with the Orthodox Church being more prominent there than the Catholic one. Perhaps I am just shooting at male cows here though.


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## chics

dafne.ne said:


> In Catalonia, the 24th, we use to work and at 10 pm we go to the church for a special mass called "Missa del Gall" (Cock Mess). Then we eat some sweets at the same church and come back home. At the following day, the 25th, we open the gifts and have special family lunch. We eat "Sopa de galets i carn d'olla" (very good soup with big pasta) and "Pollastre amb prunes i pinyons" (Chicken with plums and pine nuts). We also eat the tipycal sweets and drink our fantastic "Cava" (excellent champagne from Catalonia).
> 
> We use to put all Xmas. decoration on 13th. December (Santa Llúsia), such as the Christmas tree and the miniature reconstruction of Nativity scene.
> 
> At the following day, we continue on holydays, have another special lunch, etc.
> 
> Conclussion: we eat too much!.


Also:

Two weeks before Christmas, we have "Christmas dinners" with all of our groups of friends, mates from work, from the gym, etc. at someone's home or at restaurants. We usually do an "invisible friend", a very little gift of about one euro to a friend, but he doesn't know who did it.

The 24th, after _la misa del gall_ young people go out with their family and friends. 
The 25th, in Barcelona, everyone to dare it cross Barcelona's port swimming.
The 26th is Saint Esteve's day, and we have another big familiar meal, we eat_ canelons_ made with leftovers of _carn d'olla_. Usually we spend one day (25th or 26th) with the family of our mother, her parents and grandparents, coussins, etc. and the other with our father's. We can make forty hundred kilometres in a car, after one big meal to be with the others next day.

All of these days we eat typical sweets (_turrons, neules_, etc.) and drink _cava_.

We also have the _tió_: it used to be a log that we went to take from the forest and we burned on Christmas day, but now we put him a tipical Catalan hat and a coat, we draw a funny face on it and we feed it since Santa Llúcia's Day. On Christmas day, children hit him singing a tradicional song and he defecates sweets for them.

We always put a "Christmas Star" on the tree -if we put a tree, of course, not everybody does- that in fact has the appearence of a comet. We go in family to the forest to take natural cork, moss, fine gravel, etc. to our Nativity. There, there's always a figure of a man hided (that children must to find) who's defecating and the three wise men who advance one "step" everyday to arrive to the child the 6th of January.

We have a lot of Christmas songs, tales and legends. These days we do Nativities in all villages with real alife people and we visit them. There are Nativities of figures also in every villages and districs of cities. We go to see a typical theatre play called _Els Pastorets_ (The little shepherds). 

The 28th is the Day of Jokes, children have permission of making jokes without being punished for it, it usually it to change sugar and salt, to stick a coin on the floor... but the "top ten" is a kind of war of _llufas_, consisting in stick a _llufa_ on the back of people. Newspapers have always an invented new this day.

The 31th is the jour we search the _Man of Noses_ in the street. We have a big dinner and we wait to exactly 00:00 to eat twelve white grapes, drink cava and telephone everybody to congratulate the New Year. After we go home by home to pick up our friends and go out still next morning. We have chocolate and churros for breakfast... and the 1st January there's often another big familiar lunch!

The 5th January, in the morning, the Three Wise Men arrive (in Barcelona it's always from the see, or the air!) and visit all the mayors of towns and villages, they give them a special key which opens all the doors of the town. In the afternoon they make a beautiful parade and they throw sweets, some children seized the opportunity to give them personally their letters. After, children put a shoe in their living room in order that the wise men know that they live there and to put their gifts next to it.

The 6th we open the gifts and we still have a big familiar lunch. As a dessert we always eat a typical cake that has a broad bean inside for the person who will pay it and a figure for the king or queen, who will have a royal crown.

Conclussion: We eat too much!!!


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## Grefsen

Silvia said:


> In Italy we usually have family gatherings, like for thanksgiving in the US. We exchange presents, have Christmas trees and other decorations, and we have a tradition about cribs, a sort of miniature reconstruction of Bethlem and surroundings. Sometimes you can hear bagpipers play, that's a typical instrument for Christmas time here. We eat special sweets, too.


* Grazie *for your post about Christmas in Italy.   

When do you usually have your family gatherings?  is it on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or perhaps both days?


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## Sepia

I don't really have any objection to December 31 as Christmas - because that was not Jesus' birthday either. 

But the Celtic and Germanic parts of Europe already had a celebration around the 24th that had to be covered up with a Christian holiday. (I wonder if anyone here knows why it is the 24 and not the 22 which would be more logical).

