Friday, October 29, 2021
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Countdown to Christmas 2021 Midweek 6
Around the World for
Christmas – Coals and Switches
On
the 6th day of December, Sinterklaas leaves his home in Spain and sets sail for
a random Dutch harbor. Every year, there is a different harbor that hosts the
Sinterklaas and his sidekick Zwarte Piet. If they land in the Amsterdam harbor,
they will say “hey” to the queen. When he hits the shores, all the church bells
ring, and he trades a boat for a large white horse from which he leads a
parade. Children will put out carrots and hay for Sinterklaas’ horse.
Preparations for the arrival of Sinterklaas starts in the last few days of
November.
Our
Santa Claus is a derivative of Sinterklass, who is a red robed jolly character.
He is clothed in his bishop’s robes. The 6th is St. Nicholas Day, which is
where we get the interchangeable St. Nick and Santa.
The
children of Holland put their clogs and shoes out on the 5th where they hope
they receive toys, fruits, nuts and other goodies. Zwarte Piet is in charge of
punishing bad children with coals in their shoes and a swat on the backside
with a switch. He has been known to chase children with a stick. Black Pete as
he is known in English is given the task of being a helper to Sinterklaas who
is charged with entertaining the children when Sinterklaas arrives. However,
his roles have changed over the years. Originally, he was charged with
punishing the bad children. Today, he is a helper who also delivers sweets. My
DH spent a few childhood years in Holland; Zwarte Piet did not deliver sweets
in the 1950s. He was still beating children in the 50s.
Sintkerklaas in a traditional bishop robe..
On
Sinterklaas Eve, there are parties that are filled with treasure hunts. The
children, and a few adults, follow riddles and clues to find their presents.
The gifts are hidden and disguised as much as possible. Like a small book in a
large box, or a gift hidden inside of a vegetable or pudding. These games are accompanied
by biscuits, cookies and other treats. This celebration is a wonderful time for
all. On St. Nicholas Day, people exchange Secret Santa gifts. The people draw
names and they are charged with presenting a gift that will aid the recipient
with their hobbies. The gifts are secret, but the giver can include a poem that
may offer up a clue about the giver, but the purpose of the gift giving is to
keep it all fun and secret. It is supposed to be for the children, but it can
spill over into adult fun.
There
is a second Santa that shows up on Christmas Eve for some children, but this is
not their traditional fat man, he is more western.
Christmas
Day is filled with church services and family meals. The gift giving is done,
now is the time to worship. The Christmas story is told in the afternoon of
Christmas Day, and there may be some remaining gifts for children.
The
Dutch decorate their homes with Christmas trees and other decorations. Their
bosses will give them a hamper with food and a personal gift that has the
company logo on it. It can be a serving platter, a book or anything else of
value.
The
typical Christmas meal will consist of shrimp, salmon, eel, stewed meat or
poultry and seasonal veggies. They serve wild boar, duck, turkey or venison.
The desserts are spectacular and can be adorned with fireworks that really make
the dessert explosive. They like fried ice cream. If there is no time for one
person to create the meal, it has become increasingly popular to set up a
buffet or to go to a restaurant.
Mid-winter Horn Blowing
The
farmers begin blowing their horns starting on the fourth Sunday before
Christmas. This continues until Christmas Eve. Every morning at dawn, the
farmers use horns fashioned from the wood of an elder tree and blow over a
well. This sound is to signal the coming of the Christ child. Apparently, it
takes a lot of skill and practice to actually get the horn to sound.
Enjoy a little horn blowing
A
popular bread served on Christmas is Kerstbrood or Christmas bread. Another
bread, Christmas stollen, is served as well. This bread is filled with raisins
and currents. There are plenty of almond pastry rings, chocolate pastry rings
and marzipan. Lots of pudding and hot chocolate is on the dessert menu.
Dutch almond butter cake Boterkoek
Dutch cookies
These
are not secret gifts, but with a little imagination on your part, maybe you
could get any one of these gifts hidden in pudding.
Christmas Peppermint Candy Earrings, Lampwork Crystals Holiday Jewelry
Christmas Crystal Bracelet Siam Clear Crystals
Red Bracelet with Swarovski Crystals, Christmas Beaded Jewelry
Womens Kippah
Sterling Silver Trombone Necklace
Oliver The Otter's Christmas Throw Blanket
Red Jasper Thunderbird Necklace Natural Stone Dove Jewelry
3 Caladium Variety 5 x 7 Note card Blank Greeting Card
Siam Red Swarovski Crystal Earrings for Women, Dainty
Looking for something different?
