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Post by Greg C. on Dec 1, 2007 22:51:13 GMT -5
The Netherlands and BelgiumSinterklaasavond (St. Nicholas evening) remains more important in the Netherlands than Christmas, although in recent years, the Dutch have started to celebrate Christmas Eve with Santa as well. This sparks minor controversy each year over when it is "appropriate" to start celebrating Christmas, with shopkeepers preferring to start the lucrative Christmas season immediately after Sinterklaasavond (sometimes putting up decorations even earlier) while others argue that the "foreign" and "commercial" Christmas impinges too much on the traditional Sinterklaas celebrations. Considering the ancestry of Santa Claus, it has truly been said that Sinterklaas is in competition with himself here. The present-giver in children's folklore in The Netherlands and Belgium is a Santa-ish character called Sinterklaas or Sint Nicolaas. Like Father Christmas in Germany, Sinterklaas is often accompanied by a black helper named Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) who punishes disobedient children. Sinterklaas wears a tall bishop's hat and carries a crooked staff. He is said to reside in Spain, and in mid-November he arrives by steamboat, an event which is often acted out in the many coastal communities of the Low Countries. Dutch children leave their shoes out on many nights in the run-up to the actual celebration, to find them filled with small treats in the morning. December 5 (The Netherlands) and December 6 (Belgium) are traditionally recognized as the main gift-giving days of the Low Countries, with December 25 being a lower-key, more religious event. In recent years Dutch and Belgian cultures have also incorporated Santa Claus into their traditions, with him and Sinterklaas being recognized as two distinct characters. Walloons call Sint Nicolaas Saint Nicolas and Zwarte Piet Père Fouettard (Whipping Father). Christians and a large amount of people having a Christian background go to church for Christmas. The Roman-catholic service is on Christmas eve, the Protestant churches in the Netherlands have their Christmas service on 25 December. This service is normally kept somewhat simpler compared to normal services, with more attention to the children and the singing of famous old Christmas hymns. Since the end of the 20th centuries, some Protestant churches also have services on Christmas eve. Due to the high amount of church abandoning during the last few centuries, a lot of old churches have been closed. However, the amount of people that want to visit a church service with Christmas seems to be as large as several years ago. Therefore, the remaining churches become too small to accommodate all the attendants with Christmas.
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Post by Greg C. on Dec 1, 2007 22:52:02 GMT -5
Spain Calle Porta de l'Angel , at christmas time, Barcelona, SpainIn Spain, people sing and dance in the streets after midnight mass. Most homes and churches display a Nativity scene. Children put their shoes in the window on January 5 in hopes that the three wise men deliver them presents.
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Post by Greg C. on Dec 1, 2007 22:52:55 GMT -5
France Christmas decorations at Champs-Élysées in Paris, FranceChristmas in France is celebrated mainly in a religious manner, though some secular ways of celebrating the holiday also exist. Children put their shoes by the fireplace so Père Noël (Father Christmas) can give them gifts. Many French families also decorate their homes with Nativity Scenes depicting the birth of Jesus. Many families attend midnight mass. Some people put additional Santons (little saints) in their nativity scenes, which are bought at special Christmas fairs before the holidays.
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Post by Greg C. on Dec 1, 2007 22:53:34 GMT -5
Ireland
Christmas in Ireland is the largest celebration of the year and lasts from 24 December to 6 January, although many may view 8 December as being the start of the season as it is the traditional Christmas shopping day in Ireland due to all schools being closed. It plays an extremely important role in both religious and secular aspects of Irish life.
Although religious devotion in Ireland today is considerably less than it used to be, there are huge attendances at religious services for Christmas Day, the most popular service by far being Midnight Mass. Most families get their deceased relatives prayed for at these Masses as it is a time of remembering the dead in Ireland. It is traditional to decorate graves at Christmas with a wreath made of holly and ivy. Even in the most un-devout of homes in Ireland the traditional crib takes centre-piece along with the Christmas tree as part of the family's decorations.
In the secular side of Irish society, Christmas is the biggest event of the year. Almost the entire workforce is finished by lunchtime on Christmas Eve or often a few days beforehand. Christmas Day and St. Stephen's Day are public holidays and many people do not return to work until after New Year's Day. Irish people spend more and more money each year on celebrating Christmas. In 2006, the total amount spent in Ireland to celebrate Christmas was €16 billion[11], which averages at approximately €4,000 for every single person in the country.
