HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1984-12-19, Page 2Page 2-CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19,1984
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Christmas traditions are similar around the world
By Anne Narejko
CLINTON - Christmas is a time that has a
magic all its own. No other holiday or event
affects people of all walks of life the way
Christmas does.
Walking down a street that one travels on
everyday is special during the Yuletide
season. Everyone you pass has a warm
smile and a cheery hello. Even line-ups at
the department store or the local grocery
store have a different aura about them.
Homes and trees are dressed in brilliant
colours and snowmen smile on front lawns.
Inside, dad throws another log on the fire
and mom bakes Christmas treats while the
children watch Frosty the Snowman and
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on televi-
sion.
This is the picture of a typical Canadian
family, but how do people in other countries
spend the festive season?
Clinton has the good fortune of being the
new home of people from countries such as
Holland, Poland, Hungary and many other
far away places. When the News -Record
called upon a few of these people to explain
what Christmas was like in their home coun-
try, they were more than willing to share a
piece of their heritage with us.
Poland
The Polish Christmas period spans over
one month. Their first big event, St.
Nicholas Day, is on December 6 and the
final round of caroling is done on January 6.
According to Father John Pluta of St.
Joesph's Church, the spiritual preparation
was heavily emphasized before he left his
home land in 1962.
"You do not hear Christmas music before
Christmas Eve. The spiritual aspects are
stressed instead."
On December 6,St. Nicholas who is a type
of Santa Claus, arrives at the children's
homes leaving a few gifts.
"The gifts St. Nicholas leaves are not as
extravagant as the presents the Canadian
Santa Claus leaves," commented Father
Pluta.
The Christmas carols and decorations
cometo life on December 24 anti 25. These
dates also represent Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day in Poland. •
Families gather on Christmas Eve to
decorate the tree and later prepare the
traditional 12 course meal. No meat is serv-
ed, just a wide variety of soups and baked
goods. During this festive feast, the father of
the family will break the Oplatek (a wafer
thin host) with each member of the family.
This is a symbol of wishing happiness and
joy and a way of expressing love. After the
head of the house has broken the Oplatek
with everyone, each member takes their
turn breaking it with the others.
"Then it is time for prayer. Everyone at-
tends midnight mass and then they come
,,,,home and light the Christmas tree and sing
with the family." explained Father Pluta.
'On Christmas day everyone goes to church
and then returns to their own home. It is a
real family oriented day."
Since all the food was prepared before
hand, there is no need for cooking of any
kind. This leaves the whole family free to
spend the entire day together.
It is on the following day that all the
visiting with relatives and neighbours is
done. December 26 is also the day which the
children put on their Christmas concerts.
From this date until January 6, people of all
ages go caroling from home to home.
Holland
The Dutch also have a separate day from
Christmas for Santa Claus to bring his
treats. Cory Haak explained that Santa
Claus and Black Peter come on the eve of
December 5, making December 6 Santa
Claus Day and Black Peter.
Black Peter is Santa's servant, carrying
his big bag filled with goodies because Santa
arrives on a horse and has no place to put his
gifts.
The story has is it that Black Peter will
take all bad children away in his bag.
On the eve of Santa Claus and Black
Peter, children put their wooden shoes out
by the fireplace and go to bed after singing
Santa Claus songs. No religious Christmas
carols are sung as this is an eve for the
children;
Mrs. Haak, who came to Canada with her
family in 1951, said that the children in her
family were requested to stay in bed until
their parents called them.
"We had to stay in our beds, and since it
was a small house, we weren't allowed to
peek," she explained.
Santa Claus and Black Peter would fill the
shoes with fruit or candy. Also on December
5, the children would receive special treats
such as Santa Claus cookies.
December 25 and 26 were used for the
remembrance of the birth of Christ.
Everyone would go to church where, at that
time, the only Christmas tree was. Candles
were placed on the tree instead of strings of
lights during the evening service.
"We would all dress -up and sing carols. It
was more spiritual with not.many presents.
The children would receive a special
Christmas book and some candy, but the
adults would sing and take part in the ac-
tivities." commented Mrs. Haak. ,
The Christmas meal consisted of rabbit or
pheasant. They would enjoy 'this meal on
December 25 as well as December 26.