But the Scandinavians kept a few other non-Christian elements in their Christmas celebrations - funny that none of the "real" Scandinavians mentioned that. Actually a very important part of the Christmas decorations in Scandinavian houses are the little guys with the funny Santa-Claus caps - the "nisser". They originally have nothing to do with Santa Claus at all except in modern days they obviously buy their clothes in the same store. The "nisser" belong to the same cathegory of beings like the fairies, house spirits and other things of the other world - highly pre-Christian stuff. They are little guys who will do everything they can to annoy you, if you are not nice to them and let them have their part of the Christmas menu. And so, people decorate their houses, and even the Christmas tree - which by the way also have its name from the pre-Christian celebration "Joula" - in modern Danish "Jul" - with "nisser" made out of paper.

How they made their way into Scandinavian Christmas tradition is a different and probably highly political story that we should leave to be discussed in a different thread.


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## anthodocheio

Here is a little something (on-topic) for those who speak Spanish.

Happy new year's eve!


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## Evros

Chazzwozzer said:


> For non-Christian Turks, the (mis)concept of Christmas is inextricably intertwined with New Year's Eve celebrations. From this point of view, we _kind of _celebrate Christmas. It's just that it's not on the 25th December, but on the 31st and customs normally associated with Christmas find a completely secular translation.
> 
> Surprisingly, a number of Turks don't even know the difference between _Yıl Başı_ (New Year's Day) and _Noel _(Christmas). If you ask Joe Blow what he'll be doing for _Noel_, he'll probably tell you about his plans for _Yıl Başı_, which is also a bit puzzling as he calls, like almost all the people around here, December 31 _Yıl Başı_, which is actually January 1st.
> 
> On December 31 in Western Turkey, Christmas trees and traditional Christmas decorations are put up, Jingle Bells is heard, phenomenon of Santa Claus is almost everywhere and Christmas-themed films are on TV.
> 
> On December 25, well, only some Christian communities are in the hustle and bustle of holiday activities. Turkish president and the PM deliver Christmas messages for Christian citizens. That's pretty much all about that.
> 
> 
> January 6 is the day when the followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is probably the largest Christian community in Turkey, celebrate Christmas.


 
very good explanation.couldnt be better.i appreciate

to celebrate new year,i also see that its like christmas traditions..

and some people here says merry christmas(mutlu noeller) on new years eve,so thats pretty funny


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## kuleshov

Do people in English speaking countries put up cribs at home at Christmas?

In Spain it is a tradition, and people buy new crib figurines every year.

Cheers


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## K-Milla

In Mexico we celebrate Christmas in a "religious" way. I mean, we kept the things that the Catholic priest told us to do but not thinking of them as the big celebration of Jesus' birth.

Dec 16th - 23th = "posada". It's like a party, lots of food, candies/sweeties, "ponche" [hot punch], "piñata" and the representation of Maria and Jose looking for a place to stay the night.

Dec 24th Dinner with your family and friends. Lots of food.
Dec 25th You have a day off [work-school] and you eat the food that remain [recalentado]. If you live in a place where "Santa Claus" exists/arrives, you must have a present for you next to the tree.

The presents and the decoration are quite similar as in other countries.


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## L'irlandais

kuleshov said:


> Do people in English speaking countries put up cribs at home at Christmas?
> 
> In Spain it is a tradition, and people buy new crib figurines every year.
> 
> Cheers


Hello,
In both Ireland and the UK we traditionally have a crib, though not one with new figurines each year.  Often the crib is made by the children.  My daughter and I hope to add some more figures to our crib next year - some shepherds and sheep might be nice.

In the east of France, in the "Northern Vosges" region, they make traditional blown galsss Christmas balls to decorate their Christmas trees.  Up until 1858 they used to decorate their trees with fruits.  However following a drought in that year they had no fruit so to avoid disappointing the children one glassworker made some immitation fruit by blowing glass balls.  Today it's a profitable bussiness, check out *this link *to their website.





alexacohen said:


> ...The date was set to coincide with the winter's solstice. There was already a celebration in Roman times around that date (Sol Invictis), and a Celtic one (Yule).
> So yes, many of the traditional ways of celebrating Christmas were originally pagan (fir tree, mistletoe)...


In the UK a Yuletide log is still burned in the fireplace, in some houses anyway.  (Smokefree zoning put a damper on that tradition)
While here in Alsace  a rich-cake in the form of a Yule-log is served at the end of the meal.  It can be brought to the table in style, by sprinkling it with eau-de-vie and flambé-ing it.  We share too a German tradition of Christmas markets, selling crafts, mulled wine, christmas beer, a varity of Christmas biscuits - called Bredele.  Also a sort of heavy bread made with dried fruit and spices (and a light coating of icing sugar) called Cristsolle is eaten on the 28 of December, in memory of the Holy Innocents massacred in Bethlehem by Herod.

I'm suprised nobody mentioned Advent calendars, Advent crowns, hanging up Christmas stockings (or slippers in German countries), nor the Christmas rose.