Santa Claus, known in Ireland simply as Santy or Daidí na Nollag in Irish, brings presents to children in Ireland, which are opened on Christmas morning. Family and friends also give each other gifts at Christmas. The traditional Christmas dinner consists of turkey and ham with a selection of vegetables and a variety of potatoes, as potatoes still act as a staple food in Ireland despite the popularization of staples such as rice and pasta. Dessert is a very rich selection of Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, and mince pies with equally rich sauces such as brandy butter.
Christmas celebrations in Ireland finish with the celebration of Little Christmas on 6 January. This festival, which coincides with the Epiphany, is also known as Women's Christmas in Cork.
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Post by Greg C. on Dec 1, 2007 22:54:45 GMT -5
United Kingdom Christmas Tree and Carolers at Trafalgar Square in London, UKIn the United Kingdom the traditions are quite similar to those of Australia, North America and New Zealand, and all other commonwealth traditions as they stemmed from Britain. Christmas is very special to many Britons, as it is a mainly religious festival, that everyone can enjoy. The Christmas season starts at Advent, where holly wreaths are made with three pink, one pink and one purple candle, however many shops sell christmas decorations beforehand, and lasts until 6 January, as it is considered bad luck to have Christmas decorations up after this date. On Christmas Eve, presents are delivered in stockings and under the Christmas tree by Father Christmas, who previously had been something like The Ghost of Christmas Present in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, but has now become mainly conflated with Santa Claus. The two names are now used interchangeably and equally known to British people, but Father Christmas tends to be used more often, and some distinctive features still remain. Many families tell their children traditional christmas stories, about Father Christmas and his reindeer. One main tradition is to put out a plate of Carrots (for the reindeer) and Mince pies and sherry for Father Christmas, to help him on his way. On Christmas Day, nearly the whole population has the day off to be with their family and friends, so they can gather around for a traditional Christmas meal, which is mainly a turkey or other meats, along with cranberries, parsnips, roast potatoes, quite like the Sunday roast, followed by a Christmas Pudding. After or sometimes during the meal, Christmas crackers are often pulled containing toys, jokes and a paper hat. Another tradition is Carol singing, where many carols are sung by children on people's doorsteps, to raise money, and professional choirs or groups. Others traditions include sending Christmas cards to friends and family. On the whole, although Christmas has become a bit commercialised, the British christmas is still very traditional. In public, most shops have decorations and lights, especially in town centres, where the whole community chips in, even in Indian and Chinese restaurants. Churches and Cathedrals across the country hold masses, with many people, going to midnight mass, or a service on Christmas morning. Even though church attendance has been falling over the decades, many people who don't go to church often think it is still important to go on Christmas, so Church attendance increases significantly. Notably, for Catholics, it is one of the main Holy Days of Obligation. Christmas in Scotland was traditionally observed very quietly, because the Church of Scotland - a Presbyterian Church - never placed any great emphasis on the Christmas festival, for various reasons. Hogmanay is traditionally the largest celebration in Scotland, as a result Christmas Day was a normal working day in Scotland until the 1960s and even into the 1970s in some areas. The gift-giving, public holidays and feasting associated with mid-winter were held between the 31 December and 2 January rather than between 24 December and 26 December. However, since the 1980s, and the fading of the Church's influence as well as influences from outside Scotland due to immigration and the media, Christmas and related festivities are now on a par with Hogmanay and "Ne'erday". Christmas lights on Regent Street, London, EnglandMany London and provincial theatres have a tradition of "putting on" a Christmas pantomime for children. The pantomime stories are traditionally based on popular children's stories such as Little Red Riding Hood and Aladdin, rather than being directly concerned with the Christmas story as such, although there is sometimes a link. Television is widely watched: for many television networks, Christmas Day is the most important day of the year in terms or ratings. Many Britons still watch the Queen's annual Christmas message. The Celebration of Boxing Day on the day after Christmas Day is a tradition practiced in the UK. It is a bank holiday, and if it happens to fall on a weekend, then a special bank holiday Monday will occur.
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Post by Greg C. on Dec 1, 2007 22:55:15 GMT -5
Nigeria
Christmas Day, not a public holiday, is celebrated mainly in the southern and eastern parts of Nigeria. Nigerians have special traditions they employ to celebrate Christmas. Almost everyone goes to church on Christmas Day. Weeks before the day, people buy lots of hens, turkeys, goats and cows. Children hover around the beasts, taunting, and mostly gawking at them. There are feverish preparations for travel, holiday, and exchange of gifts, caroling and all manner of celebration.
