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The Huron Expositor, 1978-12-21, Page 7HPRON PTOSITOR PECEMBE13 1 21'; 1E40 flat) di the-,Ha re, em Black Peter and St. Nicholas d111-11 :t. Illiit„ Iliiii.:' l Itt,, IIW iishing you bright 0.,44it as Christmas lights up the world. , 1111 It's 'a pleasure to serve you. G -r-F1 CY 89 SEAFORTH ONTARI9 0270050 disappeared. Now Mrs. Rodney said the custom has been 're-introduced and the dancers often dress in women's clothes and other• wild costumes, and are the closest thing to a carnival seen on the island. Today, many families also spend part of their Christmas Day at' the beach. After church, people take a lunch and go and spend the, day soaking up the sun.'Vendors on the beaches sell fried fish and "ba'mmi", made from the cassava plant, which is grated into flour. The flour is then soaked 'in milk and fried, ending up somewhat the shape of an • English muffin. , By 4 p.m. in the afternoon, many families return to their homes• and 'sit down to , the traditional Christmas meal. PANTOMIME Pat Rodney said another tradition in her native t'ountry is the Christmas pantomime which starts early in December and lasts Nielsens from Denmark Celebrate Christmas VG VICTORIA AND GREY TRUST • Sime,M44 Contact our branch manager: 1 Ontario Street Stratford 2/1•2050 Friendly Holiday Greetings! May this Christmas gladden the . hearts of all with the true meaning of the season. anothrois of email Hensafl 262-20231 'Member: Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation AJAMAICAN CHRISTMAS DRINK — Pat Rodney -shows here children, 'Janice and Justin, the beautiful red Chrismtis drink made • frorn sorrel flowers which is, a Christmas tradition in Jamaica. Mrs. Rodney travels to • • Toronto to purthase the flowers used in making the beverage. (Expositor Photo) In •J:qmoic0Y.It's Christmas at the beach St. NOchotas, who is always pictured in robes and a tall headress was a rather unusual saint.,He was born in one of the small provinces of the Roman empire in Asia Minor, lived there all his life, and eventually was made a bishop. So many stories sprang up the about the kindly man that he was canonized and by the Middle Ages, he had become one of the 'FRESH HOLLY But a popular decoration in the homes of both faiths was fresh holly and many families made an annual trip to the bush to cut down some of the greenery to hang in their homes. Christmas cards in the Hollandof 25 years ago were unknown. The people sent, and in many cases still send, New Years' greeting cards with wishes for the coming year. The first of the season's celebrations was the Feast of St. Nicholas, held on December 6. BY ALICE GIBB St,Nicholas, the Black Peters, marzipan and choeSlate letters were all faMiliar Christmas traditions when Harry and Catherine Hak grew mp in Holland. Today the Haks still carry on some of these traditions in their Seaforth home, but it of the customs of their childhood are now nothing more than memories, Mrs. Hak laid the major difference between the. Dutch and Canadian customs of 25 years ago, was that in Holland, the' Feast of St. Nocholas, celebrated on Dec. 6, was the day of gift giving, while Christmas Day itself was a religious holiday and families celebrated it by spending a quiet day at home. The Haks; who grew up in a farming area near Utrecht, a city. 45 km. southeast of Amsterdam, said Protestants decorated their 'homes with Christmas trees while Catholic families like themselves, set up a nativity scene ,-to mark the holiday season. church's most popular saints. In addition to becoming the patron saint of boys and girl, lawsuits. dsinutncite st us. st:N Nicholas had saint, tic was also adopted as a patron saint by everyone from pawn brokers and boatmen to brewers, pilgrims and those who unjustly lost holes had lived in what is now Spain, the Haks said when they were growing up, it was traditional for the saint to land in the harbour city of Rotterdam as the Christmas season approachva. • The archbishop was accoMianied by two assistants, known as the Black Peters. In the weeks that followed his landing, the archbishop 'and his assistants would appear inoutnhtery.St, Nicholas parades he,ld around the .c WOODEN SHOES On the eve of the Feast of St. N,Ocholas, children in the household set their wooden shoes by the fireplace and filled them with hay, straw and carrots. These treats were for the beautiful white horse which