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## Cheesee = Madness

LizBlack said:


> *I* know that even with in my country (USA) the way we celebrate Christmas is highly unique to each family; but there tends to be overarching themes for us. We always get a Christmas tree, it's decorated and the parents, usually the mother, helps the children make Christmas cookies to then eat and enjoy throughout the holiday. Then on Christmas eve they leave some of those cookies out for Santa and in the morning the children rush downstairs to find all their gifts.
> 
> In my own family, Christmas eve we always went to midnight mass, and when we returned home we opened one gift (usually matching pjs) and then the next morning we were always told to wait to open the rest of the gifts until after breakfast; before hand we were only allowed to open our stockings that had been on the fireplace.
> 
> Then after all said and done with the gifts, we had a big afternoon meal, usually consisting of ham or turkey with all sorts of dressings and potatoes and such.


It Canada it is much the same (I'm generalising here), but in my family there are two major (and probably not that unique) traditions. We all have traditional toasts to eachother with LARGE amounts of egg-nog, and we also, every year without fail, get our cats presents.


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## kuleshov

Hi guys,

You know, I'm supposed to give a presentation on how people celebrate Xmas in Jamaica. I know, I know, there is one million webpages on it, but, what do Jamaican have to say about it?


Help


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## CoLd_GirL

En Chile...según lo que yo observo...
es usual reunirse con la familia, cenar lo que esté al alcance del dinero(y depende de cada familia también), comer pan de pascua(panettone), beber "cola de mono"(aguardiente con leche y mmmm creo que café…en realidad no se que más tiene).
Además en algunas familias se suele ir a comprar ropa nueva para Navidad y Año Nuevo (por lo menos en la mía fue una tradición por años, además muy consumista)... y bueno se engaña a los niños de cualquier forma y ya pasadas las 12 de la noche se abren los regalos que aparecen mágicamente debajo del árbol de navidad.. 
 
Algunas personas suelen ir a la misa del gallo antes de cenar ya que la hacen en varios horarios en las iglesias...
 
En cuanto a la decoración los árboles navideños son casi siempre falsos (plásticos) ya que por ejemplo en algunas partes de Chile está prohibido talar pinos (obviamente eso no quiere decir que algunas personas de igual forma no comercialicen pinos naturales)...y en cuanto a las luces...hace algunos años en algunos barrios se hacen casi competencias para ver quien adorna sus casas con mas luces y pesebres, Ángeles, etc...
 
El lado solidario lo podemos ver reflejado en que por ej. algunos jóvenes(y adultos y niños) que quieren darle a la Navidad otro sentido usualmente salen a las calles para darle algo de alegría a los indigentes, dándoles comida o simplemente escuchándolos...No estoy segura si será tradición pero hace algunos años Correos de Chile filtra las cartas de los niños que envían sus deseos de regalos al viejito pascuero(así se dice acá al menos ^^) y la gente que quiere darle alguna felicidad a estos niños(que generalmente son de escasos recursos) va y lee las cartas para ver si pueden hacer esos regalos... algunos deseos son por ejemplo "empleo para el papá", "una cena"...etc...y obviamente darle esa alegría a un niño... creo que es mas gratificante que recibir muchos regalos...
 
PD: lo siento si no lo escribí en Ingles…no creo que es una regla escribir en Ingles aquí… o si?


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## Cabeza tuna

Here the crib is a tradition but you put the baby just the 25 of December before is not allowed, most of the families do some family reunions for this season and make a big dinner in the Christmas eve, turkey is the most common thing than the people eat in this holydays is a tradition than I think comes from the thanksgiving day in USA,.
All the kids want gifts and they write letters to Santa than they send so he can give them the presents than they ask for.
 
As cold girl says, when is 24's midnight one of the parents take to the kids outside to look if they can see Santa, the other parents stay at home and put the gifts under the tree, when the kid come back disappointed because he doesn't see to Santa they find the gifts, usually the parents tell to him than when he was outside, Santa comes to the house and leave the presents.
The tree is one of the most important things about Christmas, they are fake ones, are made of plastic, every home has one even a little one with some lights and Christmas decorations, most of the mall and department store put one really big some of that tree are amazing.
 
The adults make present to the people than is more important to they (parents, sons, etc) and if the family is too big they play to the "amigo secreto", you can find a forum about it here.
 
If you want to help you can go to the post office and take one letter than a kid send to Santa and give they presents, most of that kids are poor and is a great thing to do.


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## jinti

Some post offices here do the same thing that Cold_Girl and Cabeza Tuna mentioned: kids (and parents) write to Santa Claus, and then other people pick up those letters from the post office and play Santa anonymously. Sometimes companies or other organizations also do it.

In this country, the tradition started back in the 1920s here in New York, when post office workers wanted to do something for all the kids whose letters to Santa just sat there in the post office. They answered as many of the letters as they could and paid for presents out of their own pockets. Later, they invited members of the community to participate, and now it's a widespread tradition.

Here in New York, between 400,000 and 500,000 letters to Santa are expected this year. Come get your letters! 

