Christmas traditions in the Czech Republic

Here are some Czech Christmas traditions which I find quite interesting. I'd like to share with you.

Czechs begin to celebrate the Christmas holiday with Advent, a season of the liturgical year. On each Advent  Sunday Czechs light a new candle on the Christmas wreath.

Traditional Czech Christmas dish is a fried carp. People breed carps for Christmas table in the special ponds throughout the year. One week before the Christmas Eve tanks with living carps are established in the city streets and everyone can choose the best fish. Carp's scale is common to put in a purse. Czech people believe that it will bring a financial prosperity. But sometimes the Christmas fish is not eaten. According to tradition, carp should be on the holiday table but there are no indications about its state. It can be cooked and alive as well. Therefore in many Czech families people bring carps in home, named and take care of them. On the Christmas Eve Czechs put an aquarium with carps on the table and in the morning they let fishes out in the river.

The role of Santa Claus is played by Ezhishek, an infant Jesus, who gives presents.

Christmas in Albania

In Albania, Christmas is one of the most popular festivals and celebrated with great merriment by the local people who observe the occassion as a commemoration of the birth of Lord Jesus. The population of the country is mixed with Muslems and Christians. But Christmas in Albania is unique, what with both the communities celebrating the occassion with almost equal fervor.

Albanians share a wonderful bond with their family members and for them, family values stand above anything else. Hence Christmas in Albania is a family affair. Here, people love to celebrate the festival in the company of their entire family.

The Christmas traditions observed here are more or less similar to that of the rest of the world. Popular customs such as attending the midnight mass on 24th night and going to the church in the morning is religiously followed by all the Christians of Albania. The gift giving tradition, as observed in other western countries, has been in practice here too for a long time. During Christmas, Albanians exchange gifts with their friends, family members and all those they interact with for the rest of the year.
Feasting takes a prominent place in the Christmas celebrations in Albania. On Christmas Day, every home in the country cook up sumptuous Christmas meals in the conventional manner. Stuffed Turkey and delectable desserts form the most important part of Christian meals. A specialty of the Albanian Christmas dinner is "Bakllava", the famous dessert known as "Baklavash" in America. One of the tastiest dishes of Christmas dinner in Albania, the "Bakllava" is actually like a pie, but far more tough to prepare.

The Christmas Tree is a prominent feature of Albanian Christmas. In Tirana, the capital city of Albania, a huge Christmas tree is decorated annually during Christmas. This is very similar to the famous Christmas tree decoration of New York. In many renowned hotels in the country, lavish parties are organized during the festival.




                                                        

Christmas in Mexico

Christmas in Mexico is celebrated annually on the 25th of December, as in many other parts of the world.

Mexican Christmas traditions are not influenced by the American way. Rather they are homegrown and based mainly on Mexico's form of Roman Catholicism. Popular cultural traditions in Mexico, called "posadas", have also given rise to several traditions observed here during Christmas.

Mexican Christmas celebrations begin on December 12, with the birthday of "La Guadalupana" (Virgin of Guadalupe), and end on January 6, with the Epiphany. Children usually do not attend school on January 6. They wake up early in the morning to find gifts or toys kept in their room and figures of the Three Magic Kings at "El Nacimiento". Like Santa Claus in the US and other western nations, the
Three Wise Men are the ones believed to bring gifts not only to baby Jesus but also to millions of Mexican children who have placed written requests in their shoes. Also unlike in the US where children get presents on 25th December, most Mexican kids recieve their gifts at Epiphany (January 6th).

The construction of the "Nacimiento" or "El Nacimiento"(Nativity scene) is a popular custom here, as in many other countries. During the festive season, almost every family creates a Nativity scene in their home. At midnight on Christmas, a figure of baby Jesus is placed in the nacimientos to commemorate the birth of the Lord. This is a symbolic representation of Christmas in Mexico as a whole.

On Christmas Eve another verse is added to the Ave Marias, telling the Virgin Mary that the desired night has come. Small children dressed as shepherds stand on either side of the nativity scene while members of the company kneel and sing a litany, after which the Christ Child is lulled to sleep with the cradle song, "El Rorro" (Babe in Arms).