On Christmas Eve, traditional meals are prepared. In Yoruba, such meals usually include Iyan, (pounded yam) eba or amala, served with peppery stewed vegetables. People find themselves eating this same meal three to four times on that day, as they are offered it at every house they visit; and according to Yorùbá customs, it was considered rude to decline to eat when offered food. Other meals include rice served with chicken stew, which is a bit similar to the Indian curry stew. Some families would include a delicacy called Moin-moin; which is blended black eyed beans, mixed with vegetable oil and diced liver, prawns, chicken, fish and beef. The concoction is then wrapped in large leaves and then steamed until cooked.
Another tradition is that of decorating homes (compounds) and churches with both woven and unwoven palm fronds, Christmas trees and Christmas lights. There are the festive jubilations on the streets, the loud crackling of fireworks and luminous starry fire crackers going off, traditional masquerades on stilts parading about and children milling about displaying their best clothes, or Christmas presents. There are no other celebrations that compare to Christmas festivities in Nigeria, where everyone can personalize their own festival, and one family’s gusto merges with others; both physically and psychologically, creating a universe of fun and bonhomie.
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Post by Greg C. on Dec 1, 2007 22:57:25 GMT -5
Well, I hope you all enjoyed the Christmas world tour! Please take time for the many high-resolution photos to load and also take time to read the many pages of fun information. I have to admit, I didnt read every article but when it gets closer to December 25, I'm going to take my time and read every one of them!
(Please, if you have any photos or comments/stories to add, please feel free to do so!)
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Post by neferetus on Dec 2, 2007 23:20:25 GMT -5
Hey Hans, I have some photos of Kaj Andersen and his family dancing around their Cristmas tree, hand in hand. It says a little further back that this is a Danish tradition.
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Post by seguin on Dec 2, 2007 23:37:34 GMT -5
It sure is! We do it every year in my family too. We dance around the Christmas tree hand in hand singing various Christmas Carols. Later on we open the presents which have been laying under the tree. I don´t know if this dancing tradition only applies to Denmark or if it´s common in other countries too. Btw, it´s on Christmas eve, the 24th...
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Post by neferetus on Dec 3, 2007 0:50:17 GMT -5
I couldn't find the photo. I was going to scan it. Isn't that just the way it goes? If I wasn't looking for it, I would run across it by accident.
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Post by neferetus on Dec 3, 2007 0:51:48 GMT -5
Here's a church in the Philippines that sorta reminds me of you know what.
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Post by neferetus on Dec 6, 2007 20:26:16 GMT -5
It's December the 6th, St. Nicholas Day! In Czechoslovakia, kids would receive presents on this day in honor of the benevolent saint.
Does anyone else out there celebrate the day?
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Post by Greg C. on Dec 6, 2007 20:45:09 GMT -5
A friend from a Rangers board just told me he got gifts yesterday for St. Nicholas Day...
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Post by neferetus on Dec 9, 2007 11:29:08 GMT -5
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Post by Greg C. on Dec 9, 2007 12:03:42 GMT -5
If there was ever a picture posted to wanna make you put your fist through the monitor, those were it....
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Post by neferetus on Dec 9, 2007 18:45:32 GMT -5
Luminarias line the San Antonio River in tribute to the city's rich Mexican heritage.
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Post by alamojohnuk on Dec 10, 2007 20:09:20 GMT -5
And these are the same people the PC brigade are worried about offending by celebrating Christmas! if you want to be offended just look at these pictures. What in Gods name is happening in MY country???
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Post by seguin on Dec 11, 2007 0:17:27 GMT -5
I´m chocked! I´ve seldom seen such hateful outbursts since The Third Reich! What was the reason for that hateful demonstration? Is it from the demonstrations against the Danish cartoons? I´ll never forget the footage when they burned down our embassy´s in Iran, Lebanon and Syria...
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Post by neferetus on Dec 11, 2007 0:28:26 GMT -5
In the Sudan, a school teacher from the U.K. allowed her students to name the class Teddy Bear "Muhammad". She was arrested and imprisioned. She will eventually be deported back to the U.K.. Many Sudanese wanted her beheaded for insulting the prophet. These God-fearing folks in London are expressing their outrage that she got off so lightly. They, after all, represent the Religion of Peace.
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Post by seguin on Dec 11, 2007 0:41:26 GMT -5
Ah, right! She´s already back in the UK. She received a pardon. I saw her on UK TV. She says she was treated ok in the prison and refuses to comment any further. I think she´s afraid and she has good reason to be with all those muslim fanatics living in the UK. One can only hope that those fanatics are not representative for Islam as a whole, but I´m beginning to have my doubts...
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