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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance Times, 1995-12-13, Page 6THE WIN9IIAM ADVANCETIMES WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1895 CHINA the household marches through Christians in China celebrate the house, followed by all the by lighting their houses with family, and drives the evil spirits beautiful paper lanterns and dec- out. He throws dried beans into orating their Christmas trees, every corner bidding the evil which they call "Trees of Light," spirits withdraw and good luck with paper chains, paper flow- enter. ers, and paper lanterns. Chinese THE NETHERLANDS Children hang muslin stockings In the Netherlands St. Nicho- and await a visit from Santa las is known as Sinterklaas. Claus, whom they call Dun Che Dutch children are told that he Lao Ren (dwyn-chuh-lau-oh- sails from Spain on his feast run) which means "Christmas , day„ December 6. They fill their Old Man.". shoes with hay and sugar for his Since the vast majority of the horse and awake to find them Chinese people are not Chris- filled with gifts such as nuts and tian, the main winter festival in candy. Sometimes Sinterklaas China the Chinese New Year appears in person in the chil- which takes place toward the dren's homes, bearing a striking end of January. Now officially resemblance to the children's fa - called the "Spring Festival," it is ther or an uncle. He questions a time when children receive the children about their behavior new clothing, eat luxurious during the past year. In the past meals, receive new toys, and en- he carried a birch rod, but these joy firecracker displays. An im- days he is more kindly. portant aspect of the New Year The people of Twente in east and light. Yuletide, meaning celebration is the worship of an- Holland hold a special Advent "the turning of the sun" or the cestors. Portraits and paintings ceremony in which special horns winter solstice, has traditionally of ancestors are brought out and are blown to chase away evil been a time of extreme impor- hung in the main room of the spirits and to announce the birth tante in Scandinavia - a time home. of Christ. Horns are homemade when fortunes for the coming INDIA out of one -year-old saplings and year were determined and when Christians in India decorate are three or four feet long. the dead were thoughtto walk mango or banana trees at Christ- Blown over wells, they sound a the earth. For a long time, it was mas time. Sometimes they also deep tone, similar to a foghorn. considered dangerous to sleep decorate their houses with man- GREECE alone on Christmas Eve. The ex - go leaves. In some parts of In- St. Nicholas is important in tended family, master and ser- dia, small clay oil -burning lamps Greece as the patron saint of vant, alike would sleep together are used as Christmas decora- sailors. According to Greek tra- on a freshly spread bed of straw. tions; they are placed on the dition, his clothes are drenched The Yule log was originally edges of flat roofs and on the with brine, his beard drips with an entire tree, carefully chosen, tops of walls. Churches are dec- seawater, and his face is covered and brought into the house with orated with poinsettias and lit with perspiration because he has great ceremony. The butt end with candles for the Christmas been working hard against the would be placed into the hearth Even service. waves to reach sinking ships and while the rest of the tree stuck JAPAN rescue them from the angry sea. out into the room. The tree Christmas was introduced in Greek ships never leave port would be slowly fed into the fire Japan by the Christian mission- without some sort of St. Nicho- and the entire process was care- aries, and for many years the las icon on board. fully timed to last the entire only people who celebrated it To members of the Eastern Yule season. were those who had turned to Orthodox Church, as are most SWEDEN the Christian faith. But now the Greek Christians, Christmas A thousand years ago in Swe- Christmas season in Japan is full ranks second to Easter in the den, King Canute declared that of meaning and is almost univer- roster of important holidays. Yet Christmas would last a month, sally observed. The idea of ex- there are a number of unique from December 13, the ,feast of changing gifts seems to appeal customs associated with Christ- St. Lucia until January 13, or strongly to the Japanese people. mas that are uniquely Greek. On Tjugondag Knut (St. Canute's The tradesmen have commer- Christmas Eve, village children Day). No one is quite sure why cialized Christmas just as our travel from house to house offer- Lucia, a 4th century Sicilian western shops have done. For ing good wishes and singing ka- saint, came to be so revered in several weeks before the day, Janda, the equivalent of carols. Sweden. Some say she once vis - the . stores shout Christmas. Often the songs are accompa- ited the country, and others be - There are decorations and won- nied by small metal triangles lieve missionaries brought sto- derful displays of appropriate and little clay drums. The chil- ries of her life which entranced gifts for men, women, and chil- dren are frequently rewarded the Swedish people. Her story is dren - especially children. with sweets and dried fruits. that in the days of early Chris - The story of the Child Jesus After 40 days of fasting, the tian persecution, Lucia carried born in a manger is fascinating Christmas feast is looked for- food to Christians hiding in dark to the little girls of Japan, for ward to with great anticipation underground tunnels. To light they love anything having to do by adults and children alike. the way she wore a wreath of with babies. In the scene of the Pigs are slaughtered and on al- candles on her head. Eventually Nativity they become familiar most every table are loaves of Lucia was arrested and mar - for the first time with a cradle, christopsomo ("Christ Bread"). tyred. for Japanese babies never sleep This bread is made in large On her feast day the eldest in cradles. sweet loaves of various shapes daughter in each family dresses Many western customs in ob- and the crusts are engraved and in a white dress with a red sash, serving Christmas have been decorated in some way that re- and wears an evergreen wreath adopted by the