How We Celebrate Christmas by teorgieva

How We Celebrate Christmas In F.L.A.G. Countries

Contents

How we celebrate Christmas in France

Page 5

How we celebrate Christmas in Scotland

Page 17

How we celebrate Christmas in Slovakia

Page 29

How we celebrate Christmas in Bulgaria

Page 45

How we celebrate Christmas in Italy

Page 55

How we celebrate Christmas in Poland

Page 69

How We Celebrate Christmas In France 5

Special Christmas Dates in FRANCE 04 December

- Ste Barbe

In the south of France, we plant wheat or lentils to have a prosperous year. (they will grow until Christmas and decorate the table)

06 December

St Nicholas

In the north of France, Saint Nicholas comes to reward nice children by

offering them sweets and gifts (usually gingerbread and an orange).

24 December

Christmas Eve

It is a family Festival. People gather and eat a festive meal. Some then go to midnight mass.

On the night of December 24 : Santa Claus comes to each home.

25 December

Christmas day

Children (and adults) discover their gifts under the Christmas tree.

How We Prepare for Christmas in France In the streets and in the houses, there are Christmas decorations, made with balls, garlands, lights and candles. The windows of the shops are decorated.

Decorated Christmas trees are installed in the town and village squares, in homes and in the schools.

Nativity scenes are also installed in the town halls and sometimes in homes. On the other hand, they are not in the schools because of the principle of neutrality.

Children send a letter to Santa Claus where they list their wishes of gifts. In France, the post office hires people to respond to the letters from children, so that all children who have written to Santa Claus can be answered. There are entertainments in the streets with Christmas markets. In general, this is the place to buy products that will be eaten during Christmas Eve or Christmas day. But we can also buy gifts for our family and friends or decorations for our Christmas tree. It is also an opportunity for children to see Santa Claus and to take photos with him. At home, the Christmas tree is decorated. The child counts down the nights before Christmas from the 1St December with an advent calendar. Every day, they open a new box until December 24. Inside of the advent calendar, there are surprises. 9

In schools, this is the month where we teach our students Christmas carols. In general, Santa Claus comes to the schools and brings gifts to the pupils.

Christmas Traditions in France In the Christmas choirs, the most well-known songs are: Il est nĂŠ le divin enfant (the divine child was born ) and Petit papa NoĂŤl (little santa claus) Gifts : before the gift offered for Christmas was an orange. Now, this celebration has become very commercial (as everywhere) and we offer any kind of gifts (with toys and chocolates remaining the most common gifts.)

Snacks: we install a small snack for Santa Claus (at the foot of the Christmas tree), consisting of a biscuit, a glass... to give him strength for his Christmas tour.

Special Christmas Food in France As an aperitif, we often drink champagne, this drink is a symbol for special occasions.

This is usually accompanied by toast with salmon, foie gras or caviar.

Starter, we eat snails, oysters, or frogs legs. The dish, is often composed of a meat like Capon chicken, Guinea fowl, turkey, duck or goose. This meat is usually accompanied by vegetables or potatoes. Cheese, guests are presented with a cheese tray consisting of several varieties.

Dessert, The classic cake is the Yule log. 12

In Provence it is accompanied by 13 desserts (fresh fruit, candies, dried fruits, donuts, nougat, chocolate...)

The French are wine lovers. Also, it is customary to drink wine during the meal and we change wine with every dish.

Traditional Tales Told at Christmas in France There are no traditional stories told at Christmas in France

Religious Christmas Traditions in France People go to the church, 24th December

There are nativity scenes :

How We Celebrate Christmas In Scotland 17

Special Christmas Dates in Scotland 30 November – Saint Andrew’s Day Saint Andrew is the Patron Saint of Scotland. This is the date we celebrate his special day. This day also marks the beginning of Advent in Scotland.

24 December – Christmas Eve The night before Christmas is when children hang up their stockings to receive the gifts they expect from Santa Claus. Some children will leave out a snack of Christmas Pies and milk for Santa, as well as a carrot for his reindeer. Many people go to Church for either Midnight Mass (Roman Catholic), or a Watchnight Service (Church of Scotland and others).

25 December – Christmas Day This is usually a day spent with family, although some people will go to Church to celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus. Children waken early to find the presents left for them by Santa Claus and families gather together for a special meal (Christmas Dinner) and to spend time together.

26 December – Boxing Day This is a National Holiday and most people do not work on this day. Boxing Day gets its name from a time when servants received a ‘box’ or present from their employer for a year’s good service. Nowadays, many people spend Boxing Day watching TV, visiting friends or shopping in the ‘sales’.

31 December – Hogmanay Hogmanay is on New Year’s Eve. Many people prepare to welcome the New Year by attending street parties or visiting friends and relatives.

01 January – New Year’s Day On New Year’s Day, people visit each other to wish them ‘Happy New Year’. It is traditional to bring a gift (like a piece of coal, or a cake) when visiting.

Religious Christmas Traditions in Scotland Christingle A Christingle is made from an orange, a candle, some cocktail sticks, some dried fruit (or sweets) and a scarlet ribbon. The Christingle is a symbol to remind us that Jesus was born at Christmas and was the Light of the World.