At midnight on Christmas Eve, dazzling fireworks, ringing bells and blowing whistles announce the birth of Christ. The bell-sounds beckon families to the Midnight Mass. Thousands flock to the churches to attend the well-known "Misa de Gallo" or "Mass of the Rooster." It is called the "Mass of the Rooster" because it is said that the only time that a rooster crowed at midnight was on the day that Jesus was born. The Mass over, families return home for a sumptuous Christmas dinner of traditional Mexican foods. Though the dishes vary from region to region, common foods are "tamales," rice, rellenos, "atole" (a sweet traditional drink) and "menudo".

                                                              

Christmas in Ukraine

The most important part of Christmas Eve celebrations is Holy Supper known as Sviata Vechera. Dinner table has a little hay on embroidered tablecloths to symbolize the manger of Bethlehem where Christ was born. Children announce the appearance of the first Star in the eastern evening sky and dinner is begun. The star symbolizes the trek of the Three Wise Men. While the head of the household brings a sheaf of wheat called 'didukh' (meaning grandfather spirit) in the home in the agricultural communities to symbolize family's ancestors and to emphasize the importance of the ancient and rich wheat crops of Ukraine that has been the staff of life of the Ukrainians through the centuries. In cities, people decorate their dinner table with a few stalks of golden wheat in a vase as 'Didukh'.

Sviata Vechera starts with a prayer. Then, the father says the traditional Christmas greeting, 'Khristos rodyvsya!' or 'Khristos razhdayetsya' (meaning Christ is born!). Then, the other family members answer him by saying 'Slavite Yoho!' (meaning Let Us Glorify Him!). At the end of the supper, the family often sings Kolyadky or Ukrainian Christmas Carols. Still, in many communities, the old tradition of caroling is being continued as young people or church members go from door to door to collect donations. The most popular Ukrainian carol is 'Boh predvichny', some glorify Ukraine while others are ancient pagan songs converted into Christian carols.

Church services start before midnight on Christmas Eve and continue until Christmas mornings. In the past, Father Frost used to bring gifts to Ukrainian children on 19th of December but now the date has been changed to the Christmas date. He rides a sleigh to which only three reindeers are harnessed. Snowflake Girl helps Father Frost in his journey. She wears silver blue costume trimmed with white fur and a snowflake-like crown. Traditional Ukrainian Christmas customs were full of colors and gaiety. Christmas was celebrated on 7th of January here as a peaceful and quiet event to remind Bethlehem.
 

Christmas in Syria

Syria, where only about 10% of the entire population follows Christianity, celebrates Christmas with the same enthusiasm as anywhere in the west. Here, since a majority of people are Arabs, The standard greeting of Christmas is 'Milad Majid', which is Arabic for Merry Christmas. Christmas in Syria is celebrated on December 6th and the churches of Syria hold special masses in honor of Saint Nicholas Thaumaturgus whose legend is similar to those of St. Nicholas and Santa Claus. As is the case with most countries in the world, the tradition of exchanging gifts also exists in Syria. Here, of course, in line with the local traditions and the importance that camels hold in them, it is the Smallest Camel of the Wise Men who brings gifts for the kids on the Eve of Christmas. The smallest camel is a seasonal character of the Nativity story and it is said that he had an extreme rough time to make it to the journey but did reach in spite of his enervation. For his loyalty and will to see the Christ Child, he got the blessing of immortality and hence, on every January 5th night, the little camel brings gifts.

Syrian Christmas Customs

• Syria mostly has Eastern Christians whose traditions are molded in the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe. Their way of celebrating Christmas is slightly different from the other Christian communities.
• The various denominations in Syria include the Syrian, Greek and Armenian Orthodox church, the Maronite Church, the Syrian Catholic Church and the Greek Catholic Church.
• The Eastern Christians observe a fast as a part of spiritual preparation for the birth of Christ at Christmas time. During this fast, they avoid meat, dairy products, fish and eggs.
• Other than this custom, on the Christmas Eve, families and relatives also gather together around an unlit bonfire and carry a lit candle with them. The youngest kid in the family reads out the Nativity story and the bonfire is lit after the story finishes. Similar to Iraqis, Syrians also believe that the flames of the bonfire bring good luck and prosperity to the house.
• Many hymns are sung while the bonfire burns and once it gets burnt completely, everyone jumps over the ashes and makes a wish.
• On the Christmas morning, every family goes to church to attend the mass. Here, another bonfire is lit and, while it burns, hymns are sung by the congregation members of the church.
• A celebrant holds the figure of the Christ Child and walks around the building. At the end, he touches the hand of the person next to him who, in turn, passes this touch further, to every person who is a part of the procession. This touch is the blessing called the ‘Touch of Peace’.
• Gifts are a major attraction of Christmas in Syria also. Children leave their shoes outside on the Christmas Eve with some hay and water beside them. The hay and water are for the camel to feed upon before he fills the shoes with gifts and goodies.