As for other Christmas traditions, I am a Conservative Quaker and although we are Christian, we don't really celebrate Christmas. In fact, Quakers used to make a point of keeping their businesses open on Christmas -- business as usual -- as a witness against treating any day as more holy than another, as truth-telling because we don't really know when Jesus was born, and because anyway there isn't any support in the Bible for a Christmas holiday. 

Athough I think many of us have strayed from their strict non-observance, it's still a pretty sedate affair and there's a general abhorrance of commercialism. In general, Conservative Quakers don't have trees or Christmas decorations (though Liberal Quakers are more likely to). Parents might give their kids a present or two, but are also likely to encourage participation in something like the post office tradition so that the kids think of other people, experience the pleasure of doing good without any expectation of thanks or reward, and have less focus on "getting" things. But in general, it's just another day....


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## L'irlandais

Hello jinti,
I can certainly understand where you're coming from ;  the whole Christmas festival has been hijacked / over-commercialised, which is a shame.   On the subject of Santa's letters - 





> _Santa still prefers ordinary snail mail to anything else. And he certainly gets plenty: more than 700,000 letters a year! _ Check out this link for his address where you can write to him  in Finland
> I find is pretty unique.



Here in Alsace, I've just come back from Carol singing at a Christingle service. But you don't need to attend a service to enjoy a Christingle. You can make your own one. They're great for getting the children involved in preparing for Christmas.  (Here's a BBC link about it for those who are interested )  Originally a 14th century Bohemian tradition, the custom has spread in Northern Europe.  It is part of the Christian liturgy for Advent (which is the period leading up to Christmas).


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## Chaska Ñawi

Re jinti's comments:  In Canada we don't distinguish between conservative and liberal Quakers, only between programmed and unprogrammed Meetings.  (Almost all Canadian Meetings are unprogrammed, meaning that we have no pastor and are all equally responsible for ministry and the health of the Meeting.)

Most Canadian Friends do have Christmas trees, presents and visits from Santa, but we tend to emphasize community service over lavish trappings.  Meetings may or not have special gatherings, depending on their size.  In my case, we are such a small presence in our community that we skip the Christmas Meeting - we're all off celebrating with our non-Quaker extended families.  Instead we have a special Meeting and potluck (affectionately known as a Meeting for Eating) on the Sunday before Christmas, complete with carol singing.

Please don't take this as representative of _all _Canadian traditions ... we're a tiny corner of the demographic.


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## rachele

Yo también escribo en castellano, mi inglés es fatal. He notado que la primera tradición navideña en todo el mundo es comer demasiado (si se puede). Aquí en Cerdeña donde vivo se usa celebrar la Nochebuena o la comida del mediodía del día de Navidad, en familia. Hay un refrán que dice "Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi". Se usa también ir a la iglesia todas las tardes nueve días antes de Navidad para asistir a la novena en latín. En las casas de los pueblos se preparan dulces y pan para la Navidad. En las casas en ciudad se preparan árboles cada vez más decorados y sofisticados para lucir frente a los amigos (!!). La nochevieja se celebra o en la plaza si hay conciertos o alguna manifestación organizada por el Ayuntamiento, o en un "veglione" que es una cena bastante cara en un restaurante o en casa con amigos donde cada uno prepara un plato. Buone feste.


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## chango descalzo

My English is far to be the best either. However I’m going to try it in English to be understood for more people here. 
The tradition in Argentina is more or less the same that others have already said concerning to food, familiar and church meetings, etc. But here exists a particular way to celebrate, that I’d like to know if it is sharing with other countries too. I’m talking about fireworks playing. 
I know there are a lot of fireworks everywhere for Christmas; but I’m not referring to “official” fireworks but those managed mostly by children and teenagers. 
Though shops must sell them only to adults, anyway kids get them, manage them and many times injure themselves with this dangerous playing. 
Every years there are reported several accidents. Someone said the success of the Christmas festivity is rated by the numbers of injured (dark humor really  )


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## rachele

Esta mala costumbre la tenemos también en Italia y provoca muchos heridos y  a veces muertos. En el Sur sobre todo.


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## fragile1

In Poland, Christmas Eve known as a day, when people go home. 
We have very many traditions, Christmas tree, with very many things made by children, and they collect them even when they start to be old. Everything begins with the first star, we call it Gwiazdka (little star). We start with opłatek, a thin wafer like in church, and wish each to every some good, nice wishes – it is a very special moment in all families. Than we sit at the table with bits of hay spread beneath the tablecloth and start supper – that evening no meat, and according to tradition with 12 dishes. We sing carols.
First day of Christmas we used to spend with family, farther family. Second day is specially to visiting friends.