Hungary
Preparation for, Christmas in Hungary
begins two weeks prior to December 25 ac -
Cording to Mary Divok.
Mary's parents came to Canada in 1930,
and she has carried on the tradition of "good
food, good music and good fellowship" in
her family.
St. Nicholas is a representative of the
church, then a gift giver. Very few gifts are
given, however, "children put their shoes
out, and if they were good, they would get
fruit and cookies. If they were bad, they'd
get coal," commented Mary.
The Christmas trees were ,decorated with
. homemade ornaments and.• Christmas
carolers went from house to house filling the
streets with joyous songs for about a week.
Two .weeks before the big day, kitchens
were filled with the aroma of homemade
sausage, smoked or fresh kalbasa, cabbage
rolls or horka (rice, liver and spices). A pig
is killed and every part of it is used to
prepare the Christmas feast.
On Christmas Eve, December 24, four
boys from each Parish would take a large
manger from house to house in the country.
This manger scene with the baby Jesus
depicted in it, was carried on poles with one
boy carrying an end. It was filled with hay
or straw and taken to the homes of those
who could not attend midnight mass.
"It is a very family oriented holiday with
lots of good singing," concluded Mary.
Africa
Sandy and Judy Stuart spent Christmas in
Africa twice. They went over in 1979 as part
of the CUSO (Canadian University Services
Overseas) program and stayed until 1981.
"There's no commercialism, no Santa, no
decorated stores and no snow," the couple
commented.
Sandy noted that it is a reunion of the
household at which tune the birth of Christ
is celebrated.
"They put a nice emphasis on people and
their relationships compared to
materialism. A lot of the Africans didn't feel
as though they had to give gifts so they
would give of their talents, musically and
time," commented Sandy.
Although the Stuarts love `Canadian
winters, in Africa they were prepared to
spend Christmas without snow and found it
very different. They spent one Christmas in
town and the other climbing the highest
mountain in Africa.
Since therewere no evergreens around,
Sandy went out into the desert to find a bush
that they could use for a Christmas tree. It
took him over half an. hour to pull it out of
the ground, but he suceeded in bringing
home a tree to decorate.
Other people from CUSO decorated their
homes as well, but the Africans kept mainly
to the spiritual aspect of the holiday.
China
Christmas in China is similar to the
Christmas Canadians enjoy says Connie
Lee: Santa Claus comes dressed in his red
suit carrying presents for all the children.
However, Santa is in the church during
Christmas services.
"On Christmas Eve, songs are sung out-
side and then everyone comes inside to en-
joy the food and candies. They spend the
whole night visiting," explained Mrs. Lee.
The small villages have a large Christmas
tree decorated for all to enjoy. On
Christmas day the families go to church and
a large Chinese dinner is served when the
family arrives home. They use this time as a
family gathering, enjoying the meal with
familiar faces.
Ireland
Seamue and Betty Doherty came to
Canada in .1965 from Ireland, but while in
Ireland, they experienced different
childhoods and a different way of
Sandy and Judy Stuart enjoyed their Christmas in Africa, but this year they will enjoy a
Canadian Christmas with their children, Bethany and Luke. ( Anne Narejko photo)
celebrating Christmas. 'Mr. Doherty was.
broughtup in a city in northern Ireland,
while Mrs. Doherty was brought up in a
small village. in southern Ireland.
' '"Our Christmas was very simple. There
weren't a lot of presents. It was based, on
mass, church and the crib," explained Mrs.
Doherty. "Santa Claus was secondary."
On Christmas Eve, the children would
hang their stockings on the chimney and
awake on Christmas day to find them filled
with oranges, apples, candies and coal. The
coal was not because the children were bad,
but to wish them good luck and prosperity in
the following year.
Because the family had no tree, the
presents were placed by the chimney along
with the stockings, but no gifts were set out
until Christmas morning.
The Christmas dinner was a small turkey
for the family, "but it was also made certain ,
that no one else was left alone ' on
Christmas," explained Mrs. Doherty. "It
was the simplicity of it all that made it so ex-
citing."