Advent Crown Many Churches have an Advent Crown made up of a wreath (usually made from Holly or some other evergreen plant) and five candles. The first candle is lit on the first Sunday of Advent, the first and second candles on the second Sunday and so on. The candle in the middle is usually lit at Midnight on Christmas Eve to signify that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Christ is Bornâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Carol Singing and Christmas Music Christmas carols and Christmas music can be heard everywhere from 01 December. Some groups raise money for charity by singing carols. 25

How We Celebrate Christmas in SLOVAKIA

Special Christmas Dates in Slovakia 25 November 30 November 01 December 04 December 06 December 24 December

25 December 26 December

01 January 06 January

Katarína (St.Katherine) Ondrej (St. Andrew) Advent Barbora (St. Barbara) Mikuláš (St. Nicolaus) Štedrý deň (Generous day) Christmas Eve The First Christmas holiday The Second Christmas holiday Štefan (St. Stephen) New Year Day Three kings

How We Prepare for Christmas in Slovakia In Slovakia, Christmas celebrations begin with Advent but there are many folk Christmas traditions from St. Katherine to Three Kings in villages. During Advent there are lots of preparations to be made for Christmas. This includes cleaning the house, baking, shopping and buying the Christmas Tree. Living carps are also sold in the streets from big tanks (carp is eaten in the main Christmas meal).

Christians usually make use of advent wreaths during advent, with four candles representing each of the four Sundays. Every Sunday one more candle is lit.

Children receive Advent calendar and open window (packet) with chocolate (or other day.

one calendar sweet) every

Slovaks, especially children, celebrate Mikuláš (St. Nicholas' day) on the 6th December. Mikuláš in Slovakia is an old man dressed in a white or red long coat and big boots. He has got a long white beard and on his shoulder he brings a bag full of chocolates, sweets and fruit on his shoulder. He doesn´t come on his sledge with his reindeer and doesn´t come down the chimney, but he comes accompanied with an angel and a devil. In the evening of 5th December, children clean their boots and place them near the window. Mikuláš fills up the boots with lot of sweets, chocolate figurines, bars and other titbits to eat. In the morning children find their boots filled up. Parents often say the bad children get only coal or potatoes from devil, but they only frighten children to make them better behaved. During days around St. Nicolaus, adults 31

dressed like St. Nicolaus, angels and devils come to schools, nurseries and hospitals. Angels are dressed in white and have got wings of feathers. The devils have got tails and hooves. They give packet of sweets to every child who can sing a song or tell a poem. AT OUR KINDERGARTEN: We prepare and celebrate Christmas almost three weeks. First week in December is about Mikuláš: we learn poems and songs about winter, Mikuláš and his bag with sweets. Children make Mikuláš from paper in many ways. In some evening around 6th December teachers and children with parents go together to the puppet theatre in Kosice, they watch theatre performance (a fairy tale) and after it Mikuláš, an angel and a devil come and, after children´s songs and poems, they give sweet present to each child.

Next two weeks are about Christmas. Children at schools learn about Christmas traditions, meals, they watch Bethlehem story and make their own Bethlehem. They make very nice decorations and decorate Christmas tree, classrooms and windows. They prepare Christmas programme for their parents. Parents and 32

teachers buy a lot of presents in secret. When everything is ready, school Christmas day comes. In the morning there are lots of new toys and games under the Christmas tree in every classroom.

In the evening parents come to school playground to watch childrenÂ´s Christmas programme.

Christmas Traditions in Slovakia In Slovak families Christmas Eve is the most important day during Christmas. Usually on this day father would put up the tree. This comes from the times when the Christmas tree would be a simple spruce brought from the forest and it couldnÂ´t be in the room for a very long time. Childen decorate the tree, sing Christmas songs and carols, watch Chistmas fairytales. Mother prepares meals for the Christmas Supper (traditionally it consists of twele dishes). The house has to be cleaned and decorated. Catholics are supposed to be fasting all day, or at the very least, not to eat meat. Actually the story is that if you fast all the day then you will see the golden piglet in the evening. In Slovakia the 24th December is called The Generous Day because we get the presents already in that evening after the traditional Christmas Supper. After unwrapping the presents, children and parents play with new toys and watch Christmas fairytales. Many people go to a Midnight Mass Service. Next two Christmas days are spent by visiting of relatives and enjoying the atmosphere of Christmas. People might go to Holy Mass Service and families with children like to go to church and watch 'Bethlehems' which are displayed in almost every church. Families like to walk in the winter nature. 26th December we call St. Stephen's Day when the first dance ball is organized after Advent time. People usually spend this day with friends together with good music and wine. New Year's Eve is celebrated in Slovakia mostly with friends at home. Young people like to be in restaurants or in the mountains where people go skiing with friends. In the evening people usually have a party with their friends. They dance , play games, talk or spend evening with TV. At midnight many youngsters come out in the streets or in the main square and begin to shoot fireworks. All people are watching the fireworks. People drink champagne and wish their family and friends good luck with the new year. The 1st January is the day of relaxing and resting with family. Definitely Christmas time is considered as the biggest family holiday time. Three Kings Day /6th January/ or Walking with star - it means the tradition that three boys in village dressed in long white waists and with the crowns on their heads walk from house to house. They usually write over the door G+M+B (the names of the three kings - Gaspar, Melichar and Balthazar) with a white chalk and usually sing carols.

