SOME CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD

We all love to celebrate and Christmas is here around the corner. We love its colors, the decorations, people’s mood, the food and the presents, all that involves Christmas is magic. It is a very short period of the year but lived intensively…. and traditions!!! ……  There are many traditions in common between countries but there is always something that each society tries to preserve.  In this note we try to navigate through some of them.

Let´s start with one of the oldest and weirdest traditions in Norway. On Christmas Eve people hide their brooms to prevent them from being stolen from witches and evil spirits that use to arrive on that night and need brooms to continue flying.

In Germany, on December 6^th is Saint Nikolaus Day. On that day kids put their boots outside their homes so Nikolaus, who comes in the middle of the night on a donkey leaves them little treats such as chocolate coins, sweets and little gifts. The boots must be well cleaned and every child should leave just one boot to demonstrate he or she has been a good kid and not too greedy. This is a very old tradition based on the story of Nikolaos of Myra, a Greek religious man (274 BC – 374 BC), Bishop of Myra who had the reputation of secretly living coins in the shoes left out the homes of needed people. Then in the 4^th century he became a Saint. By 1089 his relics where clandestinely moved to Bari, Italy where he became Nikolaos of Bari.

Grýla, the Yule Lads and the Christmas cat. This is an Iceland folklore tradition.  The story talks about an ogress called Grýla who lives in the mountains with her husband, her thirteen children, The Yule lads, and her black cat. In the thirteenth day before Christmas the ogress and her children come down the mountain, Grýla searching for naughty children to boil them in her cauldron. The Yule Lads instead are 13 tricky troll-like characters that in the middle of the night visit children leaving gifts for those who have been nice kids and rotting potatoes for the naughty ones, each Yule Lad has his personality and dress and behave in a particular manner. There is another part of the story that involves her black cat, this legend tells that every Icelander must receive a new piece of clothing as a Christmas gift, if not they will be in mortal danger and will be eaten by the Christmas Cat.

In Austria the legend of Krampus is the most known story. Krampus is a beast-demon creature that walks through the streets scaring children and punishing the bad ones. While Saint Nikolaus rewards nice kids, Krampus capture the naughtiest ones and throw them in his sack to punish them. He appears over the Advent period and it is a pagan custom that comes from the old pre-Christian myths.

…… and the longest Christmas of the world is in the Philippines, one of the two catholic countries of Asia. Their Christmas season goes from September to the third or fourth week of January.  During the whole season they have many Christmas parties and traditions. Each ethnic group has its own traditions and some of them are common among all, for example the Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo (Night Mass). This mass is the last of a group of nine masses that starts on December 16^th and ends on December 24^th with Simbang Gabi. Another is the Panunuluyan. Actors dressed as Joseph and pregnant Virgin Mary, walk through the streets knocking some doors and requesting for a lodge to rest, the owners cruelly refuses so Joseph and Mary walk until they find a stable and here is where Jesus is born. Allegorical songs accompanied the tour. And then follow a lot of new and old festivities such as Christmas Day, the Holy Innocents Day, New Year’s Eve, the Three Kings Day, the Feast of the Black Nazarene, Feast of the Santo Nino, the Feast of Our Lady of the Candles, the Giant Lantern Festival, etc.…

Little Candles’ Day (Día de las Velitas) marks the start of the Christmas season across Colombia. People place candles and paper lanterns in their windows, balconies and front yards. The tradition of candles has grown, and now entire towns and cities across the country are lit up with elaborate displays. Some of the best are found in Quimbaya, where neighborhoods compete to see who can create the most impressive arrangement.

In the United States the Christmas Season is a very special occasion. Following European tradition adapted into the American culture, being “Santa” the center of attention. It is full of traditions like Christmas Carols, Cards, Crackers, the Tree, Mistletoe kissing, Poinsettias, puddings, Mrs. Claus, Christmas Elf and many more.

But Christmas is not the only celebration at this time. Hanukkah, the Jewish Holiday is celebrated around the world. It is the Jewish eight-day wintertime “Festival of Lights,” celebrated with nightly menorah lighting of candles, prayers, songs and fried foods.

There are many Christmas traditions and characters all over the world and these are just some of them. Next year we will be talking about others, in the meantime Snowdrop wishes you all Very Happy Holiday Season!!!

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