Different customs and traditions, historical and modern around the world.

The art of Presepe. ( lit: in front of the crib) an Italian, and specifically a Neopolitan, tradition of building and displaying Nativity scenes.

Presepe

a short youtube of one, with added mechanical motion:



Recently, more modern figures, Michael Schumacher, the Donald, and various footballers have been added to these scenes, upsetting the traditionalists;

Christmas Alley, Naples

Takanakuy

Up in the high mountains of Peru, 25th December is a day for settling disputes. Any dispute and between anybody.



Wiki:
Takanakuy

The purpose of the fighting is to settle conflicts with an individual, friend, family member or to settle territorial conflicts that have come up throughout the year. The style of fighting used during the celebration is relatively similar to martial arts, which involves kicking, punching, and quickness of their movements.

Christmas Cards

The first recorded Christmas cards were sent by Michael Maier to King James VI & I and his son Henry in 1611:
wiki: They incorporated Rosicrucian imagery, with the words of the greeting – "A greeting on the birthday of the Sacred King, to the most worshipful and energetic lord and most eminent James, King of Great Britain and Ireland, and Defender of the true faith, with a gesture of joyful celebration of the Birthday of the Lord, in most joy and fortune, we enter into the new auspicious year 1612" – being laid out to form a rose.


There was now a large gap until the year 1843*, when the first commercial Christmas cards were printed at the behest of Sir Henry Cole, a commercial decision since Cole was involved in the introduction of the penny post.

Cole's Christmas card of 1843, designed by John Callcot Horsley:



*1843 was also the year Dickens' A Christmas Carol was first published. The first print run released on the 19th December had sold out by Christmas Eve.

This particular engraving is from December 1848, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert starting a fashion for Christmas trees in Britain;

from Mexico, Las Posados:

wiki:Las Posadas is Spanish for lodging, or accommodation, which in this case refers to the inn in the story of the nativity of Jesus. It uses the plural form as the celebration lasts for a nine-day interval (called the novena) during the Christmas season. The novena represents the nine-month pregnancy of Mary, the mother of Jesus celebrated by Christians.
The celebration has been a tradition in Mexico for 400 years. Many Mexican holidays include dramatizations of original events, a tradition which has its roots in the ritual of Bible plays used to teach religious doctrine to a largely illiterate population in Europe as early as the 10th and 11th centuries. These plays lost favour with the Church as they became popularized with the addition of folk music and other non-religious elements, and were eventually banned; only to be re-introduced in the sixteenth century by two Spanish saints as the Christmas Pageant, a new kind of religious ceremony to accompany the Christmas holiday.

In Mexico, the winter solstice festival was one of the most important celebrations of the year and it was on December 12 according to the Julian calendar used by the Spaniards until 1582. According to the Aztec calendar, Tonantzin Guadalupe (the beloved mother of the gods) was celebrated on the winter solstice, and she is still celebrated today on December 12; while their most important deity, the sun god Huitzilopochtli, was born during the month of December (panquetzaliztli). The parallel in time between this native celebration and the birth of Christ lent itself to an almost seamless merging of the two holidays. Seeing the opportunity to proselytize, Spanish missionaries brought the custom of the re-invented religious pageant to Mexico, where they used it to teach the story of Jesus' birth to Mexico's people. In 1586, Friar Diego de Soria obtained a papal bull from Pope Sixtus V, stating that a Christmas Mass (misa de Aguinaldo), be observed as novenas on the nine days preceding Christmas Day throughout Mexico.

Triceratops,

I appreciated very much your Christmas contributions. Where do you find that all? Unbelievable...
From my side: Keep up doing the good work and congratulations with your choices.

Kind regards from Paul.