Svieť nám, stromček jagavý 1. Svieť nám, stromček jagavý, už sme všetci zvedaví, čí je ten darček a čo je v ňom, cingi, lingi, cingi, lingi, bom.

2. Svieť nám, vločka veselá, svet sa odel do biela, bláznivé vrabce škriepia sa s ním, čimčarara, čimčarara, čim.

3. Svieť nám, stromček bielučký, chytíme sa za rúčky, nech naším spevom znie celý dom, fidli-tidli, fidli-tidli, bom

Special Christmas Food in Slovakia For Christmas dinner on the 24th December the whole family should get together, no one is supposed to be on his own. It is traditional to lay down one more place at the table, so if a beggar would come you can host him. The traditional Christmas dinner is known as the 'velija' and consists of 12 dishes (the number of dishes symbolizes the number of Jesus's disciples). The father of the family cut an apple you get a star, the next year will be happy. A tradition is this: everybody gets a wafer – very wafer, but bigger. You put on some honey, and bits of walnuts, and stick on another wafer. everybody on the table should bite into each wafers – this will ensure that they will love each next year. The meanings are: garlic for health, you will be sweet and lovable, nuts for beauty. Wafers are followed by bobalky, dough soaked in milk and honey and topped seeds. The next course is „kapustnica” sauerkraut more rich. We have in there some sausages (the chorizo) or cream, smoked ham, meat, dried Each family has its own recipe. Some recipes ingredients that might seem unusual such as and apples. In the northern regions they have We eat bread with soup. Bread is important in it symbolizes plenitude for next year.

crosswise, if happier thin, like holy slices of garlic Then others’ other for the honey that pieces of with poppy soup, but red ones, like mushrooms. include dried plums lentil soup. part because

Then the main course is fish. It is a fresh water local carp fish. It is sold a week before Christmas in Slovakia in the streets from big tanks and pools alive and many people keep it alive at home in the bath till Christmas Eve to have it really fresh and to get rid of the possible muddy taste. Mother cut the killed and cleaned fish into horse-shoe shapes for good luck (everything has a mystery in Slovakia). She coat it in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs and fry it. We also save a few 36

scales and put them into our wallet so we would have loads of money next year (they look like small silver monies, so that is where this mystery comes from). We eat potato salad with the fish. It can be salad with carrots, peas, gherkins, and more, but to the pure north they have just a simple vinegar potato salad with onions. Other dishes are lokše, pirohy dumplings, pork cutlets with sausage, vegetables and plenty of walnut rolls or cookies. Cookies are a popular dessert and treat at Christmas. Some favourites include vanilla ones made with poppy seeds and walnuts and apricot cookies. Sometimes people will make more than 10 different types of cookies. These are given to visitors over Christmas. Traditional Christmas sauerkraut soup Ingredients: 250 g pork chop 200 g sauerkraut 100 g potatoes 30 g garlic 50 g bacon 1 dl sour cream Instructions: 1. Fry bacon cut into little cubs, add onions and 2 – 3 sausages when onion is fried, add red pepper and pour 1 teaspoon salt 1 litre of water. 1 seasonings. 2. Put in sauerkraut, pepper and other seasonings. black pepper 3. Put meat, cut into cubes into boiling soup, then 30 g dried mushrooms sausages and at the end mushrooms and potatoes 1 teaspoon red pepper 4. Cook until soft and when the soup is ready, 1 teaspon sugar serve with sour cream. This soup is typical Slovak Christmas dish. People in some regions cook it also with dried plums.

Traditional Tales Told at Christmas in Slovakia Of course children in Slovakia know the Christmas Story about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. But there is another nice legend about St. Nicolaus in Slovakia. Mikuláš (St. Nicolaus) comes with an angel and a devil and they can reward good children or punish naughty and disobedient children. Here is the story about a punished boy . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPvb14HdUS0

Religious Christmas Traditions in Slovakia In Slovakia there are many regional variations of the Christmas celebrations. Some are local folk custom and rituals that date back many years. During the 24th December the traditional Christmas dinner is cooked. It used to be the custom to fast (not to eat anything) all through Christmas Eve. It was said that if you manage to get by without food for the whole day, you will see a little golden pig in the evening (after the Midnight Mass service)! The Christmas Eve varied from village to village even from home to home. In Catholic homes the supper starts with a prayer and the breaking of the special Christmas wafers. The traditional table is prepared with a white table cloth with straw and sheaves of wheat under the table. Every Christmas table contains a jar of honey and a few cloves of garlic, foods symbolizing health. Poppy seeds and peas are often found; both represent money. To have as much money as poppy seeds, would be nice indeed! The table is loaded with steaming bowls of food that will be eaten during the evening. In some Slovak families, the head of the household traces the sign of the cross on the foreheads of the children in honey. This is a wish for a sweet New Year as well as a sweet disposition. During the supper, no one is permitted to leave the table so it is thought that someone would not be present there during the coming year. When the meal is completed, the dishes are cleared away but the pastries, nuts, candies and fruit are left on the table for any visitors even for the visitors from the other world who died.