Although Christmas in the city was more
elaborate, the focal point remained the
same.
"The service, rnass, and choir were the
focal points of Christmas," stated Mr.
Doherty.
A pantomime with local talent was the
highlight one week before and one week
after Christmas. The local talent would be
made up of the older. children while the
younger ones set their aims on participating
in future years..
•
In northern Ireland there was a unique
way of sending a letter to Santa Claus, who
was a saint that distributed gifts.
"If we wanted something from ' Santa
Claus, we would sit down with our mother
•
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SEASON'S
GREETINGS
Christmas harmony. °It's a feeling
that fills the air and warms
the heart, bringing forth g spirit
of goodwill and friendship,
as people everywhere delight in
the joys and glad tidings that
abound. We cherish this time
as we recall your valued business,
and sincerely offer our
appreciation, along with fondest
•
wishes to you and yours ... fora
truly joyous season in every way.
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'6
and write a note. Atter we were done writing
it, we would put it in the open fireplace .and
watch the note burn m the fire. It the ashes
went up the chimney, Santa . would get the
letter, if they didn't you wouldn't get what
you asked for," explained Mr. Doherty.
The gifts from aunts, uncles and grand-
parents
were marked from Santa. The
stockings were hung on the head board of
the beds, and gifts placed at the foot of the
bed or elsewhere in the bedroom. Since two, •
. three or four brothers and sisters shared a
room, they, awoke to find the. room filled
with presents.
"If we didn't get what we wanted, our
parents would explain that Santa had told.
them someone else didn't have any money
and needed it more," commented Mr.
Doherty:
Christmas . carols were sung a month
before. Carolers would go out three nights a
week and sing the carols in four parts. One
of the big carols at the time Mr. Doherty
was there was Bing . Crosby's White
Christmas.
Christmas day was spent the same way in
the city as it was in the small village where
Mrs. Doherty lived.
"It was a family time. We didn't go
anywhere but to church. The whole family
would spend the day playing games or sing-
ing,songs,'Mr. Doherty said.
The .Christmas meal was 'a turkey which
wasboiled before hand to make soups.
Potatoes, brussel sprouts, turnip and cab-
bage were also part of the meal. A special
Christmas pudding highlighted the event.
December 26 was known as St. Stephen's
Day, This was tlfd day when relatives and
friends would go visiting, "and we'd always
take our toys to show what we got," laughed
Mr. Doherty.
Rescuing the cross in Romania
Anny Johnston, Bayfield's Librarian,
helped in the translation of her mother's
memories of Christmas in Romania.
Romanian Christmas is similar to
Christmas around the world, but there are a
few variations. Instead of turkey, there's
ham or goose and sauerkraut, figs, dates
and nuts. An orange is a real treat.
Then there's the bread (kakoha) made in-
to wreaths that hang in the window for good
spirit.
On New Year's Day the people all go down
to a river or lake, with the priest who breaks
a hole into the ice, blesses the water and
throws in a wooden cross. The men in turn
try to rescue the cross. He who does so, has
good fortune in the new year and everyone
else takes some water hone with them.
Sharing a quaff, sharing work
By Dora Warwick
How does it feel to be away or at work on
Christmas day?
My last two years in the Service were
spent in London, England and both
Christmases over there, were just as
memorable as those at home. Yes, we miss-
ed our families and friends. But there was
the same carols and sharing our thoughts
and memories over a quaff or two.
Then when I returned home I joined "Ma
Bell" for the next 10 years. Would you
believe I worked every Christmas day.
Those were the days before direct distance
dialling and everyone had to work. Nothing
short of a dire emergency would keep you
off the job, for it meant instant dismissal.
But most of us didn't mind. Everyone
dressed up in their Christmas best, some
came sporting a diamond. There .was free
coffee and goodies and a gift exchange. The
bosses all came in to say Merry Christmas
and last, but not least of all, that added com-
pensation on pay day for working the holi-
day at double time and a half?
Of course at home, dinner was being cook-
ed, to be ready when you came off ,duty,
regardless of the hour.
WEE KLY WEATHER
1984 1983
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8 2 4 0
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Rain 25mm Snow 8 cm