This morning on our national radio they had a story about Columbian refugees that were just shifting from the refugee centre to their new home in Invercargill (far south). They said they would need to understand the way NZers celebrate Christmas coming from their very family-oriented event where they give visit and give presents on Christmas Eve (I think - I was in bed, and not expecting to write about this!). 
I find it interesting how much emphasis is put on Christmas celebrations and traditions now here in NZ. Much more than in the past, I think. We used to just decorate a tree and put the presents under it, and have Christmas stockings. Now the decorations and the table settings are expected to be colour co-ordinated and everyone dresses in Christmassy clothes, and goes a bit ott, in my opinion. As for presents!! Some NZers adapt to the seasonal weather and have barbecues and beach parties, but our family still goes for turkey and ham. This year though as well as those one of my sons, who hunts, is bringing a venison ham. There have been various fusses here over woman Santas, and a Maori dressed in a traditional Maori cloak.
See https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=
2ahUKEwiDpeHJw6_fAhWOWX0KHTPnB0gQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=
https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stuff.co.nz%2Fnational%2F109291323%2Fmori-santa-from-nelson-parade-coming-to-wellington&psig=AOvVaw0Xyz9hGdvNW3Tbiae0moAP&ust=1545433756007246

(Sorry about the length of this link.)

what Neilsen will be up to next Monday;

Christmas Eve in Denmark:
wiki:
In the evening, an elaborate dinner is eaten with the family. It usually consists of roast pork, roast duck, or - more rarely - roast goose, with potatoes, caramelized potatoes, red cabbage and plenty of brown gravy. For dessert, risalamande, a cold rice pudding dish, is served with a hot cherry sauce, traditionally with a whole almond hidden inside. The lucky finder of this almond is entitled to a small gift, which is traditionally a marzipan pig. In some families, it's tradition that the rice pudding dessert is made with the remaining rice porridge from the previous evening, a meal served on the 23rd, Lillejuleaften (Little Yule Eve), with cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter. It is eaten warm with a fruit drink or sweet malt beer.

After the meal is complete, (some families dance BEFORE the meal) the family will dance around the Juletræ and sing Christmas carols and hymns like "Nu er det jul igen" (Now it is Yule again) and "Et barn er født i Bethlehem" (A child has been born in Bethlehem). When the singing is complete, presents from under the tree are handed out by the children or in turn. After they have been opened, there are more snacks, candy, chips, and sometimes the traditional Gløgg.



Like the Mexican example above, the Christian ceremony has been grafted on to an existing religious ceremony, in this instance the old Scandinavian festival of Yule (Jul)

Julemiddag Danish Christmas dinner with traditional Christmas dishes: Duck with stuffing made of apples and prunes, roast pork with crackling, potatoes fried in caramel, sweet and sour red cabbage and gravy. The traditional Christmas decoration colours are red, gold and white. The dessert is a traditional dish called risalamande.

Caro in New Zealand;

Christmas Day and Boxing Day are both statutory holidays in New Zealand. While Boxing Day is a standard statutory holiday, Christmas Day is one of the three-and-a-half days of the year where all but the most essential businesses and services must close. Many of New Zealand's Christmas traditions are similar to those of Australia in that they are a mix of United Kingdom traditions conducted in summer. New Zealand celebrates Christmas with very little traditional northern hemisphere winter imagery, mixed with local imagery. The pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa), which produces large crimson flowers in December, is an often used symbol for Christmas in New Zealand, and subsequently the pohutukawa has become known as the New Zealand Christmas tree.

For the Christmas gift-bringer's name, New Zealand uses a variety of names, from Father Christmas to Saint Nick. However, as the country becomes more bilingual the Maori name Hana Koko (say Hah-nah- Kor-Kor) is used much more. Hana Koko is not usually depicted in red, however- a green shirt, small black stubbies, a mixed-race appearance and a cone-shaped hat decorated with pohutukawa blossoms. Traditionally people eat a variety of cold foods, combined with a barbecue or Hāngi.

On Nordmann' s side of the Skagerrak;

"Jul" or "Jol" are cognates of Norse "Jòlnir" or "Ýlir", which are alternate names of Odin, although the root itself is debated. Jul was celebrated during the second moon (from new moon to new moon) of the winter half of the year – roughly from the new moon of November to the new moon of December. At this time, the animals for slaughter were the fattest, flour had been processed, all the work of autumn was completed, and it was time to celebrate.

The time of celebration has varied. According to written sources such as the legislation of Gulaþing, it was mandatory for farmers to have a beer drinking party with at least three farmers attending. If a farmer was so far away from his neighbours that this was difficult, he still had to brew as much beer as if he had been taking part of such a party. The beer should be ready by November 1.