Secular Christmas Celebrations in Slovakia 25th November, the day of St. Katherine, was the first of many so called „witching days“. No one was safe. The witches loved to sneak into barns and steal milk or lead horses away. A witch could easily take the likeness of another. To be visited by a strange woman on one of these days was a bad omen indeed. Such a visitor could easily find herself being chased away from the house with a broom or having hot coals thrown at her. It was best for the family to be extra vigilant. 30th November, St. Andrew's day, "halushky" - gnocchi were cooked. Unmarried girls put 13 slips of paper with names of young men: one name into each piece of gnocchi. When the water boils the gnocchi rise up and the first piece of gnocchi disclose the name of boyfriend. Girls pour the wax or melted lead through the keyhole to cold water. The shape of cast will tell her what the profession of her boyfriend will be. 4th December, St. Barbora´s day. Unmarried girls cut twigs from cherry trees and forced them into bloom. There is an old belief that if the twig blossoms on Christmas Eve, the girl will be married the following year. 13th December, St. Lucia's day is the shortest day of the year, so it is associated with magical practices that protect home and family from witches. People believe that Lucia was the most powerful witch. On this day you could see girls in white dresses with white veils on their faces. They have got a brush of feathers to sweep dust from home with it and they spoke magic words to keep witches away from houses. There are some other superstitions bound with St. Lucy´s day: - A girl prepares 13 cards and write the names of 12 boys on them (one card is empty ). She put the cards under her pillow. Each day up to Christmas Eve she removes one card without looking at it. On Christmas Eve she picks up the last card and reads the name on it. The boy on the card will be her boyfriend. - Each day from St. Lucy´s Day to Christmas a girl bites into an apple before sunrise or sunset. If the apple hasn´t been rotten until then it means that the girl will get married. 41

- The girl with the apple can stand in front of the house and start to eat the apple until she sees the first man passing by. The name of this man will be the name of her husband. - A girl pours some water into the jar and then on Christmas Eve before the Midnight Mass she washes her face in it, the man whose clothes she touches first will be her true lover. - A Boy makes a small stool without using any nails. People say that the person who will sit on it during the Midnight Mass will be able to see the witches. If he does not want to be caught by the witches he must pour poppy seeds around Lucy 's small stool.

How We Celebrate Christmas in BULGARIA

Special Christmas Dates in

BULGARIA 20 December

Ignazhden

24 December

Christmas Eve

25 December

Christmas Day

How We Prepare for Christmas in Bulgaria Christmas- itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for fun and a lot of games. First of all, we need a Christmas decoration. Christmas tree is one of the most popular traditions associated with celebration of Christmas. Every classroom, home and town is decorated with Christmas tree. Santa Claus takes his central place and shows that holidays are coming. We make a lot of handmade greeting cards.

Christmas Traditions in Bulgaria Christmas – it is time for gifts, which are brought by the good old man Grandfather Christmas. In many Christian countries 25thDecember - Christmas is the most important holiday of the year. On this day in Bulgaria we could meet the carolers in Bulgarian ”KOLEDARI”. They are unmarried men lead by a stanenik-their chief. The men play and sing in front of the people’s doors. They say blessings for every member of the house and the hosts give them gifts. This day on the table we put bread, chicken, bean and other. If anyone wishes something on Christmas, the wish will become true.

Special Christmas Food in Bulgaria Christmas Eve is one of the most important family holidays. People meet together around a dinner table. We prepare 7, 9, or 11 traditional Christmas meals. All of them are vegetarian as it is the last night of fasting. Normally we have cooked beans, a meal from rice and spices wrapped in cabbage, or vine leaves, different kinds of salads, cheese, and most important the Christmas â&#x20AC;&#x153;pitaâ&#x20AC;?, or banitza with a coin for luck in it. We often put more luck items in the banitza, so that more people can get their chance.

The Christmas dinner is richer than the Christmas Eve dinner because there you can find meat. The most typical kind of meat is pork. There is also a cake with a coin. It is believed that if you have the coin in your slice the luck will be with you the whole year. With that coin the person has to go to church and buy a candle.

Traditional Tales Told at Christmas in Bulgaria The night until 24:00 is quiet and peaceful. People expect the birth of Christ. In the fireplace, the hosts of the house put a special wood to burn, called “Budnik”. It’s believed that the light and the warmth are symbols of the New Sun and the birth of Jesus. If the Yule log burns, the family can expect being better next year.

Religious Christmas Traditions in Bulgaria Christmas Day In the morning, after the Carollers had already visited all the houses, people gather and go on a divine service. After that they play typical ring dances which have ritual character and symbolize long life. We say to each other Chestito Rozhdestvo Hristovo. At midnight on Christmas carollers start their round. They visit the houses of their relatives, neighbours and other people in the village. Carolsingers are boys aged 8 to 12. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s believed that their songs will bring health and happiness to the family. The mistress of the house had prepared cakes and when carollers came, she gives them of these cakes together with fruits, nuts and bread.