Here are more links to additional beautiful, handmade gifts.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Argentina
Australia
France
China
Finish up your butter cake (yum) and let’s head out to our next destination!
Enjoy,
Julie and Harry
Friday, October 22, 2021
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Countdown to Christmas 2021 Midweek 5
Christmas Around the World – Taco Viva!
Without the help of their neighbors to the north, Mexico has a Christmas tradition that clings to the influence of the Roman Catholic church. The Mexican traditions have been created with a definite Spanish tilt. They celebrate La Posada, which is the re-enactment of the search for a place for Mary to have her child. The posada is a procession or parade of participants who go from home to home looking for a place for Mary and Joseph. Those who are participating carry replicas of Mary and Joseph. This parade takes place for nine days, from the 16th through the 24th. The participants sing, light candles and pray as they go from home to home looking for a place for Mary and Joseph.
The Posada
Santa is an afterthought in Mexico and does not have a prevalent place in their celebrations. As many know, the poinsettia is a Mexican flower, and it is a predominant in their decorations. The story is that a young boy was on his way to see the Christ child and realized he had no gift to give, so he gathered the first greens that he saw to present to the child. He brought a handful of boughs and presented them to Christ. The others laughed at his feeble offering, but the greens burst into the brilliant red star flowers that we know of as the poinsettia.
The celebrations in Mexico begin on the 12th of December, which is considered the birthday of La Guadalupana (the Virgin of Guadalupe) and finishes up on the 6th of January with the Epiphany. The children receive their Christmas gifts on January 6th, and on Christmas day, the children are given a piñata and a stick. They celebrate by breaking open the colorful piñatas.
Although Santa is not front and center, he is responsible for bringing the children their larger gifts. The smaller ones are delivered by Reyes Magos in January, and in some cases, Jesus even delivers gifts depending upon the regional celebrations. The Reyes Magos are of the traditional three kings. They are given the task of delivering the smaller gifts to the children.
Most of the families create a Nativity Scene in honor of Christ’s birth. Little children dress as shepherds on Christmas Eve as the Ave Marias is sung to let Mary know that the night has come. There is kneeling and singing before the Nativity Scene. A baby Jesus is added to the scene to represent the birth. The singing is designed as a lullaby to the baby.
At midnight sleeping is all over as the fireworks explode, bells ring and whistles are blown to announce the birth of Christ. This celebration is the call to worship as people head for Midnight Mass. The Mass of the Rooster heralds in Christ and it is said that this was the only time a rooster crowed at midnight.
At the end of mass, the feasting begins.
A wreath shaped baked bread contains a tiny baby Jesus figure. The person who gets the baby is the next host in the line of celebrations. The Christmas celebration goes on until the 2nd of February, and this person is responsible for Candle Mass Day on the 2nd. The hidden baby symbolizes the danger that Jesus was in. It was necessary to find a place to hide Christ.
This sweetbread fruit ring, Rosca de Reyes, has anise and candied fruit such as figs, cherries, mangos, lemons and oranges.
This Rosca is served with traditional Mexican food like tamales and rice. This is a tradition brought over from the Spanish. The celebration also requires chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate.
Mexico has an amazingly rich and complex set of traditions that all come together during the Christmas season. This country celebrates joyfully, noisily and everyone joins in. It is a time of great cheer, reverence and festive family gatherings.
Who can argue with a country that has that much chocolate in their celebration?!
Here are some more colorful gifts from those artists who know how to celebrate:
Colorful Sugar Skull Enamel Earrings, Day of the Dead Dangle Jewelry
Day of the Dead Statement Necklace, Sugar Skulls with Mary Sacred Heart
Bakery in Bicycle Basket At Solvang in Color
Vintage Cloisonne Pendant pictures friends out and about
Nepalese Ornate Butterscotch Resin and Mother of Pearl Earrings
3 Bougainvilleas Variety Assortment 5 x 7 note card watercolor
Multicolored Crystal Bead Wire Wrapped Small Hoop Earrings
Cloisonné Golden Floral Earrings Copper Crystals
Flower Boho Earrings, Colorful Blue Enamel Lampwork Handmade Jewelry
6 Green Pink Pillow Handmade Polymer Clay Beads Jewelry Making Supplies
Looking for something different?
Here are more links to additional beautiful, handmade gifts.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Argentina
Australia
France
China
Finish up your chocolate, hit the pinata one more time, and let’s head out to our next destination!
