MyWestworld

Christmas Cheer

Posted on 20. Dec, 2008 by Kerry Banks in International

Not everyone in the world celebrates Christmas the way we do here in Canada, with a fat, elderly, laughing man in a red suit, who soars through the sky in a sleigh pulled by a team of magical reindeer, then lands on rooftops and slides down chimneys with a sack of toys. No sir, in some other countries they have strange Christmas customs. In case you happen to be on the road during the festive season this year it may help to know what to expect.

Wales
The Welsh are great lovers of music and so every year at Christmas, carol singing is the most enjoyed activity. Carols are sung in churches, in people’s homes, around the Christmas tree and at the doors and windows of the houses. People also gather in the public square for the announcement of who has won the prize for submitting the best music for a new carol, and the formal pronouncement of it as the carol of the year. In some parts of Wales a villager is chosen to be the Mari Lwyd. This person travels around town draped in white and carrying a horse’s skull on a long pole. The eyes of the skull are filled with brightly-coloured objects and coloured ribbons are fixed to the skull. The jaw of the skull is often sprung or hinged so the Mari Lwyd’s operator can snap its jaws at passers by. If you are “given the bite” by the Mari Lwyd you are expected to pay a fine. In recent years the Mari Lwyd has come to represent the resurgence of interest in Welsh folk culture. Councils are now helping to organize bigger and better Mari Lwyds and the ceremony surrounding the ancient tradition is once again gaining in popularity.

The Netherlands
In the Netherlands the celebration of St. Nicholas Day on December 5 resembles the Christmas of North America. Sinterklaas, from whom the English and American Santa evolved, is based on the real St. Nicholas, and brings presents on the evening of December 5 to every child who has been good–gifts that are traditionally left in the child’s wooden shoes. Sinterklaas wears a tall bishop’s hat and a red cloak, carries a crooked staff and rides a white horse over the rooftops. He is assisted in his endeavours by mischievous helpers called zwarte Pieten (black Peters). Children put their shoes close to the fireplace before they go to bed and also set out some hay and water and sometimes a carrot for the horse. However, if the child had been naughty, the zwarte Pieten will put him or her in a sack and drag them off to the coal mines. Oddly enough, Sinterklaas is said to reside in Spain, and he arrives in Holland in mid-November by steamboat, an event which is often acted out in the many coastal communities of the Low Countries.

Japan
Some claim that the Japanese became acquainted with the Christmas because of all the holiday products they used to make for other countries, and then adopted some of the traditions. Whatever the truth, there are no religious aspects associated with the occasion. Instead, Christmas is widely celebrated as a day for romance much like Valentines’ Day. You will see a lot of “Christmas Love” cards, CD’s, etc. during this season. Bakeries sell Christmas cakes (strawberry cream sponge) as traditional sweetheart treats. In Japan, women of 25 years and older who are single are often jokingly referred to as “unsold Christmas cake.” The traditional Christmas meal is Kentucky Fried Chicken, and you will likely need to make a reservation to get a seat. At many KFC outlets, Colonel Sanders statues are decked out in Santa’s duds. In some Japanese households, carols are sung and gifts are exchanged on Christmas Day. Tinsel and lights are hung in homes, dance halls, cafes and pinball parlours. One of the most popular ornaments is the origami swan.

Greece
The Christmas feast is looked forward to with great anticipation by adults and children alike. Pigs are slaughtered and on almost every table are loaves of christopsomo (Christ Bread). This bread is made in large sweet loaves of various shapes and the crusts are engraved and decorated in some way that reflects the family’s profession. Christmas trees are not commonly used in Greece. In almost every home the main symbol of the season is a shallow wooden bowl with a piece of wire suspended across the rim; from that hangs a sprig of basil wrapped around a wooden cross. A small amount of water is kept in the bowl to keep the basil alive and fresh. Once a day, a family member, usually the mother, dips the cross and basil into some holy water and uses it to sprinkle water in each room of the house. This ritual is believed to keep the Killantzaroi, a species of goblins who appear only during the 12-day period from Christmas to the Epiphany (January 6), away from the house. The Killantzaroi are thought to emerge from the centre of the earth and to slip into people’s houses through the chimney. More mischievous than actually evil, these creatures do things like extinguish fires, ride astride people’s backs and sour the milk. Gifts are exchanged on St. Basil’s Day (January 1). On this day the “renewal of waters” also takes place, a ritual in which all water jugs in the house are emptied and refilled with new “St. Basil’s Water.”

