Winter Wonderland
Christmas is arguably the greatest time of the entire calendar year for most, generally agreed to be a few days off work, some quality time spent with the family, nice pressies under the tree, and plenty of Bucks Fizz waiting to be drunk.
Not everyone is familiar with the naf Christmas cracker jokes and unbelievably humiliating frail paper hats that we simply must wear in a traditional British Christmas. So what would others from around the globe have to say about their festivities?
Many countries cannot even agree on a shared day for Christmas. Dragging it out as much as possible (why didn't we think of that?) Latvians believe that Father Christmas bring them presents on each of the 12 days of Christmas - starting on 24th December, lasting until the new year.
These presents are traditionally put under the Christmas tree, which was in fact said to be first established by the Latvians. Than k goodness we didn't also follow such traditions as their brown pea, cabbage and sausage for the main meal.
Also fans of the veg as a festive treat, those from Transylvania in Romania serve stuffed cabbage on Christmas Eve, and then again the next day for lunch. It is said that these areas prefer this basic dish as it tastes best two or three days after being cooked. The mother of the household can therefore prepare the cabbage days in advance, leaving more time for organizing, decorating, and sticking her feet up.
More traditionally, and close to home, the snowier areas of Europe seem to have hit the nail on the head for making Christmas a holly jolly occasion. If the snow alone wasn't enough, in Northern Finland, a theme park called Christmas Land has sprouted where the Finnish believe is the home of Father Christmas. Close to the Arctic Circle, thousands of people from all around the globe send letters to Santa in Finland every year, as well as in Greenland, another area he supposedly derives from.
Children receive their presents on Christmas Eve, like in so many Northern European countries, and they are given by a family member dressed as St. Nick. As they grow older, they do come to realise that Father Christmas is in fact their older brother.
Also traditional in Finland are graveyards. Similar to the UK, where it is not unusual to visit Church on Christmas Day, the Finnish find graveyards particularly beautiful in the cold winter months. Many families visit cemeteries to place candles onto the burial places of their family members and pay respect to those that cannot be with them. Because there is so little daylight in these Northern countries, candles and torches are a tradition that crosses many borders.
In Norway, torches are often carried through the snow after their celebrations on Christmas Eve are finished. Similar to that of Finland, the Norwegians open their presents one by one on Christmas Eve late into the night. If not at their own home, the family will walk home with torches which shimmer against the white snow.
If there was ever a Christmas to remind us of the images we see on our Christmas cards, a Norwegian one is the way to go. Because in Norway children learn to ski sooner than they can walk, skiing is a traditional family activity that cannot be missed on the days leading up to Christmas Eve.
Holding hands and singing around the tree is often a wonderfully wholesome, although cheesy to some, manner in which to reconnect with each other after the hectic lead up to Christmas, as well as a way to warm up from the chilly air.
By Karen Asbury