The tradition of Yule Ale and "drinking Jul" is symbolized by a drinking horn on December 25 on the Runic calendar, with an upside-down drinking horn depicted on January 13, symbolizing that the ale should be finished by then.

By the wording of the legislation, there are two celebrations where beer drinking was mandatory. The first was a form of thanksgiving (where at least three farmers attended), while the second was a smaller party for the family.

The old tradition of brewing Yule ale and drinking in honor of the Æsir, friends, and kinfolk also remained in the time following the Christianization, with the law demanding people to brew enough as well as strong enough. However, people were now to drink in honor of Christ and the virgin Mary instead.

The figure of the mischievous but gift-bearing Norse nisse, a mythological creature associated with the Winter solstice in Scandinavian folklore, is a white-bearded, red-wearing ancestral spirit also known as Julenissen (Jul spirit), which has been integrated with the figure of Sinterklaas to comprise the modern-day figure of Santa Claus. Like the cookies traditionally left for "Santa Claus" today, it was customary to leave a bowl of rice porridge with butter for the Jul spirit in gratitude. The food represented a sacramental meal. Sacramental meals were formally called blót—in this particular instance, yuleblót or winterblót.

Paul will be putting on his skates and zooming round the nearest frozen pond:

On Christmas Eve ('Kerstavond' in Flemish and 'le réveillion de Noël' in Walloon), a special meal is eaten by most families. It starts with a drink (apéritif) and 'nibbles', followed by a starter course such as sea-food, and then stuffed turkey. The dessert is 'Kerststronk' (Flemish) or 'la bûche de Noël' (Walloon) a chocolate Christmas Log made of sponge roll layered with cream. The outside is covered with chocolate butter cream and made to resemble a bark-covered log.

Some people celebrate Advent and have Advent Wreaths/Crowns made from fir or leylandii greenery. The wreaths have four candles and a candle is lit each week counting down to Christmas. These are very popular in Elementary/Primary Schools where an Advent song is sung when the candles are lit. Lots of children also have paper Advent Calendars with chocolate behind the doors for each day!

In the weeks before Christmas, people also like to go to Christmas Markets. You might spot Santa Claus at the market! People go to buy Christmas presents, decorations and food. You can also drink jenever (gin) or Glühwein (hot wine) and eat some Smoutebollen/oliebollen (deep fried sweet dumplings) are also very popular. Going ice skating with friends is also something which is very common.


Though if Paul & Meles follow the tradition of Reveillon, they will barely be able to move on Christmas Day;

In Belgium, France, Brazil, in the Canadian provinces of Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick, the city of New Orleans, and some other French-speaking places, a réveillon  is a long dinner held on the evenings preceding Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The name of this dinner is based on the word réveil (meaning "waking"), because participation involves staying awake until midnight and beyond. In Portuguese-speaking countries, it is also a designation for the party preceding New Year's Day. In the United States, the réveillon tradition is still observed in New Orleans due to the city's strong French heritage, with a number of the city's restaurants offering special réveillon menus on Christmas Eve.
The food consumed at réveillons is generally exceptional or luxurious. For example, appetizers may include lobster, oysters, escargots or foie gras, etc. One traditional dish is turkey with chestnuts. Réveillons in Quebec will often include some variety of tourtière.

Dessert may consist of a Yule log, known as a bûche de Noël. In Provence, the tradition of the thirteen desserts is followed: 13 desserts are served, almost invariably including pompe à l'huile (a flavoured bread), dates, etc.

Quality wine is usually consumed at such dinners, often with champagne or similar sparkling wines as a conclusion.

Triceratops,

  An interesting topic about how people in different countries observe Christmas but it is also interesting to read that most, if not all, of the customs also  involves food and drink.

Anyway have a merry Christmas with plenty of food and drink.


Dirk

Triceratops,

"On Christmas Eve ('Kerstavond' in Flemish and 'le réveillion de Noël' in Walloon), a special meal is eaten by most families. It starts with a drink (apéritif) and 'nibbles', followed by a starter course such as sea-food, and then stuffed turkey. The dessert is 'Kerststronk' (Flemish) or 'la bûche de Noël' (Walloon) a chocolate Christmas Log made of sponge roll layered with cream. The outside is covered with chocolate butter cream and made to resemble a bark-covered log."