Japanese. Be- fleets the family's profession. with seven lighted candles on sides exchanging gifts they eat Christmas trees are not com- her head. She (very carefully) turkey on Christmas Day, and in monly used in Greece. In almost carries coffee and buns to each some places there are even com- every home the main symbol of family member in his or her munity Christmas trees. They the season is a shallow wooden room. Many schools, offices, decorate their houses with ever- bowl with a piece of wire is sus- and communities sponsor Lucia greens and mistletoe, and in pended across the rim; from that processions in which carols are some homes Christmas carols hangs a sprig of basil wrapped sung and everyone thanks the are sung gaily. around a wooden cross. A small Queen of Light for bringing here is a god or amount of water is kept in the hope during the darkest time of More mischievous than actually evil, the Killantzaroi do things like extinguish fires, ride astride people's backs, braid horses' tails, and sour the milk. To fur- ther repel the undesirable sprites, the hearth is kept burn- ing day and night throughout the twelve days. Gifts are exchanged on St. Basil's Day (January 1). On this day the "renewal of waters" also takes place, a ritual in which all water jugsin the house are emp- tied and refilled with new "St. Basil's Water." The ceremony is often accompanied by offerings to the naiads, spirits of springs and fountains. SCANDINAVIA It is from Scandinavia that most of our yule log traditions derive. The dark cold winters in- spired the development of tradi- tions concerned with warmth known as Julemanden and ar- rives in a sleigh drawn by rein- deer, a sack over his back. He is assisted with his Yuletide chores by elves called Juul Nisse, who are said to live in attics. Chil- dren leave out saucers of milk or rice pudding for them and are delighted to find the food gone on Christmas morning. NORWAY Like the other Scandinavian countries, Norway has its gift - bearing little gnome or elf. Known as Julebukk or "Christ- mas buck," he appears as a goat- like creature. Julebukk harkens back to Viking times when pa- gans worshipped Thor and his goat. During pagan celebrations a person dressed in a goatskin, carrying a goat he4d, would burst in upon the party and dur- ing the course of evening would "die" and return to life. During the early Christian era, the goat began to take the form of the devil, and would appear during times of wild merry -making and jubilation. By the end of the Middle Ages, the game was for- bidden by the Church and the state. In more recent times the goat has emerged in the tamer form of Julebukk. SPAIN Christmas is a deeply relig- ious holiday in Spain. The coun- t y's patron saint is the Virgin Mary and the Christmas season officially begins December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Con- ception. It is celebrated each year in front of the great Gothic cathedral in Seville with a cere- mony called los Seises or the "dance of six." Oddly, the elabo- rate ritual dance is now per- formed by not six but ten elabo- rately costumed boys. It is a series of precise movements and gestures and is said to be quite moving and beautiful. Christmas Eve is known as Nochebuena or "the Good Night." It is a time for family members to gather together to rejoice and feast around the,Na- tivity scenes that are present in nearly every home. A traditional Christmas treat is turron, a kind of almond candy. December 28 is the feast of the Holy Innocents. Young boys of a town or village light bon- fires and one of them acts as the mayor who orders townspeople to perform civic chores such as sweeping the streets. Refusal to comply results in fines which are used to pay for the celebra- tion. As in many European coun- tries, the children of Spain re- ceive gifts on the feast of the Epiphany. The Magi are particu- larly revered in Spain. It is be- lieved that they travel through the countryside reenacting their journey to Bethlehem every year at this time. Children leave their shoes on the windowsills and fill them with straw, carrots, and barley for the horses of the Wise Men. Their favorite is Balthazar who rides a donkey and is the in rap_.. priest known as Hoteiosho, who bowl to keep the basil alive and the year. closely resembles our Santa fresh. Once a day, a family On Christmas Eve a certain one believed to leave the gifts. Claus. He is always pictured as a member, usually the mother, Christmas gnome, known as the PORTUGAL kind old man carrying a huge dips the cross and basil into tomte, emerges from his home Christmas is celebrated in pack. He is thought to have eyes some holy water and uses it to under the floor of the house or much the same way in Portugal in the back of his head. It is well sprinkle water in each room of the barn. He carries a sack over as it is in Spain. The Portugese for the children to be good when the house. This ritual is believed his shoulder and leaves gifts for enjoy an additional feast, called this all -seeing gentleman is to keep the Killantzaroi away all. enjoy ada, in the early morning abroad. from the house. DENMARK hours da Christmas ea Day. They New Year's Day is the most There are a number of beliefs The Christmas feast, in Den- hots of hiplaces ats the for important day of the whole cal- comtected with the Killantzaroi, mark, is celebrated at midnight seminhas a penar ("the table ofr endar in Japan. On New Year's which are a species of goblins or Christmas Eve. Everyone looks althe dead"). In some areas Eve the houses are cleaned thor- sprites who appear only during forward to dessert when a spe- crumbs are left on the hearth for oughly from top to bottom. and the 12 -day period from Christ- cial rice pudding is served in m souls, a custom that are decorated for the morrow. teas to the Epiphany (January which a single almond is hidden. these from the ancient practice de - when everything has been made 6). These creatures are believed Whoever finds the almond will rivesefrom seed toithe deadcin clean and neat the people of the to emerge from the center of the have good luck for the coming entrusting provide a house dress themselves in their earth and to slip into people's year. hopes that they finest clothes. Then the father of house through the chimney. The jolly bringer of gifts is bountiful harvest.