Christmas Dinner
Christmas dinner is one such regular tradition followed by every Christian in every part of the world. In Syria, the dinner includes chicken, pastries, nuts, oranges and soft drinks.

Posted by Irina Demidova

The History of Christingles

Christingle actually means 'Christ Light' and celebrates the light of Jesus coming into the world: but no one is really sure how Christingles came into being. There are several stories told of how the custom was started. There is an ancient Welsh service called a 'Celenig' where Christingles are used and the Moravian Church  has held Christingle services for over 200 years. This is how some Czech people think the first Christingle might have been made: many years ago, children were asked to take a gift to put beside the crib in Church. One family had no money for gifts but were determined to take something. They found an orange which they felt would be okay, but were disappointed to find it was going moldy at the top. However, they thought they would scoop out the bad bits and put a candle in the top and turn it into a lantern. Thinking that it looked a bit ordinary, one of the girls took a red ribbon from her hair and tied it around the middle. They had difficulty getting it to stay in place, so fastened it with four small sticks, on the ends of which they put a few raisins. They took their lantern to church and were afraid of the reactions of the other children. However, the priest acknowledged their gift and told the congregation how special it was for the following reasons:

• The orange is round like the world.
• The candle stands tall and straight and gives light in the dark like the love of God.
• The red ribbon goes all around the 'world' and is a symbol of the blood Jesus shed when he died for us.
• The four sticks point in all directions and symbolise North, South, East and West - they also represent the four seasons.
• The fruit and nuts (or sometimes sweets!) represent the fruits of the earth, nurtured by the sunshine and the rain.

Some children in the U.K. make their own Christingles and gather together to light them in a Church Services that raise money for children's charities.

Christmas in Italy

One of the most important ways of celebrating Christmas in Italy is the Nativity crib scene. Using a crib to help tell the Christmas story was made very popular by St. Francis of Assisi in 1223 (Assisi is in mid-Italy). The previous year he had visited Bethlehem and saw where the stable, where it was thought that Jesus was born. A lot of Italian families have a Nativity crib in their homes.

The city of Naples in Italy is world famous for its cribs and crib making. These are known as 'Presepe Napoletano' (meaning Neapolitan Cribs). The first crib scene in Naples is thought to go back to 1025 and was in the Church of S. Maria del presepe (Saint Mary of the Crib), this was even before St. Francis of Assisi had made cribs very popular!

Having cribs in your own home became popular in the 16th century and it's still popular today (before that only churches and monasteries had cribs). Cribs are traditionally put out on the 8th December. But the figure of the baby Jesus isn't put into the crib until the evening/night of December 24th!

One special thing about Neapolitan cribs is that they have always been displayed not only characters and figures from the Christmas Story, but also 'every day' people and objects (such as houses, waterfalls, food, animals and even figures of famous people and politicians!). Naples is also the home to the largest crib scene in the world, which has over 600 objects on it!

In Naples there is a still a street of the nativity makers called the 'Via San Gregorio Armeno'. In the street you can buy wonderful hand made crib decorations and figures - and of course whole cribs!

One old Italian custom is that children go out Carol singing and playing songs on shepherds pipes, wearing shepherds sandals and hats.

On Christmas Eve, no food is eaten until after Midnight Mass. Then the main Christmas meal is eaten. The meal includes Italian Christmas Cake called 'Panettone' which is like a dry fruity sponge cake. 

Epiphany , is also important in Italy. On Epiphany night, children believe that an old lady called 'Befana' brings presents for them. The story about Befana bringing presents is very similar to the story of Babouska told in Russia. Children put stockings up by the fireplace for Befana to fill. On Christmas day 'Babbo Natale' (Santa Claus) might bring them some small gifts, but the main day for present giving is on Epiphany.