"pile-poil" (bang-on) (In Dutch we have only the prosaic: exact, precies (exactly, precisely)), cher Triceratops. And as you see it are only the words in French and Dutch that differ.

"In Belgium, France, Brazil, in the Canadian provinces of Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick, the city of New Orleans, and some other French-speaking places, a réveillon  is a long dinner held on the evenings preceding Christmas Day and New Year's Day... a number of the city's restaurants offering special réveillon menus on Christmas Eve.
The food consumed at réveillons is generally exceptional or luxurious. For example, appetizers may include lobster, oysters, escargots or foie gras, etc. One traditional dish is turkey with chestnuts. Réveillons in Quebec will often include some variety of tourtière.

Some years ago,because each year it becomes more and more expensive, we went to a réveillon before New Year's day (I think the English say "New Year's eve?)  the least expensive one; but nevertheless lobster (Canadian now, the Norwegians are more rare and thus more expensive) (I don't like "huitres", even flat ones) and yes the champagne at midnight...6 courses? (gangen)...and I eating and eating, all that good stuff...but on new year's day réunion with the family of the new daughter-in-law (we have also an old daughter in law) and I could nothing eat, not support even the smell of the warm food...and I ashamed, ashamed had to have a stroll outside looking to the local monuments and only coming inside when they started with the cold desserts...and even that...and it happened never again that way...

Kind regards from Paul.

A look on the internet brought up this feature https://www.momondo.co.uk/discover/article/christmas-traditions-around-the-world though as one of the "traditions" referred applies to Hanukkah I'm not sure if it really qualifies.  The eatery where one of the U3A groups I belong to had their pre-Christmas "do" was booked solid with people who wanted to eat their Christmas meal out this year (and not particularly cheap either).  I can understand people perhaps not wanting the stress of cooking at Christmas but one can always cook a simpler meal than the Christmas bird and all the trimmings if necessary (obviously as a vegetarian my Xmas meal will be different and fairly simple).  The Christmas meal at home in the UK used to be a tradition in my childhood back in the 1950s but times change.  Somebody I know who works for herself says she is so tired by Christmas Day that she does spag bol for herself and her kids on Xmas Day as they all like it and its not too difficult and when she is more rested does a meal more like the Xmas one on New Year's Day.

Lady,

what is "spag bol"? (something with spagetti?)
Our Christmas eve, will be "low tune", the lady in the revalidation from a new hip, and I have seen from the menu of next week that they will do nothing special in the hospital. I intend to bring with me for the two ladies in the room some smoked salmon or perhaps some cold lobster with "mayonaise"...or perhaps baked oysters...

                    


Kind regards from Paul.

Paul, you are quite right - "spag bol" is spaghetti bolonaise.

Caro wrote:

Some NZers adapt to the seasonal weather and have barbecues and beach parties, but our family still goes for turkey and ham.

The transplantation of Christmas (and other feasts of the European calendar) to the Southern Hemisphere must cause all sorts of difficulties and paradoxes. I have an Australian friend (resident in England) who, when growing up in Adelaide, says that her mother always prepared a ‘Midwinter Dinner’ for the family in June which was a Christmas dinner in all but name. Having a roast dinner in hot December weather simply made no sense at all for them. I’m not sure how widespread that practice is but it is indicative of the sorts of cultural and climatic dislocation which emigration to the Antipodes (and also to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay etc) must have engendered.

Among the first known Europeans to have spent Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere was the Portuguese navigator Bartolemeu Dias who spent 25 December 1487 off the coast of present day Namibia on his journey south around the Cape of Good Hope. Intriguingly Christmas Day itself passed by unremarked although the following day St Stephen’s Day was used by him in the naming of a bay Golfo de Santo Estevao while St Sylvester’s Day (31st December) was used in the naming of a stretch of coast as Terra de Sao Silvestre.

10 years later his compatriot Vasco da Gama, on his was to India, would also spend Christmas Day off the coast of southern Africa. Da Gama’s log entry for the 25th December 1497 doesn’t mention Christmas either but seems more interested in trumpeting the fact the he had finally got seventy leagues further along the coast than Dias had and also concern that his ship had sprung a mast which needed repair. That said - the naming of the province of Natal (the Portuguese word for Christmas) originated with da Gama.