St. Nicholas used to carry him from house to house. The saint, as befitting his station, remained outside each house, whilehis two assistants, the Black Peters, slid down the chimney and exchanged the hay, and straw in the shoes for gifts *hiding toys and candy. Mr. Hak said the Black Peters were given their nickname since they were covered in soot from climbing in and out • of chimney. Since the two never knew what state a chimney might be in, they carried a broom made of twigs to clean out any of the dirtier tunnels they happened on. Also, the twigs served a second purpose which Dutch children were very familar with - when the Black Peters visited' a honk where the children had misbehaved during the year, the twigs were used to give the children a spanking.' 0. Mrs. Hak said families often had someone dress up as St. Nicholas and his assistants and visit homes in the neighbOuthocd• the saint and his assistants visited the children, they threw handfuls of small, round cookies called peppernuts around the roomy as a special treat. Mrs. Hak said when the New Canadian Club held their recent Christmas Dance, St. Nicholas and the two Black Peters were special guests at: the event. As a child, Catherinp:Hak said she never guessed that S.,Nicholas didn't really exist, and says laughingly, "I could never figure out why rich kids got more (from St. NichOlas) than we did." Among the gifts which appeared in shoes year after year were marzipan candies shaped 'like hearts or wreaths and special St. Nicholas dolls made out of a tasty pastry that's eaten only on the feast day. Another tradition was for each child to --receive two chocolate letters, the initial of his first and last name. The letters, still Old each 'year in Dutch stores, are made froth real milk chocolate and available only, once a year. The Hak family still follows the tradition of giving the letters. ' JUST FAMILY Christmas Day itself, on Dec. 25; was both a religious holiday anda family day. Catholic families often rose at 4 a.m., and attended -an early indrning niass-befare looking after- the morning chores. Then the family spent the rest of the day at home, and. Mr. Hak- said even boyfriends or girlfriends weren't to call on that day. Christmas was reserved sdictly for the immediate family. The main meal was eaten at 1 p.m., but there, weren't any meat dishes associated with a Christmas dinner, as turkey is in North America. The one friod which was usually eaten on the day was a fancy pastry • shaped like a,Christmas wreath and covered with almond. , In the afternoon, 'families often ,played cards or games. Then, beginning on the following day, called Second Christmas, neighbours and relatives started visiting each other in the home. The visiting continued during the week between Christmas and New Years. However, Mrs. Hak• said •she never remembers attending anything like the Christmas parties which have become common here. New Year's Day was also a popular holiday, arid the corning year was greeted with a bang in Holland. Mr. Hak said boys tired oionaiied various kinds of cans to a tree, from soup cans to the much larger milk cans, and then filled ihem with some sort of chemical which released a gas when water was added, Someone would be delegated to hold a match in front of the can, the gas w,puld ignite, and the lid would shoot off with a bang. Mr. Hak said merrymakers started setting off' the cans at about 10 p.m, and the noise continued until after midnight. On New Year's Day, families attended church together in the morning, and then ti called into the town's 'cafes or bars. It was a , tradition for owners to buy his guests a drink on the first day of the New Year and Mr. Hak said with seven bars in their town,' the day was "a real celebration," For, the women of the town, the News Years' holiday meant some extra hours in. the kitchen, as the cooked "olie=bollen" or - doughnuts, were fried in oil and rolled in icing sugar. One special bonus of the day which Mr. Hak can still remember is walking down the street of the town and smelling the aroma of fresh doughthits in every house he passed on the street. • The Haks' haven't been back to Holland during the Christmas season for 25 years, and they expect many of the customs of their childhood have changed over the years. But each Christmas, they still buy some • of the traditional pastries and remember the . days when St, Nicholas rather than Santa Claus celled at