Secular Christmas Celebrations in Bulgaria We have a very special tradition in Bulgaria, which comes from ancient times /before Christ/. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s connected to the Winter solstice and the belief that people should fight the evil forces of Nature /darkness, cold, frost, blizzards, drafts, infertility and all of the kind/. This ritual, called SURVAKANE is very important for the good health and overall prosperity of people and agriculture. SURVAKANE was traditionally performed by young boys and men, but nowadays itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a privilege for all children.

How We Celebrate Christmas in ITALY Special Christmas Dates in 55

Italy 29 November - Advent calendar

08 December - Christmas tree

13 December - St. Lucia brings gifts

24 December - Food traditions Christmas Eve 25 December - The Nativity

26 December - Lunch of St. Stephen

6 January - The gifts of the Magi

How We Prepare for Christmas in 56

Italy Christmas, celebrated on December 25, is the most important holiday in Italy and celebrates the birth of Jesus. The families in this day get together, cook many things to eat, play and exchange gifts. The children are waiting for Christmas morning to receive gifts from Santa Claus (BABBO NATALE in Italian). This is a good time for children because schools are closed, generally from December 23 to January 6. Some families leave to go skiing in the mountains and this is called the white week (SETTIMANA BIANCA in Italian). The Christmas tree and the nativity scene are prepared usually on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. The day before is called VIGILIA, and preparing an important dinner is called CENONE. For this dinner we prepare dishes based on fish, we can buy or prepare special sweets and every home is decorated. During the Christmas season also occurs the celebration for the New Year. On December 31, the families come out or get together for dinner on the last day of the year. At midnight we celebrate with champagne and fireworks. In small towns, for Christmas, people buy handicrafts in a Christmas marketâ&#x20AC;Ś but if you like cribs (PRESEPE in Italian) and want to really see all about the Neapolitan Crib, you should definitely visit the famous street of the nativity scene makers, in Naplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historic city, the Via San Gregorio Armeno. Here you can admire numerous shops with creative nativity figurines in all variations. Besides the Jesus and Madonna figurines you will also find detailed copies of all household objects, gastronomic delights, exotic animals, and sometimes even caricatured politicians. Moreover, you can get thousands of accessories and building material for your presepe, like cork to create the mountains, ready-to-place houses, wells, waterfalls powered by electric engine, small lakes with water, trees, grasslands, bridges, towers. And all (or nearly all) handmade! During Christmas time, more than half a million tourists come to see the shops with the original miniature figurines, and the shops in this street are especially busy. 57

Christmas Traditions in 58

Italy On 8th December Italian families prepare Christmas tree with ornaments and lights and the “presepio” ( crib ) too. The presepio represents the Holy Family in the stable. At Christmas time there are lights and decorations in the streets. Christmas Eve, December 24th, we get together and eat a big meal. At the end of dinner we eat Italians cakes : “panettone”, “pandoro” and Neapolitan “ struffoli”. All together we play “tombola” and exchange presents, until midnight to celebrate the birth of Jesus. On December 31st, we have a big dinner and celebrate the New Year with fireworks. In Italy, Christmas time is on until the Feast of Epiphany, January 6th, when the “Befana” brings presents and stockings full of sweets.

Special Christmas Food in Italy Natale, or Christmas, is one of Italy's most beloved holidays, where each region celebrates 3 meals with its own line-up of traditional dishes. Take a peek into Italy's rich tradition and get a few ideas for your own holiday feasts this season. December 24: Christmas Eve Dinner Christmas Eve dinner is traditionally a light meal with no meat. Antipasti are normally based on fish; for example, Carpaccio di pesce spada, tonno or salmone(sword fish, tuna fish, or fresh salmon carpaccio), and/or insalata di mareordi polpo (seafood or octopus salad). As a first course, in regions like Lombardia, Piemonte and Emilia-Romagna, agnolotti filled with ricotta and spinach, potatoes or pumpkin are served. These are usually served with butter, sage and Parmigiano-Reggiano. But the originality of some traditions can go to extremes like the cialson prepared in Friuli, which are ravioli filled with ricotta, raisins and/or dried figs, spinach, chocolate and candied citron! In Veneto, we love bigoi in salsa, which are a sort of thick, buckwheat spaghetti seasoned with a delicious cream of anchovies and onions. In Piemonte, the glorious bagna caudais often served. Anguilla (eel) orcapitone is very traditional, and is cooked in many different ways all over Italy. In parts of Sicily, they prepareinvoltini (roulade) of swordfish made with breadcrumbs, orange juice, pinoli, dried raisins, tarragon, ginger, garlic, parsley and basil. This last dish is an example of how Italian regional cuisine can reach an almost stratospheric level! December 25: Christmas Day Lunch This is the most important of the three meals associated with Natale and can last for hours. The table has to be beautiful and big to accommodate the many guests; the relatives with the biggest table usually host the party. The best tablecloths are chosen, together with grandmother’s antique dishware, and of course the English silverware. Precious crystal glasses are brought out, and if you break one, you will be reminded of your clumsiness for years to come. On Christmas day lunch, the first course is often preceded by a classic antipasto with cuts of cured meat, garnished with olives and cheese. When the pasta course is brought out, it is just about impossible for any Italian to refuse a second serving of nonna’s wonderful Pasta or Pasticcio al forno—a baked pasta full of surprises. This type of baked pasta is more common in the central southern regions of Italy. In the north, Lasagne verdi alla Bolognese reigns supreme, along with a huge variety of filled pastas. Cannelloni with different fillings, baked with besciamella and ragù, are also popular. Though today’s young families have their own alternatives to these classic choices, most Italians prefer the traditional to the new for the holidays. As a second course, meat is de rigueur: roasted veal, braised beef or roasted chicken with potatoes—which in my childhood was really an event. We say in Italy that court birds and little animals are the sacrificial victims of our lust for meat at Christmas.