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## sifueratica

My non-traditional North American celebration of Christmas will be as follows: an evening of eating quesadillas, cranberry sauce and tequila after volunteering at a local soup kitchen. My friends promised to save me some pupusas and tamales, too 

In my area, most people travel to visit family on Christmas Day, nothing much happens for Nochebuena/Christmas Eve unless they decide to go out to the bars, and for the main meal they cook a turkey, ham or roast something and serve it with stuffing, mashed potatoes and other vegetable sides like on Thanksgiving. Seeing as a lot of people hunt, I wouldn't be surprised to see venison (deer meat) on the table.

People don't have time to fuss with Christmas cards anymore so we get a lot of picture-cards of people's children, or newsletter-type updates of how they're doing, or an email greeting card.

Fruitcakes make the rounds and usually end up as doorstops, people stuff themselves with cookies and brownies and other treats. One of my favorites is marzipan, made from almond paste and powdered sugar, which I have fond memories of shaping into tiny fruit shapes and painting with food coloring when I was small.

Most of my coworkers plan to spend the holidays relaxing in pajamas and watching movies, drinking egg nog or Irish coffee or wine, enjoying the time with their families. I don't have the luxury of vacation time because I just started my new job, but usually employees get at least a few days free and children are out of school for about a fortnight.

I get awfully disillusioned with the holiday rush, stress and consumerism/commercialization, and my father and I tend to give each other small gifts or surprises throughout the year, so we have the tradition of not really buying presents (sometimes we make them, or just give out baked goods) and instead donating to charities that help those in need.


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## Lugubert

Two things are totally necessary in Swedish Yule celebrations:

1) The TV Disney movie medley. No definition of religion would be complete without including it.

2) Food, glorious food. The centre piece always being the mustard-and-breadcrumbs glazed ham. Some people can't survive without the already mentioned lutefisk, which I rank among the ten most abominable foodstuffs globally. To a certain extent, it's compensated by a generous supply of a variety of numbing alcoholic beverages.


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## Martina.M

I would like to know, from those who live or have lived in Jerusalem and the Holy Land (I call it like that because it involves both Palestinian and Israel land), what is Christmas like in that place. 

I've visited it once, and it was shocking to see so many different religions - or even branches of religion - lived in a very explicit way, in only one city. 

In Spain, and I guess in other European countries, religious signs are being eliminated from the streets in Christmas as some think they may offend non believers, or people with different faith. What is it like in Jerusalem?


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## Lugubert

Martina.M said:


> it was shocking to see so many different religions - or even branches of religion - lived in a very explicit way, in only one city.


I don't follow you. In traditionally very Lutheran Sweden, an increasing number of religions celebrate their holidays and make a point of it. Swedish as well as foreign owned shops increasingly display special Eid ul-Fitr (end of Ramadan) ads to attract traditional Muslim traditions of spending on food and new clothes, Iranian and Kurdish Neuroz (their New Year) celebrations are generously covered in the media, and Hindus make a lot of appreciated fuss on Diwali.



> In Spain, and I guess in other European countries, religious signs are being eliminated from the streets in Christmas as some think they may offend non believers, or people with different faith. What is it like in Jerusalem?


In Sweden, the main Yule event is the TV Disney movie cuts cavalcade. Few people would recognize the religious backgrounds of any street shows if present. Our traditional discretely gray clad Yule farm gnome, who brings prezzies to good children or sabotages farms if he won't get his Yule porridge with a generous topping of butter, is worlds different from the fat laughing red American Santa.

Nobody cares about what different believers think of different displays, because only a miniscule minority will know about the significance of what others believe. Nativity scenes may be displayed and appreciated as decoration, but I doubt that many people will have religious thoughts about them.


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## JamesM

I would love to hear more about this "TV Disney movie cuts cavalcade."  As far as I know, nothing like this exists in the U.S.  Is it just small scenes from popular Disney movies.  Is there any theme or is it just a "hit parade"?


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## Martina.M

Lugubert said:


> I don't follow you. In traditionally very Lutheran Sweden, an increasing number of religions celebrate their holidays and make a point of it. Swedish as well as foreign owned shops increasingly display special Eid ul-Fitr (end of Ramadan) ads to attract traditional Muslim traditions of spending on food and new clothes, Iranian and Kurdish Neuroz (their New Year) celebrations are generously covered in the media, and Hindus make a lot of appreciated fuss on Diwali.


 

Lugubert, I think that is great, my personal view is that people who understand what religion is, enjoy knowing and sharing other religions' feasts and traditions. In Spain the government has decided that showing the simbols of one religion will offend people in other religions , so they show none. In the streets in Madrid now you find randomly shaped lights and abstract trees. Conceptual Christmas. At least Disney IS somehow a new tradition for the new generations.

I wanted to know what is it like in Jerusalem, as it is a city defined by religion.


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## federicoft

Grefsen said:


> * Grazie *for your post about Christmas in Italy.
> 
> When do you usually have your family gatherings?  is it on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or perhaps both days?