Enjoy,
Julie and Harry
Friday, October 15, 2021
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Around the World for Christmas – Lost in Translation
While traditional celebrations surround the birth of Jesus Christ as the reason for the season throughout the western civilization, the population of citizens who call themselves Christian in the People’s Republic of China only amount to 1-percent of the total population of the country. It is strictly forbidden for the Christians to worship in China, but they are tolerated to a degree. These one-percenters gather quietly in their homes to worship the reason that most of the rest of the world celebrates the holiday, while the other 99-percent of the population treat the holiday as if it were Valentine’s Day or St. Patrick’s Day. An excuse to get together, go ice skating, go to the movies or have friends over for dinner.
The Chinese are so commercialized that they have over-commercialized the celebration in their own country. While it is not a national holiday, and it is frowned upon and shunned in many sectors, those who embrace the holiday decorate and light up everything in their reach. They are not unlike a town full of Griswolds that make the neighbors cringe, but yet excite them enough to peek through closed drapes at the festive lights and ornaments. All the businesses and government offices are open on Christmas Day.
There are laws against caroling and heralding the Christ child, but there are no laws against shopping, and the Chinese treat Christmas Eve as the biggest shopping day of the year. Little children wait for Dun Che Lao Ren (Santa) to bring them presents while they sleep, and the malls are filled with Santa and his helpers. The helper thing got a little lost in the translation, however. The elves (known as sisters) turned into young ladies dressed in red leotards with a green spiked collar. Santa apparently likes jazz music Chinese-style because it is not uncommon to see Santa depicted playing a sax or a trumpet, although the origin of this particular custom is unknown.
Chinese Santa in red satin brocade jacket and
hat with dark rust trousers and 'gold' slippers
Dun Che Lao Ren is the equivalent of Santa in the Chinese culture. His name means Christmas Old Man, and he is known to fill the muslin stockings of little children with toys and goodies.
Christmas in China is known as Spring Festival, which celebrates the children and the ancestors of the Chinese. There are gifts of clothing and many festive meals served and eaten. Because most of the country is not Christian, the celebration is more of a festival for all rather than the celebration of Jesus.
The Chinese government has embraced the act of Christmas by saying that the West could not celebrate Christmas if it were not for the importing of all those boxed Christmas ornaments and lights, and that the West should be grateful for the influx of the most generous gifts of the Chinese Santa.
It is very well-known how the Chinese have persecuted and eliminated the Christian population in their nation. This has eased up as the boundaries between the East and the West have been lessened, but there are plenty of places that Christians are still persecuted in China, so open celebration in the traditional sense is very limited. The celebration of Christmas has many traditionalists warning about the westernization of their culture. They should be concerned, because it is hard to isolate a country and its people in today’s world of the Internet and news programs. Christmas Mass in the Catholic churches are becoming more popular as time goes by.
Wrapped traditional Christmas Apples for sale
Christmas apples are a tradition in China. The apples are gaily decorated and they came to be due to a strange translation from the words Christmas Eve into Mandarin. Apparently, it sounds like their word for apple, and in their enthusiasm to participate, they wrap apples.
The Chinese also do not adhere to the traditional removing of the decorations after the new year, so it is not uncommon to see the lights still up in time for the traditional Valentine’s Day.
It may be a quiet celebration for the Christians, but the rest of the Chinese do everything big and loud when they celebrate, so it is not a surprise that there are lights, parades, dragons, festivals, fireworks and noisemakers that come right along with the crowds of revelers. After all, if it were not for the Chinese, we would not have fun things like fireworks and paper.
Here are some very colorful gift ideas that are sure to have fireworks exploding and people celebrating:
Tropical Bird of Paradise, 11 x 15 watercolor print Flower, Home Decor, plant, Decorative art,
Artisan Floral Enamel Earrings, Raspberry Lampwork Jewelry
Colorful Skull Safety Pin Necklace Statement, Day of the Dead Jewelry
Daisy Flower Earrings, Aqua Pink Purple Lightweight Handmade Jewelry
Knitted Scarf Autumn Color Viscose Chenille Hand Dyed Yarn
Beaded Pendant Necklace - Gemstone Jewelry for Autumn
Aztec Ethnic Double Cord BOHO Ladybug Charm Burgundy Artisan Bracelet
Yellow And Green Earrings, Multicolored, 14k Gold Filled Lever Backs, One Of A Kind, With Gift Box
Set of 6 15mm Handmade Polymer Clay Beads Black, Green Jewelry Supplies
Since we can thank the Chinese for things like fireworks, paper, tea, hot air balloons, embroidery, money, brandy, the wheelbarrow, cast iron, the compass, movable type, guns, porcelain, kites, matches, helicopter rotors, odometer, umbrellas, paddle wheels and operas, we can also thank them for the opportunity to see how they do things in their country as we move on to our next destination. Drink a cup of herbal tea, which they also invented, and let’s all get back into the sleigh.