Austria
In Austria and Bavaria, St. Nicholas has a strange and frightening companion called Krampus. This devil figure, often in chains, is dressed in fur with a scary mask and a long red tongue. Krampus carries a wooden stick or switches to threaten children who misbehave or do not know their lessons. Fortunately, St. Nicholas never lets Krampus harm anyone. Krampus Night is celebrated on December 5, the eve of St. Nicholas Day. Young men dress as Krampus and roam the streets looking for someone to beat with a stick. Brave children and adults go to the village square and throw snowballs to scare him off. Bread baked in the shape of Saint Nicholas or Krampus is for sale. On St. Nicholas Eve, children place their shoes on the window sill or outside their bedroom door in hopes they will be filled with goodies.

Venezuela
Venezuelans attend an early morning church service daily on December 24, called Misa de Aguinaldo. In Caracas, the capital city, it is customary to roller-skate to this service and many neighbourhoods close the streets to cars until 8 a.m. After Mass, everyone partakes of tostados and coffee. However, the main celebration occurs in the evening. Families get together to enjoy the traditional holiday meal: a long bread filled with cooked ham and raisins, followed by a dessert made of green papaya and brown sugar, slowly cooked for hours and served cold. Many homes put up a Christmas tree, but the most authentic Venezuelan custom is to display a nacimiento (Nativity scene). A more sophisticated nacimiento is the pesebre. This depicts an entire region with mountains, hills, plains and valleys. The central point is a replica of the manger at Bethlehem. The structure is a framework covered with canvas and painted accordingly. Often, the pesebre becomes a real work of art. On December 25, children awake to find their gifts scattered around the nacimiento. Tradition has it that it is the Child Jesus who brings gifts to the Venezuelan children instead of Santa Claus.

Spain
In the Catalonian regions of Spain all attention is focussed on Caga Tio, “the pooping log,” which wears a red hat and a smiling face. Fifteen days before Christmas, Caga Tio makes his appearance in the dining room, where he must be fed at least once every day. He likes oranges, crackers and sweet wine. Later on, Caga Tio is moved out of the dining room, into the living room, and is covered with a blanket to keep him warm. On Christmas Eve, before the traditional Christmas dinner, the kids are sent to their rooms to say their prayers, which gives the elders enough time to stash gifts under Caga Tio’s blanket. After their prayers are done, the kids return to the living room and start beating the hell out of poor Caga Tio with big sticks. And they sing songs that order Caga Tio to loosen his bowels and drop the presents. Presto! Out pops chocolates, candies, fruits and nuts. When he is through, the final object dropped is a salt herring, a garlic bulb, or an onion.

Finland
The Finns believe that Father Christmas lives in northern Finland in a place called Korvatunturi, north of the Arctic Circle. There is even a large tourist theme park called “Christmas Land” in the north of the country. On Christmas Eve people eat rice porridge and a sweet soup made from dried fruits in the morning or at lunchtime. They then decorate a spruce tree in the home. At mid-day, the Christmas peace declaration is broadcast on radio and TV from Turku, the ancient capital, in a symbolic ceremony that holds great importance for the Finns. Everything then comes to a virtual standstill. It is not until St. Stephen’s Day, December 26, that the country comes back to life. After the Christmas peace declaration, which everyone watches on TV, people go to the church and later the graveyard, to place a candle on the graves of family members. Then comes the sauna. After the sauna is the festive dinner, which include casseroles containing liver, rutabaga, carrot and potato, with cooked ham or turkey. Other dishes include raw, pickled salmon, herrings and a salad called “rosolli.” Children receive their presents on Christmas Eve, usually with a family member disguised as Father Christmas.

Photo Credits:

#1: interdependencecomplex.wordpress.com

#2: flickr.com

#3: mentalfloss.com

#4: flickr.com

Tags: Christmas Travel, Findland, Greece, Holland, Japan, Spain, Venezuela, Wales