The Citizen, 1989-12-22, Page 23THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1989. PAGE 23.
Other lands have their own traditions
The magic of Christmas reaches
across continents to touch people of
all races and tongues in a special
way. Wherever you may travel, you
will find the holiday season cele
brated in a way that is special to the
country you are in.
For instance, in Sweden, St.
Lucia’s Day, December 13, ushers
in the holiday season. Tradition
dictates that the eldest daughter of
the family must rise at dawn to
serve coffee and cakes to her
family. As St. Lucia, she wears a
white robe and a halo of lighted
candles. Public appearances by St.
Lucia are quite common in Sweden
today, where white-robed girls can
be seen in schools and civic
buildings on the saint’s day.
Holiday festivities begin with a
parade in Mexico on December 16.
For nine consecutive nights,
“Joseph” and “Mary” search for a
room at the inn, a re-enactment
known as “Las Posadas” in this
country south of the border. At the
end of the nine nights, the search
ers are finally given posada, and a
fiesta follows. For the children, the
highlight of the fiesta is the
breaking of the pinata, a clay
container stuffed with candies and
other goodies.
In Argentina, families attend
midnight mass on Christmas Eve,
then sit down to a big dinner with
pork as the main course. After
dinner, it’s customary to enjoy a
glass of sidra, similar to our cider,
with pan dulce or panetone, as it is
also called, due to the strong Italian
influence in that country.
Another midnight libation is
clarico, a blend of white wine,
sugar and natural fruits of the
season. After several toasts, it’s
time to visit friends and wish them
a happy holiday. These visits go on
until the wee hours of the morning!
Children in Argentina don’t receive
their presents until January 6th.
The night before, they put their
shoes outside the door or window, a
long with a tray holding a glass of
water and some grass for the
camels of Los Reyes Magos, the
Three Kings. In the morning, the
grass and water will be gone, and
in their shoes will be presents.
Instead of Christmas trees in their
homes, most Argentinians will
have a presepre or nativity scene.
The holiday season begins two
weeks before Christmas Eve in
Portugal, when families go looking
for their Christmas tree. In small
towns, this usually means a trip to
the forest, but in the cities,
artificial trees are often used. The
tree is decorated with lights and
ornaments a few days before
Christmas Eve. In Portugal, Christ
mas is a family affair, with every
one getting together for mightnight
supper, which may feature turkey.
The young children place their
shoes around the fireplace for
Santa to fill during the night. In the
morning, the shoes will hold toys,
candies and other gifts.
Down under, Christmas comes in
the summertime, a contrast to the
snowy scenes of Europe and many
parts of the United States. Austra
lians celebrate the season with a
Christmas Day picnic and with
another holiday tradition, the com
munity sing. This gathering is
always held out of doors, at night,
by the light of torches and candles.
Special candles are sold in the
shops, with the proceeds going to
charity.
The custom of community carol
ing goes back to the Cornish miners
of the last century, who would
gather on Christmas Eve in the
Australian mines to sing carols, by
the light of candles stuck to the
brims of their safety hats. Today,
some of the community sings
attract over 100,000 carolers. The
caroling goes on until midnight,
ending with the singing of “Auld
Lang Syne.”
In Fance, the creche is the center
of attraction at Christmas time.
Every church, no matter how small,
has its nativity scene for the
faithful to admire. And, each
French household has its own
version of the nativity. Much care
is taken in the setting up of the
creche, which has holly or other
greens for a background. A star of
Bethlehem is suspended over the
Christ Child, as candles add a
reverent glow to the setting.
Around the world, wherever
Christmas is celebrated, customs
may vary from country to country,
but the spirit of the season is ever
the same.
’Tis the season
to be jolly.
Ho...
Ho...
Holiday
Greetings!
May all good
things come
your way this
holdiay season.
Christmas ^Delights
Wishing oil our potrons
a tasteful and terrific
holiday season!
Happy Holidays and Safe Driving.
Bill, Brenda, Tina & Shane
Geo. Burkholder
blyth Auto Body 523-9474
YVONNE KNIGHT
Knight
Insurance
887-6476
RR 3. Brussels
COMPLIMENTS OF
•Barb
•Larry
•Sue
•Lynda
•Cathy M.
•Mike
•Cathy B.
•Shivon
•Chris
of
BLYTH 523-4793
HAPPY
HOLIDAY
It's the little Christmas joys that
bring out the biggest smiles.
Hope yours is the merriest!
JOHN, ANN, GLENN, ELIZABETH,
DOUG & ERNIE
JOHN McKERCHER
CONSTRUCTION