Yes, on both.
On Christmas Eve people gather for the (very sober and thrifty) Christmas dinner, and on Christmas day for the Christmas luncheon.

And as regards religious signs, they are not being eliminated in this country, and I'm sure nobody sees them as something inherently offensive to people holding other beliefs.


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## Martina.M

I know, Federico, my husband is Italian - I'm actually in Italy right now, eating and drinking as a good adopted Italian girl!
I think the "phobia" for religious signs is more spread in places like Spain or France.


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## Xiroi

Martina.M said:


> In Spain the government has decided that showing the simbols of one religion will offend people in other religions , so they show none. In the streets in Madrid now you find randomly shaped lights and abstract trees. Conceptual Christmas.


We must live in different Madrids I can't see around what you say. What the Government has done is removing religious symbols from public buildings, not the streets, where you'll find as many Baby Jesus as you wish, Not to mention the big parade with the Three Wise Men on the night of the 5th. The randomly shaped lights and abstract trees are simply modern design. We're not Milano yet but we try.

I'm not sure if it's considered exactly a Christmas tradition, but it's still connected to the New Year (Christian New Year, after all) and that's the New Year's Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. 

I don't know anyone who actually sits to watch it, but most people I know have the tv on while the music plays as a relaxing background.

As a kid I played and didn't pay attention to the tv screen but I remember the music clearly. As a teen, it was the music that woke me up after my first "grown up" parties. Later on it was the music that welcomed me home when I arrived after partying all night (and half of the morning) and now it's the music we have breakfast to after a night of celebration (not as long as when we were 20, though). Toast, tea, images of the Austrian countryside, dancers from the Vienna State Opera Ballet and waltz after waltz... as traditional as Christmas sweets. For most people I know it's the same.

After hearing the Radetzky March it really feels it IS the New Year. 

Is it something similar in other European countries? Or having the tv on on New Year's morning is not so common in other places?


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## federicoft

Xiroi said:


> Is it something similar in other European countries? Or having the tv on on New Year's morning is not so common in other places?



Haha! It is broadcasted here as well by state television. January 1st is a perfect day for family and friends gatherings. People congratulating each other, kids playing, youths returning home from parties and having breakfast at 2pm... and An der schönen blauen Donau in the background during all this.

I wouldn't call it a 'tradition', but I know it is a common occurrence in many houses.


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## Ushuaia

Are we the only crazy ones who have the tradition of giving women pink underwear for Christmas that they should use for the first time the following New Year´s Eve? (Or did my Mom just place them carefully wrapped under the tree so that we felt we had gotten more presents?)

I´m of Spanish and Italian descent... now I doubt all of our family traditions!!


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## fragile1

It is not crazy at all! In  colourtheraphy the pink colour is the colour of happiness!
What's a wonderful tradition! A agree!


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## Ushuaia

I like it too, and keep it. I´m not sure it´s strictly a "Christmas tradition"; as I said, that might have been just my Mom, but it´s definitely traditional to wear new, pink underpants for New Year´s Eve in Argentina. You don´t have to believe me: check any lingerie shop window in the country, from mid-November to early January... pink is all over the place.


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## Xiroi

In Spain it's red lingerie and I've heard it's originally an Italian tradition. It's a present but not the knd you put under the Xmas tree. Before New Year's Eve female friends and relatives buy red underwear for each other and you also present you boyfriend/husband with some nice red underwear (something nice and silky) to wear that night. So when you start your New Year's Eve dinner, you  have something red on, even if it's not visible.


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## Lugubert

At the so far relatively healthy age of 65, I still haven't heard of any underwear traditions or practices or connotations linked to any season in Sweden.


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## Ushuaia

Lugubert said:


> At the so far relatively healthy age of 65, I still haven't heard of any underwear traditions or practices or connotations linked to any season in Sweden.



We´re even, Lugubert: I´m "only" 37, but I haven´t heard of any Swedish traditions being carried on in Argentina!

However, we do something that belongs to the northern hemisphere: the whole menu. Being a country with an important history of immigration, it is traditional to eat for Christmas whatever was considered proper in our ancestors´ wintry Spain and Italy, even if it´s 35 degrees (celsius*) in the shadow and just looking at the heavily decorated tree makes one´s blood pressure drop. The fake snow is the only thing that hasn´t melted by the time dinner ends!

*hey, there´s something Swedish! 

Saludos.


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## chics

Martina.M said:


> I think the "phobia" for religious signs is more spread in places like Spain or France.


No, en España no es así. aquí sí hay símbolos "religiosos" ("de navidad", para nosotros) en las calles. En Barcelona, en la plaza del ayuntamiento hay un enorme belén pagado por los ciudadanos y hay muchos otros en la mayoría de escaparates, dentro de un pan en las panaderías, entre las braguitas y los calcetines en las corseterías, sobre una botella de whisky en los bares, etc. Las calles iluminadas suelen tener como motivos la estrella de belén (con la cola), las caras de los reyes magos (eso para recordar que hay que comprar....), los ángeles y las velas y campanas para festejar el nacimiento.