December 26th—Santo Stefano’s Lunch On the 26th of December, lunch is important too. For this meal, more distant relatives and friends are often invited. The meal will be less sumptuous, but still important and well composed. Fantasy and innovation at the stove are probably more common for this meal. Different kinds of antipasti and other courses are often served. Then, of course, there’s the dessert. Italians are generally big on desserts, but when it comes to sweets and the Christmas season, all bets are off. Of course, sweet breads, like panettone and pandoro, are popular across Italy. Other desserts include cavallucci, cookies with the image of a horse (from, of course, Siena); dita degli apostoli(“fingers of the apostles”), chocolate- or coffee-flavored ricotta-filled omelettes, a Puglian tradition; and mostaccioli, spiced nut pastries gobbled up by Romans.

Traditional Tales Told at Christmas in Italy The story of the Nativity: St. Francis of Assisi to the present day The name "crib" is derived from the Latin "presepe" which means stable, crib, or the place where it seems was the setting for the scene of the nativity as adoration of the shepherds as early as the second century. The scene has its main elements in the cave, which contains the manger where baby Jesus is placed, with a side of the Madonna, St. Joseph, the ox, the donkey, the Three Kings and the shepherds. What are the origins of the crib? Some claim that the introduction of the crib as a Christmas tradition and attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi who first created back in 1223 ... It is said that, impressed by the liturgical functions celebrated at Christmas 1222 in Bethlehem - where he had gone to see the place where Jesus was born - Francis asked Pope Honorius III to repeat them in Italy for the following Christmas. This is the story. On a cold Christmas Eve, Francis decided to do something special for the inhabitants of Greccio. He gathered his friends, a group of monks called Friars Minor, and asked them to give him a wooden manger. He also wanted a donkey. Yet a cow dark haired. And when he had settled in the cave, he called back his Friars Minor. "Go into the village," he told them. "Invite all here. Tell them that here in the cave there's a surprise for them" .The monks did as he had told them. When they all arrived at the cave, Francis called a woman and made her kneel, like Mary, beside the manger. Then she called a man and had him stand next to Mary, like Joseph. Finally, Francis began to sing. Sang the story of the first Christmas, and people of Greccio was moved and wept to hear that God had chosen a poor woman, even the poorest of them, to give birth to their son, Ges첫. The story could end there, if not It has been for a brother named John, who had once been a knight. But then he met Francis and, following his example, had renounced his wealth to live in poverty, and doing good works .. While Francis sang the story of the first Christmas, it was John who saw something, and full of wonder He shouted: "Look there is a child in the manger." It was a miracle? It was a vision sent to him by God? No one knows. But when the people of Greccio he heard that John had seen the baby lying in the manger in Bethlehem, there was 62

nothing that could contain the joy. So Saint Francis and all the inhabitants of Greccio passed the whole night singing their praises to God.

Religious Christmas Traditions in Italy Christmas without a nativity scene is not Christmas. At least in Naples, home par excellence of scenic reconstruction of the night of Bethlehem. In the houses of Campania (region of Italy where Naples is the main city) the crib is a symbol that stands halfway between religion and tradition, a rite with an extremely thin line between the sacred and the folklore. This rite extends from the houses to the whole community often involved in large staging that transform towns, villages, fractions in stages in which it plays the flow of life around the grotto where Christ was born, ideally translated into a “setting” that recalls the history, traditions, habits of the surrounding places. Living nativity scenes and pageants, in Italian “presepi viventi”, are quite common in Italy. Living nativity scenes are usually presented for several days, thanks to the fact that many people in Italy enjoy wearing a costume and act out the parts of the nativity. In many parts of Italy living nativity scenes have become a secular tradition. Here some examples: 1) Greccio (Umbria) is the place where St. Francis of Assisicreated in 1223 the first nativity scene ever seen in the world. This happened one year after he visited Bethlehem and saw where the stable was, where it was thought that Jesus was born. For this reason, Greccio has become today the most famous seat for historical re-enactment of the nativity. 2) Custonaci is a small Sicilian town, and Sicily is a region with a great tradition of living nativity scenes. During Christmas holidays, a small area of Custonaci known as “Borgo Scurati” is transformed into a copy of the Holy Land, and the air is filled with the sounds of Christmas. 3) Dogliani, in Piedmont, and Varese, in Lombardia, are probably the most famous towns for living nativity scenes in the North of Italy. Each town re-enacts its own version of the nativity scene, sometimes over several days, usually on Christmas Day, December 26, January 6 and on the day of the Epiphany, when the three Wise Men, the Magi, brought their gifts to baby Jesus. Salerno (2nd city in Campania) ‘Luci d’Artista’ – Festival of lights This city welcomes you, until the end of January, for this marvellous event which attracts millions of people. A spectacular exhibition through the streets, the squares and the corners of Salerno where fantasy takes form through lights, leaving everyone with bated breath.

