Christmas celebrities

Christmas celebrities

In France, Christmas is always called 'Noël. Everyone has a Christmas tree, sometimes decorated in the old way with red ribbons and real white wax candles. Fir trees in the garden are often decorated with lights on all night.

Germany: 

Germans love to decorate their houses for Christmas. Many houses will have little wooden frames holding electric candles in the windows, and colored pictures of paper or plastic which look beautiful from the outside at night. Often they will have a 'Adventskranz' - a wreath of leaves with four candles. (Advent - meaning 'coming' - is the 4-week period before Christmas). On each Sunday in Advent, is another light turned on. Most homes will also have little wooden 'cribs' - a small model of the stable where Jesus was born, with Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, and animals.

Latvia: 

Latvians believe that Father Christmas brings presents on each of the 12 days of Christmas starting on Christmas Eve. Usually the gifts are put under the family Christmas tree. (What a good idea to spread Christmas out longer!) It was in Latvia, the first Christmas tree was decorated. For more infromation see the first Christmas tree. The special Latvian Christmas Day meal is cooked brown peas with bacon (pork) sauce, small pies, cabbage and sausage.

New Zealand: 

Lou from DownUnder writes: Christmas starts for us with gifts under the tree to be opened Christmas morning. So at a Christmas party, either at home or at their place. Turkey or chicken with all the trimmings is eaten, so come tea time, it is a Bar-BQ with friends and family to meet and have a few beers or wine with dinner! 

Romania: 

People from Transylvania serve stuffed cabbage on Christmas Eve, and the next day for lunch. Most likely reason for this custom is that stuffed cabbage is the best on the second and third days after it was boiled. Moms can cook one day earlier, leaving more time for decorating and organizing. Very practical.

On 25 December, attended the entire family, church and ate stuffed cabbage for lunch.

Russia:

In the days of the Soviet Union was not celebrate Christmas much. New Year was the important time - when 'Father Frost' brought presents to children. With the fall of Communism, Christmas can be openly celebrated - either on 25 December, or more often on January 7th. This unusual date is because the Russian Orthodox Church uses the old 'Julian' calendar for religious celebration days. Special Christmas food includes cakes, pies and 'meat dumplings'.

USA: 

U.S. is so multicultural that you will find many ways to celebrate July A friend writes about Christmas meals, "Our family (Eastern European origin) favor turkey with crew. My grandparents and their relatives preferred keilbasi (Polish sausage), cabbage dishes and soups. My husband's Italian family insisted on lasagna! "

Another American reader wrote in with the following: 

Advent is celebrated in almost all Catholics and main line Protestant churches. I was RC until I was 15 when my grandparents were and we always followed the four weeks of preparation before Christmas in our worship. I found the same to be true in my father's Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, my friend's United Methodist Church, my sister's Presbyterian USA congregations, and for me as a member and pastor of United Church of Christ in the last 16 years. We also acknowledge the Epiphany in the general Protestant churches. On the first Sunday after January 6th our service tells again the story of the wise men who came to Jesus present their gifts after his birth. As a child, I fondly remember leaving carrots and sugar for all the reindeer, along the milk and cookies for Santa.