Hay muchos belenes y también bastantes menos árboles en general respecto a las ciudades francesas que he visitado en navidad (no puedo comparar con Italia). 

Pero también hay belenes vivientes en plena calle y otros hechos por asociaciones o vecinos en algunos barrios, se hacen representaciones de los "pastorets" (los pastorcillos), que está inspirada en el nacimiento de jesús, con los pastores, el demonio, etc. en teatros y titellas por aficionados y profesionales, a veces en parques y lugares públicos, y la noche antes de reyes por la mañana estos van a recoger las llaves del ayuntamiento y por la noche hay una enorme cabalgata de los reyes magos a la que asisten todos los niños y que sale en todos los medios de comunicación.

Aquí no crecen muchos abetos naturales entre las casas, ni hay renos ni chimeneas con lo que la religión consumista del señor coca-cola y anti-ecológica de talar árboles y sobrealumbrarlos con electricidad día y noche, aunque se hagan, todavía tienen que competir con las tradiciones locales de base cristiana y pagana.

En España tampoco nos molestan las tradiciones musulmanas, al contrario, en general se respetan y a veces hasta se explican para profanos en los medios nacionales. Por ejemplo, un poco antes de navidad se hicieron reportajes sobre su tradición de matar un cordero y comerlo en familia, y precisamente se comparaba con la navidad que celebramos nosotros.


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## Lugubert

The most common religious symbol seen in Swedish streets (or rather shopwindows) at Yuletide is Santa. In many cases, however, he isn't the fat red clad American guy but the midgety gnarly gray farm gnome.

There will be lights and stars around, but it would be a tiny minority that links starry things to Bethlehem. The odd nativity scene; again, I think that the significance is lost on quite a few people.

The Magi have no place at all in our Yule, except in some (not all) nativity scenes.

There is an increasing awareness (and acceptance) of the traditions of other religions. For example, on Iranian New Year, Iranians gather in a football field in the centre of our town to among other things jump over fire. Several natives ;-) also join them. The goat thing would be impossible here. The laws on food handling and animal care are very strict. For example, Kosher killing of cows is forbidden as being too brutal to the animals. Muslims have worked out a compromise procedure with the authorities, so there are authorized Halal slaughterhouses.


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## Xiroi

Oh, and in Spain we have the Three Wise Men, the final day of the Christmas celebrations. There are big parades on the streets on the 5th, as the three kings as we call them in Spanish come here to bring presents to the kids, which will find them when they wake up on the 6th. Santa is not uncommon here (all mighty Coca-Cola, even if we use the French name, Papá Noel) but this is a lot more glamourous, three kings with wonderful clothes, with lots of servants and pages also dressed in silk, velvet and feathers. Their camels are also richly dressed.


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## sokol

Xiroi said:


> Oh, and in Spain we have the Three Wise Men, the final day of the Christmas celebrations.


They exist in other countries too - but aren't associated with Christmas there.

I can tell you that I was mightily surprised when I heard first that Spanish children receive their Christmas presents only on the 6th of january.


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## Xiroi

May I ask what you mean "only on the 6th" without it being considered a "personal opinion"?


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## sokol

It seems there's a misunderstanding: I thought in Spain *only *on the 6th presents are given, I didn't know that with your reference to Santa you meant presents given on 24th (or 25th?) of december - simply because once I was told that Spanish children receive their gifts on the 6th.

So obviously Spanish children do get gifts twice, right, on 24th/25th from Santa and on 6th from the Three Wise Men, right?
The reason why I got this wrong is pure ignorance.


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## Xiroi

Oh, I see now. I didnt' quite get you at first.

Yes, kids find Santa's present under the Xmas tree on the 25th when they wake up. And again on the 6th, so they have 2 nice mornings unwrapping presents. Normally they get most of their presents only one day though. 

Now if someone feels like opening a new thread to debate the reasons to why some parents claim their kids can't/shouldn't wait until the 6th to get new toys...


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## Martina.M

To Xiroi & Chics:
I know there are still many christian symbols around, but most of them are non religious but commercial (bells, holly leaves [acebo], lots of Santa...) and, at least in Madrid, the official decoration is not christian but abstract (random words or shapes, which I think are beautiful, by the way...)
I do think it makes part of the campaign to eliminate religious symbols from the public sphere, an explicit attempt that is being made in our country - as well as in France - according to the idea that exposing symbols of one religion is an offense to the believers of the other religions or non believers.

I'm sorry no one told me about Jerusalem, though...


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## Xiroi

Martina.M said:


> I do think it makes part of the campaign to eliminate religious symbols from the public sphere, an explicit attempt that is being made in our country - as well as in France - according to the idea that exposing symbols of one religion is an offense to the believers of the other religions or non believers.


