 |
| |
As the holiday season nears, I was thinking that it might be interesting to
ask what are the different holiday traditions in your country? What do they
call St. Nick/Santa Claus there? Are there any interesting New Year's
traditions? Here in the United States, there's nothing particulary unique that I can
think of. Lots of shopping, families gather together. Santa Claus lives at
the North Pole, well you know what I mean families sometimes attend
church services on Christmas Eve, christmas carols are sung, people decorate
their houses sometimes in elaborate lighting. In Jewish households,
Hannukah observances are held. Also, some Latin American traditions
are beginning to gain in popularity, at least near the Mexican border.
There is something where a group of people will walk down city streets in
commemoration of the birth of Christ, the name of the tradition escapes me.
Anyway, that's about all I can think of. What are some of the traditions in
Europe? |
| |
 |
| |
-All of December is full of "julefrokoster" (lit. Christmas/yule
lunches) where people get together with colleagues and friends and eat
a lot of traditional Danish Christmas food (pickled herrings, various
dishes made out of pork, and "ris à l'amande" ['Ri:sælæmaN] (rice
pudding with cherry sauce) and drink a lot of the strong Danish
"juleøl" (beer) and "snaps" (vodka with caraway taste). On 24th December in the afternoon, a lot of people go to church (even
those who normally don't), and in the evening, people eat with their
families (duck, goose or pork, or more recently turkey). After
dinner, the "juletræ" is lighted, and people walk around it while they
sing Christmas carols. The Christmas presents have been placed under
the tree in advance, and when people (esp. the children) feel they
have sung enough, they open the presents. There are no special traditions for the 25th, but in the days after
Christmas (i.e., 25th-27th), people often visit the family with whom
they couldn't be on the 24th, and they eat a "julefrokost" together
The traditional food is boiled cod. Most people watch the Queen's
speech early in the evening and "The 90th Birthday" (an old German
program with two British actors) somewhat later. The new year starts
when the Copenhagen city-hall bells toll (this is of course broadcast
in television and radio). -In France, Thanksgiving doesn't exist and Christmas Eve ("le Réveillon")
is the one occasion where families gather together, getting great big good
dinner: traditionally foie gras, white sausage, turkey cooked with
chestnuts, often also smoked salmon, lobsters or... lobsters (Note:
I'm amazed to see from my dictionary that there is no distinction in
English beetween "un homard" and "une langouste" ; both are said to be
"a lobster" while these are two different crustaceans ; both succulent,
but very different). Many sweets, cakes and desserts. In Southern France, they use to eat thirteen
different desserts on that night. Of course, we drink good wines (ideally
Sauternes with foie gras, red wine with turkey, dry white wines with
salmon and lobsters... and Champagne ! (we can also drink Champagne only
all the night long). Well, children drink syrups and juices, of course.
When it is late and children are asleep, adults give presents one to
another. |
| |
 |
|
| |
| |