their homes. ' • BY ALICE GIBB. In Jamaica, where no one has to worry whether it will be a white Christmas or not, many. families spendiart of Christinas Day at the each. f, The holiday season in the island' country is a colorful One, •from the brilliant red poinSettias to the, snowball trees, covered with tiny ibite flowers which are, rciwn in, hedges to the,fOods nri I drinks which are a traditional part of the holiday. • i Pat , „Rodney said the Christmas of, her youth was largely a family, celebration. Her cousins from the country came to stay • with Pat's family in the city two or three days before Christmas, and the seven children from the two ,families would crowd inteone big double bed to sleep. The Meats which were most popular for Christmas meals included roast pig, popular particularly, with larger families living in the count'. a•,, Yule • ham or •tax-ifed goat, which Mrs. Rodney says is to Janiaica 'what pizza is to Italy. TWO DRINKS Also, Jamaicans prepare two drinks, neither alcoholic, which are served only during the 'Christnias season. Mrs. Rodney, still • follows this custom in her home today. The first brink is ginger beer, • made by pouring boiling water over grated ginger, a!' Jamaican, spice, and adding just' enough yeast to produce some fermen- tation. The mixture is allowed to sit for a few days before it turns into ginger beer, a drink which is also popular in British countries. The second Christmas drink is even more interest- ing and certainly. colorful. The drink is made from the petals of a, plant with long spikey leaves called the sorrel 'plant. When Pat Rodney was a girl, it was the childrens' responsibility to collect the bright red petals of the flower to make the drink. . Again, boiling water is poured over the flowers, and the mixture is sweetneed and set aside for Several days before serving. Today, 'Mts. Rodney buys her sorrel: flowers it. West Indian stalls in Kensington Market, Toronto. Other popit!ar C hristmas dishes in Jamaica include a sweet potato, pudding, a _. dessert served both in the West Indies and the southern United ,States and rice and red bang in Jamaica and rice and pigedn peas on the island of Trinidad, where Mrs. Rodney's husband Ken was born. Chistirtas ,cake or "black cake" as it's called is an En 10, .;,,tradition which i„, .V;. . Jamaicans have adopted as their own, and the cake is ' served both at Christmas and weddings. Mrs. Rodney said many housewives start soaking their fruits in alcohol for the cakes in September or October while others keep some of ;the alcohol-flavored fruits in the house all year, just in case 'there's a wedding -in the family. Although Jamaica doesn't have the same pines and spruces- -found in North. America, Christmas trees have long been a.,,,fropular - custom. LAMP POST ' Often a lamp post is used as the base, and streamers and strings of lights, are brought out from it, to form a the shape of a tree. Another custom is to cut down a branch of .the "lignum vitae" or tree of life, a medicinal pine-like tree which grows several feet high. Mrs. Rodney -said many families cut down one large branch•of the tree, and bring it indoors to decorate and hang in their homes., Again, perhaps the most colorful Jamaican decora- tions are. the ones which grow naturally - 'the alter- nating hedges of dedp red poinse ttias and the white snowball trees which are now found in many subdivisions in bOth Jamaica and Trinidad. Pat Rodney said when she was a child, the Jamaican holiday-was a more religious festival than today. Families of all denominations atten- ded midnight church services on Christmas Eve and then again on Christmas morning. Children .did receive their gifts from Santa Claus, rather than from members of their family, but Pat doesnq remember Santa ever visiting schools or stores. The gifts children found in their stockings included candies like peppermint balls or paradise plums, 'small presents 'and apples. ORANGES In a trop.ka-i country where oranges are commonly grown, Pat Rodney • said apples were , the traditional Christmas fruit and this was Ivan and Sonja Nielsen and their ,four sons of SeafOrth still celebrate Christthas on December 24... This is a 'custom the family has carried on from. Ivan and Sonja' s childhood •in Denmark, when the tree was decorated ,and gifts' opetied on Christmas Eve. ' Ivan ' Nielsen said festivities on the 24th, started with a lunch, when special traditional