Your Christmas Traditions

[Merika]

-Strange Christmas Traditions Around The World

In Italy they have no Christmas trees, instead they decorate small
wooden pyramids with fruit.

In Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela, it is customary for the
streets to be blocked off on Christmas eve so that the people can
roller-skate to church.

An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on
Ukrainian Christmas trees. A spider web found on Christmas morning is
believed to bring good luck.

It is a British Christmas tradition that a wish made while mixing the
Christmas pudding will come true only if the ingredients are stirred in
a clockwise direction.

A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig
prepared with mustard.

Sending red Christmas cards to anyone in Japan constitutes bad
etiquette, since funeral notices there are customarily printed in red.

In Norway on Christmas Eve, all the brooms in the house are hidden
because long ago it was believed that witches and mischievous spirits
came out on Christmas Eve and would steal their brooms for riding.
-------------------------------------
In my family we do the Advent Candle Wreath where we start with 4 candles....lighting an additional one each Sunday as it gets closer to Christmas. We sing carols. After the candle is blown our....St. Nick leaves a candy surprise and maybe something more. My Mom always did this....so I'm assuming it is a German tradition. I've never met anyone else who did this.

What are some of your Christmas traditions?

[Duke]

I feel sorry for myself. I'm hoping that all changes this Christmas.

[dogula]

I sacrifice a sheep every day in december.

[Duke]

I thought you did that year round ;-)

[dogula]

The sheep are too sacred to sacrifice all year, I use goats for the rest of the year.

[Duke]

lmao

that explains his crackly voice.

[Star]

we don't sacrifice sheep or anything like that. we're simple people. :wink:

I get the kids pajamas that they get to open up on x-mas eve so they wake up with new jammies in the morning. They finally caught on to that a couple years ago.

We go to gerry's side of that family's x-mas on the x-mas eve and open presents up there at midnight so it's a really long night. then, we have x-mas with my side of the family on x-mas day and open presents up there and be home by 8 pm. This year, my brother's holding it. He has the biggest house so we elected him.

I'm the happiest when x-mas is done and over with. It's such a hectic time for us that we're happy that it's over with so we can relax.

[Meanon]

Xmas traditions in the meanon household:

Carrot (for Rudolph) and mince pie and alcohol (for Santa) left out on Xmas eve (crumbs/nibbled carrot to be left as evidence)

Xmas stockings in bed for all (including adults) on Xmas morning.

Dancing to Xmas Top of the Pops (TV music programme)

Xmas school disco

Xmas party for friends and their kids (must have pass the parcel)

Fireworks

Panto

A post New Year pretend Xmas take 2 with best friend to ward off those post hols blues.

Some Romanian traditions:

-kids go singing Christmas carolls to their friends or people they know. They receive a symbolic sum of money for it. Sometimes the singers are given hot drinks, including warm red wine(sorry, English slip: we boil the wine with sugar and cinnemon and drink it when it's really cold. Sometimes we add orange peel for the flavour). That means that there's a lot of door-bell rings very early.

In the North of the country, mainly at the mountain, traditions are better kept. My ex was from there and we had some incredible winter holidays everytime we went there.

That means teen agers or youn people can go Christmas carolling too, but to their own friends exclusively. Such trips can last for days, they sleep together, eat whenever they're invited. Gifts aren't that popular, it's the partying and the singing that are the main attraction.

I'm talking about true performances here: traditional songs and dances like bears' song and goats' song. And the kids dress up like a band: one is doctor, one is a officer investigating (lots of gadgets,grandpa's decoration, cap, shiny belts), one is the drummer, etc etc. Kids love it!!!!

http://www.folkromania.com/cms/artic...tions/december

Here's how our carrols sound like:

http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Boardroom/3139/

"Here come the Carol Singers" is quite special. You'll recognise Santa Claus's White Locks, LOOL



Saint Nicholas: don't know if you keep this tradition. It's a Saint (6 december) who puts gifts in the shoes of those children who were good all year. Meaning that all 5 december when I were a child I'd polish and shine ALL my boots. Gifts are found in the shoes in the morning.

St Nicholas is also famous in Romania for his wand. Naughty children know this wand since their parents threaten to use it to spank them if they don't behave.


Oh and we celebrate New Year's Eve twice (ancient Orthodox calendar). And right before New Years Eve, it's parents who go Christmas carolling. I could hardly believe, my ex's mom was divorced, she'd take off with her friends and leave us home... Too cool...

I'll shut up now!

[Merika]

OH Twinkle...That was such a COOL post!



December 4: St. Varvara
December 4-5: “Bubatâ€Â� Days
December 6: St. Nicholas
December 12: St. Spiridon
December 20: the “Ignatâ€Â�
December 24: Christmas Eve
December 25: Christmas
December 27: St. Stephan
December 31 / January 1: St. Vasile’s Eve, New Year night


Now if Meanon and I were Rumanian....we could drink on EVERY occasion!
(Well...wait....I guess we do that anyway! HAHA!)

[twinkle]

Oh, some people are indeed very "busy" that period of time. And the closer Christmas gets, the more people fall into this.. trance, hihihi.

[darkangelism]

I watch "A Christmas Story" on christmas eve...i hate that movie, cause i have seen it so many times. This year I dont go home until christmas eve, so i dont have to do any prechristmasy things...christmas is not my favorite holiday.

[Stone]

i love the christmas story

[Duke]

I've never seen A Christmas Story.