Enchanted gardens, the most popular fairytales, the planetary constellations and celestial phenomena, the charms of the East, circus evolutions, sails and the sea. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Luci dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Artistaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; celebrates creativity and imagination, transporting visitors into an enchanted universe.

Secular Christmas Celebrations in Italy BEFANA In Italian folklore, Befana is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5) in a similar way to St Nicholas or Santa Claus. A popular belief is that her name derives from the Feast of Epiphany or in Italian La Festa dell'Epifania. Epiphania (Epiphany in English) is a Latin word with Greek origins. In popular folklore Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany to fill their shoes with candy and presents if they are good. Or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. To some the sweeping meant the sweeping away of the problems of the year. The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food, often regional or local, for the Befana. She is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through the chimney. She is often smiling and carries a bag or hamper filled with candy, gifts, or both. Traditionally, all Italian children may expect to find a lump of "coal" in their stockings (actually rock candy made black with caramel coloring), as every child has been at least occasionally bad during the year. Three places in Italy are nowadays associated with the Befana tradition: • Piazza Navona in central Rome is the site of a popular market each year between Christmas and the Epiphany, where toys, sugar charcoal and other candies are on sale. • The town of Urbania in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino within the Marche, where the national Befana festival is held each year, usually between January 2 and 6. A "house of the Befana" is scheduled to be built and the post office has a mailbox reserved for letters addressed to the Befana, mirroring what happens with Santa Claus in Rovaniemi. • In Fornovo di Taro a little town by Parma the national meeting "Raduno Nazionale delle Befane e dei Befani" is held the 5th and 6 January. Poems and songs

There are poems about Befana, which are known in slightly different versions throughout Italy. Here is one of the versions: La Befana vien di notte Con le scarpe tutte rotte Col vestito alla romana Viva, Viva La Befana!

The English translation is: The Befana comes by night With her shoes all tattered and torn She comes dressed in the Roman way Long live the Befana!

How We Celebrate Christmas In POLAND 69

Special Christmas Dates in Poland - 29 November – Start of the Advent - 6 December – Saint Nicolaus (! not Santa Claus !).

-24 December – Christmas Eve Supper. -25 December – Christmas – the main solemn mass in the church.

-26 December – St. Stephen’s day. -27 December – St. John’s day. -6 January – Epiphany, in Poland known as Three Kings’ Day.

-2 February – Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, in Poland known also as the Candlemass Day – the end of Christmas period in Poland.

How we prepare for Christmas in Poland The time before Christmas in Poland is called Advent. Advent in 2015 began on November 29 and lasted for 4 consecutive Sundays. It is the time to wait for the birth of Jesus Christ and the period of reminiscent waiting for his second coming. One of the most characteristic elements of Advent is the special mass called “roraty”. These masses are in honor of the Virgin Mary. The “Roraty” Mass begins when it is still dark. In Kraczkowa it is about 6 in the morning. Several children and the majority of employees from our Kindergarten regularly participate in these Masses. Other well-known symbols of this period include among others, the Advent wreath, decorated with four candles, which symbolize the four Sundays of Advent and the lantern that lights in the church during the first part of the mass, when the lights in church are switched off. Advent is a time for reflection, prayer and joyful expectation of the birth of Jesus. At the same time we prepare for Christmas undertaking Special Christmas Cleaning. We try to finish all works in backyards, we organize great family cleaning of our homes, we clean up graves of our relatives in

cemeteries. Everything should be done and ready before Christmas. Clean homes and backyards are then decorated with Christmas decorations. It happens also in our Kindergarten – we decorate our classes, we decorate Christmas Trees. It is extremely nice also when we can smell at home the scent of pastries and other baked goods.

