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Christmas is the most popular holiday of the
year and traditions differ from one area to
another, from one country to another.
Superstitions also play an important role in
the traditional Christmas practices.
In many regions of
France
, Christmas
celebrations start with St Nicholas’ day on the
6th of December when children get sweets and
little gifts. The cities are decorated, especially in
the Alsace region,
where they say the
first
decorated
Christmas
trees
appeared as far back
as the 14th century.
On
Christmas
Eve
children
put
their
polished shoes in front
of the stove and hope
that ‘Père Noël’ (Father Christmas) will fill their
shoes with candies and chocolate. Christmas
Day, the 25th of December, is a public holiday
and families get together for a big feast. On this
day presents are exchanged too.
The Christmas season in
Italy
begins on the first
Sunday of Advent, four Sundays before
Christmas. Christmas Fairs feature fireworks
and bonfires along with holiday music. Families
go to the supermarkets to shop for Christmas
gifts and new figures for the manger scene
which is called a
Presepio
. It comprises large
numbers of biblical characters, angels, animals
and people from everyday life. Nativity scenes
are very popular in Italy and are generally found
in every household. Before the Presepio
families usually gather each morning or evening
of
novena
(an ancient tradition of devotional
praying in Christianity) to light candles and pray.
The weather is warm and mild in
Mexico
during
the Christmas season. Families shop for gifts,
ornaments, and good things to eat in the
market stalls which are called
puestos
. Their
homes are decorated with lilies and evergreens.
Family members cut intricate designs in brown
paper bags to make lanterns or
farolitos
. Then
they light a candle inside and set the
farolitos
along sidewalks, on windowsills, on rooftops
and outdoor walls to enlight the community
with the spirit of Christmas.
Dutch children in
Holland
, or
the Netherlands
,
eagerly await the arrival of
Sinterklaas
on St.
Nicholas Day on December 6.
Sinterklaas
is a
kind bishop. He wears red robes and a tall,
pointed miter on his head.
Sinterklaas
travels
by ship from Spain to Amsterdam's harbor
every winter. He brings his white horse and a
huge sack full of gifts for children. Families
celebrate St. Nicholas Eve at home with lots of
good food, hot chocolate, and a
letterbanket
,
the "letter cake" made in the shape of the first
letter of the family's last name.
German
families prepare for Christmas
throughout cold December. Four Sundays
before Christmas, they make an Advent wreath
of fir or pine branches that has four colored
candles. They light a candle on the wreath each
Sunday, sing Christmas songs and eat Christmas
cookies. In the weeks leading up to Christmas,
homes are filled with the delightful smells of
baking loaves of sweet bread, cakes filled with
candied fruits, and spicy cookies called
lebkuchen
.