Looking for something different?
Here are more links to additional beautiful, handmade gifts.
Quick, everyone back in the sleigh.
We have a lot more stops to make on our journey around the world for Christmas, and I would not want you to miss the trip.
Enjoy,
Julie and Harry
Friday, October 8, 2021
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Countdown to Christmas 2021 Midweek 3 - France
Around the World for Christmas – Wine and Cheese, Please
The custom in France around the holidays is to spend time with family and friends, which is so much the tradition throughout the world during this season. They wine, they dine, they sing and they worship together.
They don’t much care for decorating that tree, however. The French are more inclined to burn a Yule log rather than put up a tree, and even the Yule log is seeing a decline in use across the country. The southern parts of the country still hold on to the tradition of letting the log burn from Christmas Eve until New Years Day. The Yule log is a large hardwood log that is traditional in European countries.
French custom dictates that the almost every home have a Nativity scene as part of the decorations for the Christmas season. The Nativity is the center of the celebration for most families, and the figures that are included in the scene are generally handmade out of clay. The figures are known as “santons” and are created by craftsmen throughout the year. Christmas fairs find these figures for sale from a variety of craftsmen.
By © Guillaume Piolle, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3349111
The figures are not necessarily of the Christ child and His family, but can include sheep, villagers, peasants and a goose or two. The favorite pastime is to arrange the figures in the Nativity scene.
Christmas Eve is the time when the children drop their shoes or clogs on the fireplace hearth. These shoes are called sabots, and they are a regular part of European footwear. They are a shoe with a band of leather across the tops, and they can be wood or leather. These shoes are the equivalent of the hanging of the stockings for the United States children.
Pere Noel is the one who will be filling those shoes for all the good children. Pere Noel travels with a crotchety old dude who goes by the name of Pere Fouettard who is quick to point out which ones of those little darlings were bad, bad, bad. Pssst – he is known as the Whipping Father….. It is unclear whether or not rotten children are yanked from their beds and severely beaten about the buttocks with a Nerf bat or not. That part of the legend is rather shrouded in mist….
If this depiction of Pere Fouettard is any indication, he has a whip. I’m just sayin’….
Blessed be the good children though; they will reap great rewards as Pere Noel heaps lots of gifts upon them, as well as nuts, fruits and small toys that he hangs about hearth. He carries his gifts on his back in a basket called a hotte. This basket closely resembles the grape baskets carried in the vineyards.
Adults wait until New Years Day to exchange their gifts.
The telling of the story of Christmas is celebrated throughout all the churches and cathedrals on Christmas Eve. After the services, people gather for a feast that has regional differences. Le reveillon, which means to reawake, is filled with menu items such as oysters and pat de foie gra in Paris, or goose in Alsace. This meal can be anything that is locally traditional, and it was traditionally celebrated by those returning from church services. The meal is now enjoyed all over the country regardless of whether or not someone has been to the Christmas Eve services. It no longer has to be a home cooked meal, but can be enjoyed in a restaurant as well.
The Christmas Log is a Yule log shaped cake that has been specially created for the Christmas meal. Those who celebrate the holiday with a grand feast will include a Christmas Log.
Looks pretty yummy to me.
After the dinner is served and before heading off to bed, the family will leave a fire burning and set out food and drink for the Virgin Mary, as is believed that she visits the homes on Christmas Eve.
I think you will find that it pays to be good in France, lest you be beaten silly by that crazy Pere Fouettard, and you may well find yourself with at least one of these wonderful gifts from the talented and lovely artisans behind these creations.
Bloodwood, Exotic Wood Oval Earrings
Red Heart on White Enamel Earrings, Handmade Valentine Jewelry
Little Red Jingle Bell Earrings
Red and White Superduo Snakeskin Beadwoven Handmade Cuff Bracelet
This bracelet is featured in the book The Joy of Jewelry Making.
Painted Saint Nick Enhancer Pendant
Santa Earrings, Red Clear Swarovski Crystals Christmas Holiday Jewelry
Crocheted Santa Winter Booties Fur-Trimmed Newborn 0 3 mo
Christmas Santa Collectible Thimbles, Handmade Holiday
Looking for something different?
Here are more links to additional beautiful, handmade gifts.
Ask any of the artists if you would like something special from their shops. Most do custom work, too.
Quick, everyone back in the sleigh.
We have a lot more stops to make on our journey around the world for Christmas, and I would not want you to miss the trip.
Enjoy,
Julie and Harry
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