Sharing holiday traditions International holiday traditions

Bonn · Bonn's international community is full of wonderful Christmas traditions from all over the world and we at GA want to hear from you. All entries will go into a drawing for a special prize. The GA-English team kicks off by sharing holiday traditions from our home countries.

 Santa Claus and his reindeers are the heroes of Christmas.

Santa Claus and his reindeers are the heroes of Christmas.

Foto: Fotolia

Christmas in Minnesota

In Florida it may be beach weather but in Minnesota, it is frosty cold and the ground is normally covered with snow at Christmas time. American Christmas traditions are as varied as the weather patterns that envelope the vast country. As a child of the midwest, we grew up with cold winters and living rooms made cozy by Christmas trees decorated with a variety of ornaments, bulbs and lights. Whether real or artificial, big or small, most families have a Christmas tree in their homes several weeks before Christmas. Many hang mistletoe over the door - and the saying goes that if a woman is standing under the mistletoe, she may be kissed. It’s rather strategic.

Santa Claus and his reindeers are the heroes of Christmas in the U.S. All girls and boys know they will be put on the “naughty or nice” list depending on how they have behaved throughout the year. On Christmas Eve, many children leave out milk and cookies for Santa, who will come down through the chimney to deliver presents - but only when the children are in bed sleeping. Santa is known to fly around the entire country with Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer and team, delivering presents to every household. Now that is quite a feat - but it’s part of the magic of Christmas.

For many, a visit to a local shopping mall to have a picture taken with Santa is also a tradition. Long lines and reluctant children are part of the deal - but the photo makes for humorous childhood memories later. A shopping frenzy follows and it seems that every bottle of perfume, body lotion or wine opener is wearing a Santa hat or reindeer antlers. In the midwest, there is a thing about Christmas sweaters - even “ugly Christmas sweater competitions”. Meanwhile, children watch Christmas movies at home and kitchens are filled with Christmas cookies in the making - with chocolate, nuts, butter, frosting, coconut and many other delicious ingredients.

Presents are stacked one by one under the tree and in many families, children open their presents on Christmas eve. Never mind that Santa hasn’t yet had a chance to hurry down the chimney. On Christmas morning, the stocking which “they hung on the chimney with care” is filled with even more goodies. For many families in the midwest, midnight mass is also a tradition, although those with young children opt for mass on Christmas day. A highlight is seeing the nativity display at church - Baby Jesus in the manger surrounded by Joseph and Mary and lots of animals. Especially for the many religious, this is the most meaningful of all the traditions.

A British Christmas

While lots of British Christmas traditions have Christian or even pagan roots, several were popularised by the Royal Family. We have Queen Victoria’s German consort Albert to thank for mainstreaming the Christmas tree, leading Charles Dickens to refer to it as “that pretty German toy.” Their German roots also mean the Royals exchange gifts on 24 December and not on 25 December like the rest of us.

On Christmas Eve, many people attend a church service. Children put a stocking at the end of their bed for Father Christmas to fill and leave a carrot under the tree for his reindeer and a glass of milk, or perhaps something more alcoholic, for the man himself. After all, delivering all those gifts is thirsty work.

In the run up to the big day, families in the UK often see a pantomime. These are very hard to explain to a non-Brit, but here goes: the plot is based on a nursery rhyme or fairy story; the lead male is played by a woman; the lead female is played by a man; and there is loads of audience participation. No, it doesn’t make any sense, but we love them!

Of course, food is key to a UK Christmas and preparations begin early. A good British Christmas cake, richly spiced and full of dried fruit, is best made a couple of months before Christmas and then fed regularly with alcohol before being iced. The Christmas pudding –another dried fruit concoction– is traditionally made on the last Sunday before Advent, known as Stir Up Sunday. All the family give the pudding a stir and make a wish for the year ahead. A coin is often included in the mixture, hopefully bringing good luck and not a broken tooth on Christmas Day. Before being served, the pudding is doused in brandy and then set alight, making for a spectacular end to the Christmas meal.

The traditional Christmas lunch is turkey and “all the trimmings” (too numerous to mention here) followed by the flaming pud. Everyone gets a cracker – a sort of cardboard tube wrapped up like a sweet – which he pulls with his neighbour. These usually contain a particularly bad joke and a paper crown, which you must then wear: it’s Christmas after all.

Replete from a supremely rich meal, it’s then traditional to watch the Queen addressing the nation in her televised Christmas speech followed by another repeat of another James Bond movie and perhaps a few family games. Then it’s off to bed to sleep off all that food before tackling the leftovers on Boxing Day. (Carol Kloeppel, Kate Carey)

We would like to hear about your Christmas memories and traditions - from your corner of the world. Please send us your stories of Christmas, your traditions and include a photo if possible to stayintouch@ga.de. All submissions will be entered in a drawing for a special prize (tickets for Beethoven Orchestra, 5 restaurant guides) and some will be featured in a story to be published by General-Anzeiger English.

Meistgelesen
Neueste Artikel
Zum Thema
Aus dem Ressort