Dirk Marinus wrote:

An interesting topic about how people in different countries observe Christmas but it is also interesting to read that most, if not all, of the customs also  involves food and drink.
Dirk

Dirk, celebrations of the Winter Solstice date back quite a long time. The suggested alignments of standing stones at Stonehenge and Newgrange date back to Neolithic times.
The Winter Solstice would be a time when those cattle and sheep which were not being kept over winter, would be slaughtered , hence the tradition of plenty of food and drink.

Vizzer wrote:

Among the first known Europeans to have spent Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere was the Portuguese navigator Bartolemeu Dias who spent 25 December 1487 off the coast of present day Namibia on his journey south around the Cape of Good Hope. Intriguingly Christmas Day itself passed by unremarked although the following day St Stephen’s Day was used by him in the naming of a bay Golfo de Santo Estevao while St Sylvester’s Day (31st December) was used in the naming of a stretch of coast as Terra de Sao Silvestre.

10 years later his compatriot Vasco da Gama, on his was to India, would also spend Christmas Day off the coast of southern Africa. Da Gama’s log entry for the 25th December 1497 doesn’t mention Christmas either but seems more interested in trumpeting the fact the he had finally got seventy leagues further along the coast than Dias had and also concern that his ship had sprung a mast which needed repair. That said - the naming of the province of Natal (the Portuguese word for Christmas) originated with da Gama.

Columbus' flagship Santa Maria ran aground in Christmas Eve, 1492. Being too badly damaged to repair, Columbus had the ship dismantled to provide material to build a fort which he named La Navidad,on modern day Haiti, which was intended to be the first permanent European settlement in the Americas.
However when Columbus returned the following year it had been burned to the ground.

Christmas in Iran:

wiki:
The Assyrians, the indigenous people of northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey that belong to the Assyrian Church of the East, Ancient Church of the East, Syriac Orthodox Church, and Chaldean Catholic Church today celebrate Christmas on December 25. Assyrians colloquially call Christmas Eda Zora, meaning "little holiday." It is officially called Eda d'Yalde which means "birthday holiday." Traditionally, Assyrians fast (sawma) from December 1 until Christmas Day. In Iraq, for instance, on Christmas Eve, Assyrian families congregate outside of their house and hold lighted candles while a child reads aloud the nativity story. Then they all sing psalms over a bonfire made of thorn bushes. Folklore says that if the thorns burn to ashes, the family will have good luck. After the fire has been reduced to ashes, the family members will jump three times over the ashes and make a wish. The next day, on Christmas, "as another bonfire burns in the churchyard, the bishops lead the service while carrying a figure of the baby Jesus. He blesses one person with a touch. That person touches the next person and the touch passes around until all have felt the touch of peace." Many Assyrians will attend the Shaharta, or midnight vigil before Christmas. On Christmas Day, when families gather together after the Shaharta or morning mass, raza d'mowlada d'maran, the fast is broken by eating traditional Assyrian foods such as pacha/reesh-aqle (meaning "from the head to the tail"), which is a boiled soup made of sheep or cow intestines, tongue, stomach, legs, and spices or harissa, a porridge made of ground wheat and chicken (both dishes are prepared usually overnight). These two dishes are only made twice a year: on Christmas and Easter. Traditional desserts eaten after the main course include Killeche, a date and walnut-stuffed cookie, and Kadeh, another stuffed pastry. After the feast is finished, Assyrians will visit the houses of family and friends to exchange Christmas greetings, saying, "Eedokhon breekha," meaning "May your feast be blessed." There, the host will serve tea, Turkish coffee, and Killeche and Kadeh to guests. Although Christmas is celebrated in a much more religious fashion, in recent years, families put up a small Christmas tree in the house.