foods were Served. These foods included homemade sausage and head' cheese, and liver paste used on. open 'faced sandwiches; green kale or cabbage which is cooked for hours and eaten warm, and beer and Danish schnapps, a liquor made from potatoes. This Christmas, the Nielsens and Mrs. Neilsen's parents, the Caspersens; be eating these same traditional foods on the day before Christmas. Since kale the only time of the year when most families bought apples. • Each year in. December, millions of boxes, of • Ontario grown apples show up in the markets and stares around the island. After attending church on Christmas morning, families in the city often visited the Christmas market. The everyday market stalls were converted into a childrens' paradise with toys, candies and sparklers on sale for is not a vegetable' usually found • in Canadian super:- markets, the Nielsens buy theirs from a Cromarty area farmer who grows 'the cabbage specially for sale to other Europeans_ in the area. Mr. Nielsen said when he' was growing up in the north of Denmark, it was a tradition that he and his father would go out to a woodlot and cut down their Christmas tree or "Juletrae" after limch. " Then, sometime in the afternoon, parents decorated the tree with Danish paper flags, paper ornaments including cone or heart- shaped baskets of candy and real candles. After supper, the tree was revealed, with the gifts safely in place un eath. Mrs. Nielsen said ofte he parents to buy for their' children. Another tradition which surfaced in the holilday season where the John Canoe dancers, a custom stemming from' the African influence in Jamaica. Mrs. Rodney said when she was girl, the dancers dressed like witch doctors and walked on stilts through" the city streets. ' Then, , as. Jamaica's political probleins worsened, the' John Canoe dancers children were sent to Christmas church services late in the afternoon on ,Christnias Eve and this gave parents a time to complete their decorating chores with the children safely out of the way. • At night,'goose.with all the trimmings was the .popular dish in the north and turkey was Virtually unheard of for the Christmas supper. The gooSe would be stuffed with apples, prunes and sometimes sweet potatoes and served with red cabbage and gravy. Although desserts could vary, • one dish was a particular favorite with children - a rice pudding which contained a special almond. Whoever found the - almond in their bowl, received a gift. until early January. The pantomime. Usually consists of a series of skits, and plays which may poke fury he government, local politicians or new events of the year. Mrs. Rodney said the show is presented in • the Ward Theatre ° in Kingston, the capital city, .and everyone in- the family attends the pantomime. On New Year's Eve, or Old Year's Night as it's often called in Jamaica, families eat black-eyed peas, which are supposed to make them prosperous in the coming year, In Trinidad, which has a stronger Spanish and Frencli influence -than found in Jamaica, a special 'custom of • the holidays is "parang". Groups of men singing carols in Spanish, accompanying themselves on guitar, go from house to house at night where they're rewarded for their singing (Continued on Page 3 ) IA/6e sure your holidays will be filled with the bright harmony that only Christmas brings. A resounding note of thanks for your patronage. WARD FARM SUPPLIES Mitchell NEED HOLID MONEY? See Victoria It's in your best interest. Few of us make a major purchSoppithout "shopping around" for the best'deal, but how many of us shop around for the best deal in personal loans? There is a difference. Call •or drop in to our office and inquire about out personal loan plans. Ivan Nielsen said when - there were young children in the home, families usually gathered around the tree after supper and sang carols. Then it was the moment the children had been waiting for - time to see what the "Julemanden" or the • "Christmas man", similar to . our Santa Clang, had left under the tree• when he visited the night before. While Ivan Nielsen can't remember anyone hanging up a stocking to prepare for the Julemanden's visit, , it was a Danish custom to leave some rice pudding up in the attic for the "Christmas man." According to a folk tale, the better the meal the Julemanden found, the better gifts he'd leave behind. Then day often ended with families, both Catholic and (Continued on Page 6)