Rather than offense to the believers of other religions it would be based on the fact that we are secular states. 

El nacional-catolicismo de Franco se acabó hace muchos años.


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## Chaska Ñawi

Moderator note:  For this thread to remain open, posts must adhere to the original topic.  Thanks.


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## Grefsen

Pteppic said:


> Norwegians have a lot in common with Danes, and Christmas celebrations are no different. We also celebrate on the 24th, which is also one of the very few times when Norwegian churches are full (most go the service before noon, I think - I've only ever been once). We also gather uncles, aunts and any relative we can possibly stand, who lives within an hour's drive (or sometimes more).
> 
> Roasted pork is the most common dish for Christmas dinner, although in Western Norway, Pinnekjøtt (boiled mutton ribs) is the norm, and people also eat lutefisk (fish prepared with lye - I kid you not) and regular cod. The main dish is usually accompanied by (almond) potatoes and red cabbage or sauerkraut. Sausages and meatballs made from pork forcemeat is also common. Everything is served with gravy or fat from the roasting pan, and of course beer and akevitt (like the Danish snaps). The rice porridge-and-whipped-cream desert is popular here, too, although we find our almond (sometimes skinned, so it's more difficult to find) in the porridge itself - in my family we have the porridge in the early afternoon of Christmas Eve, before the other guests arrive around five pm. Traditionalists out in the country also put out a bowl of porridge for their nisse (a kind of domestic mythological creature that helps take care of the farm), who normally lives in the barn - sort of like leaving out cookies for Santa Clause. Norwegian children don't do the cookie thing, because we celebrate on Christmas Eve.
> 
> After dinner, everyone assembles in front of the tree for the gift distributing - in families that includes children small enough to believe in Santa Clause ("Julenissen"), the process is started by one of the grown-ups ringing the door bell in a Santa costume, complete with a sack filled with some of the gifts that would otherwise be under the tree. This is then followed by the same holding of hands around the Christmas tree and singing of Christmas carols that the Danes do, and then comes coffee (avec) and christmas cookies, of which there should traditionally be 7 kinds.
> 
> Christmas Day usually involves a smorgasbord (in other words continuous eating and drinking). After that, people usually take a rest on Boxing day (when everything is still closed) or hold various other parties for family and friends who couldn't make it on other days. This continues more or less until New Year's Eve. In older days it was customary for children to dress up and walk from door to door asking for candy in this period (not unlike the American trick or treat tradition on Halloween).


God jobb *Pteppic!* This is perhaps the best post I have ever seen anyone make about Christmas in Norway. 

There are only a few things that I would like to add. The evening before Christmas Eve is called *lille julaften* (Little Christmas Eve) and it is my understanding that this is time for getting together with friends before all of the major family gatherings start.

I just thought I would mention that this period of time between Boxing day and New Year's Eve is called *"Romjul"* in Norwegian.    I belong to a Norwegian organization called *Nordmanns-Forbundet* and our local chapter here in Southern California usually has a *"Romjul fest"* every year usually between December 27-30.

This old tradition of children dressing up and walking from door to door asking for goodies is called *"Julebukk." *AsHalloween continues to grow in popularity in Norway, it seems as though *Julebukk* is being gradually phased out as Christmas tradition.


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## Sepia

Lugubert said:


> The most common religious symbol seen in Swedish streets (or rather shopwindows) at Yuletide is Santa. In many cases, however, he isn't the fat red clad American guy but the midgety gnarly gray farm gnome.
> 
> ....


 
I am pleased that you mention this because I'd also see this a something with a religious background, but definitely something out of Scandinavian pre-Christian culture.


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## Martina.M

Xiroi said:


> Rather than offense to the believers of other religions it would be based on the fact that we are secular states.
> 
> El nacional-catolicismo de Franco se acabó hace muchos años.



Ya estamos. No tiene nada que ver - una cosa es que un régimen se haya apropiado de una creencia - haciéndole un flaco favor - y otra cosa es que se utilicen símbolos religiosos en una ciudad por varias razones:

- porque refleja las creencias de la población a la que el gobierno representa y debe servir (incluso si son diferentes creencias, si para hanuka decoran el barrio judío de mi ciudad [que ahora mismo no tiene] o toda la ciudad, como católica estoy encantada)

- porque se trata de una fiesta marcadamente religiosa, aunque la gente no creyente haya mantenido el sentido festivo de esas fechas a pesar de no creer. Navidad, natividad, los reyes magos, etc.

Un estado laico es aquél que no asume como propio un culto, no el que elimina el culto de la esfera pública. Eso debe hacerlo el pueblo que lo ha votado - en los regímenes democráticos, se entiende - si le parece. Pero en un país donde no sólo hay gente creyente, sino además de varios cultos, anular la expresión religiosa es castrar lo que podría ser una riquísima vida cultural.

Sé que es una opinión, pero respondo a la tuya.


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