Christmas Traditions in Poland The Christmas Eve evening is the most special and touching evening of the year in the Polish tradition. It is the great final after long period of Adventâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expectancy. Everything is already prepared, everything is finished, cleaned and everyone is already impatient (especially children) for the great final. The main part of this evening is a very special and solemn Christmas Eve Supper. The whole big family gathers together. The table is covered with a white tablecloth with pieces of hay under it to remind us of the crib where Jesus lay after His birth. The table is decorated and also has candles and the Advent wreath. Traditionally there should be 12 dishes on this supper and they are all meatless. Most dishes are very special and they are prepared only once during the whole year, just for this Supper. The Supper begins with a common prayer. Then all persons share among themselves pieces of special Christmas wafer, breaking this wafer, granting good wishes with this occasion. During the Supper we remember, in a very special way, those who could not be present together with us, especially those who are abroad. Usually we also prepare an empty chair and plates for any unexpected guest. This space can also remind us of deceased family members. Usually the Christmas Eve Supper begins with the first star that appears in the sky. In the middle of the night we go to the church for a Midnight Nativity Mass. According to the tradition, it commemorates the arrival of shepherds to Bethlehem and their homage to the newborn Messiah. An integral part of the Christmas Eve Supper and the whole Christmas time is singing Carols. There are lots of carols; some of them go back to the very deep past, sometimes to the middle ages. On the other side we have some universal carols known well also in other countries, like for instance, Silent night. Another tradition is connected with Christmas Nativity Scenes. There are sometimes very big and sophisticated Scenes arranged in churches. Beautiful masterpieces of Christmas Nativity Scenes are prepared in Krakow. They are very unique, made with some inspirations to the architecture of the historic buildings of Krakow. But at the same time we create also small Christmas Nativity Scenes at our homes. We make them also in our Kindergarten together with children.

Special Christmas Food in Poland

The main tradition connected with special food is linked to the Christmas Eve Supper. All in all, there should be 12 dishes served during the dinner, which stand for 12 apostles. The first course is soup. It is either beetroot soup with mushroom-filled little dumplings, sour rye soup (white borscht), or mushroom soup. Then the dinner continues with pierogi with various fillings and fish (especially carp) that may be fried or served cold in gelatin. Other traditional Christmas Eve dishes are cabbage with peas and kutia, a dessert made of poppy seed, wheat grain and honey. According to the Polish tradition dishes for the Christmas Eve Supper should be meatless and without the use of animal fats. At the table there should be one additional plate for an unexpected guest. After the dinner, people traditionally open their Christmas presents and sing Christmas carols.

Traditional Tales Told at Christmas in Poland Christmas traditions are very important in Poland, and also in Kraczkowa. As Kraczkowa’s Church has Saint Nicolaus as its patron it is still more important. We try to remember the true and real tradition of Saint Nicolaus and bring this tradition against commercial and secular vision of Santa Claus with its big belly, red nose, naughty elves and “ho ho ho” guffaw. And how it really was? Nicholas, Bishop of Myra was born around year 270 in Patara that nowadays is located in Turkey. From an early age Nicholas was very pious and eager to help the poor, which was so much easier because his parents were very wealthy people. One day, Nicholas learned that one of the residents of Patara fell into poverty. He had three daughters but through unexpected lack of money they could not marry. One night, when all people were sleeping, Nicholas threw a pouch with money through the window, which protected them from poverty and enabled them to get married. When he was a bishop he became famous among the faithful as a benefactor and a zealous pastor. We preserve this vision of Saint Nicolaus in Kraczkowa, also in our Kindergarten.

Religious Christmas Traditions in Poland Religious Christmas Traditions start with period of Advent. The most important feature of this period is connected with restraint from joyful parties. It is rather time of silence, reflection and expectance. In Kraczkowa very important moment is on 6 th of December when Saint Nicolaus (! not Santa Claus !) visits us and gives us presents. In Kraczkowa it’s a feast in our parish St. Nicolaus Church. On this day we have a parish festival. There are lots of celebrations during Advent time in church to attend including special “Roraty” morning mass. Then, during Christmas time, people fast in the day of Christmas Eve, they have later their Christmas Eve Supper with all religious attributes and finally they go to church to attend in Midnight Nativity Mass. During days of Christmas every day there are special celebrations in church. Very important tradition is connected with Carolers. They wander during the period of Christmas across village, dressed in special costumes, visiting our houses. They sing Christmas carols, play little scenes and ask for small gifts. On 6th of January there is special blessing of white chalk and incense herbs in this day. After the mass we all write on external doors of our homes the first letters of Three Mags and actual year with this blessed chalk and we burn blessed incense herbs letting the incense smoke spread thorough all interior of our homes. The end of Christmas time is on 2nd of February – Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, in Poland known also as the Candlemass Day. On this day, during the mass, the priest gives a special blessing to candlemasses. We take those special candles homes. We use them in special moments. There is also a tradition to light this candle in moments of danger, for instance during storms.

Secular Christmas Celebrations in Poland Christmas time in Poland is very special also for those who do not follow Christian traditions.

The most important feature is very unique decorations. Cities, towns and villages are full of Christmas lights, Christmas decorations and motives. Shops and commercial centres are full of insistent Christmas promotions, Christmas carols can be heard from everywhere, Santa Clauses are walking on the streets giving sweets to children. There are still lots of people who follow the tradition of sending cards with Christmas wishes during this period by traditional mail, although new techniques, like SMS and e-mail, are getting more and more popular. During Christmas time Carolers, dressed in special costumes, visit our houses. They sing Christmas carols, play little scenes and ask for small gifts. Gifts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this is what everyone is waiting for in this period. Either on 6th of December Santa Claus brings his gifts close to beds and/or on 24th of December (in some homes St. Nicolaus or Santa Claus) brings gifts leaving them under the Christmas tree.