Large ornate nativity scenes are common in France, Spain and Italy, often not just depicting the manger scene, but also with other buildings and people doing ordinary household jobs like washing, cooking etc. However a Catalan speciality is the subtle inclusion of the 'caganer'. Usually clad in the traditional Catalan peasant's red 'phrygian' cap (the barretina) and with his trousers around his ankles baring his buttocks, he's always somewhere there, discretly hidden among the adoring kings, shepherds, angels and assorted animals, quietly doing his business:



    

The figure of the caganer seems to have entered the traditional nativity scene around the late 17th or early 18th century. Clearly placing a figure representing a person in the act of defecating in a scene which is widely considered holy, must have some profound symbolic or cultural origin, but no-one can agree on what that might be. These days the traditional peasant caganer is often replaced by a figure depicting celebrities or authority figures, so that representing them with their pants down, the caganer serves as a leveling device to bring the mighty down. There again the caganer may be a symbol of inclusivity, either representing the common person present at the profoundly holy event, or just the cynical outsider, the joker or spoilsport.

      

And the modern caganer need no longer be exclusively male:

      

The Catholic church tolerates the practice where it is traditional but can be a bit sniffy about it. Official civic opinion is also often divided as to whether it is wholly appropriate, so not all nativity scenes in Catalonia include caganers. (The complaints are not usually from those figures being depicted - for the aspiring local politician to be depicted as a caganer means you're at least starting to get noticed).

But the caganer isn't alone at Christmas in his defecating character as there's also the the Catalan Christmas 'Yule' log - the Tió de Nadal:



Beginning at the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (8th December) one gives the tió a little bit to "eat" every night and usually covers him with a blanket so that he will not be cold. Running up to Christmas children must take good care of the log, keeping it warm and feeding it, so that it will eventually defecate lots of presents. On Christmas Day (or sometimes Christmas Eve) the tió is traditionally put partly into the fireplace (admittedly difficult with modern central heating) and ordered to defecate, and to encourage it the children beat the tió with sticks, while singing special Tió de Nadal songs. For practical reasons only small gifts can be hidden under the tió's blanket to magically appear (by dint of parental sleight of hand) and larger presents are considered to have been brought by the Three Wise Men. Accordingly the tió generally leaves sweets and small toys, and what comes out of the Tió is always considered to be communal rather than individual, to be shared by everyone there.

The tió is often popularly called Caga Tió ("shit/shitting log") from the songs, such as this one:

Caga tió!
caga torró,
avellanes i mató,
si no cagues bé 
et daré un cop de bastó.
caga tió!"

Shit, log!,
shit turrón (nougats),
hazelnuts and mató (cheese),
if you don't shit well,
I'll hit you with a stick,
shit, log!

Crumbs, MM, if the fundamental Christians who get their undies in a twist about Xmas being overlain on pagan roots (yes, I know it is to some extent) what will they make of the caganers if they learn of them?

I mentioned on another thread that when I watched the TV series Versailles I used to check the "partylike1660.com" website to get a grasp on what was true to history and what was far-fetched in that series.  The lady who writes the blog wrote an article about the Xmas tree in France (according to the feature it was already use in France, particularly in areas near the (German) border).  Apparently Liselotte (sister-in-law of Louis XIV) tried to introduce a Christmas game called the "Christkindl" (wanting to make it cheerful for the children) but she did not succeed.  [url=partylike1660.com/a-17th-century-christmas/]partylike1660.com/a-17th-century-christmas/[/url]

Edit:  Because I don't see any of the "url" or other characters that surround the link when I am in typing or edit mode but they appear after I have pressed "Send".  Folk will just have to type the website name if they think they might find it worth a read - or leave well alone if it doesn't pique their interest.

Here's the correct link, LiR,

Party like 1660 - A 17th century Christmas

Some interesting things there. I hadn't realised it - although it makes sense - but the Christmas tree, as well as being Germanic in origin, also became primarily a Protestant tradition, as it formed a festive focal point in the household other than the traditional Catholic crèche/nativity scene, whose little figurines could be seen as getting dangerously close to idolatry. It is certainly true that even today the crèche de Noel/manger scene is de rigueur in devout Catholic French households - when my French-speaking, very devout, Catholic, Belgian mother-in-law came to stay with us one Christmas, she was horrified that we didn't have a crèche on display and promptly insisted that we immediately go out and buy one. I was tempted to slip in a little caganer, perhaps one of the Belgian king or the Pope ... but didn't dare!