My Merry Christmas

By Kathryn Hern

What are you most looking forward to this Christmas? Is it whacking an old tree trunk with a big stick in hopes that nuts and candies might spill out? Or tucking into a sumptuous giant eel for your Christmas Eve dinner? Or perhaps you are eagerly anticipating that magical night when the rivers will turn to wine and the mountaintops will crack open to reveal a hidden treasure trove of precious jewels!

I know what you're thinking -- someone's had too much spiked eggnog.

But while these traditions may sound bizarre to you, many families from different parts of the world will be celebrating in these and many other strange and wonderful ways this holiday season.

In Italy, for instance, fifers descend from the mountains playing holiday songs on their bagpipes to mark the beginning of the Christmas festivities. A Yule log is set aflame, and must be kept burning until New Year's Day in order to burn away any bad tidings from the past year. Some believe that the Virgin Mary may enter their home during Midnight Mass so that she may warm the baby Jesus before the blazing log. After mass everyone sits down to a Christmas Eve feast, which in Rome is traditionally "Capitone," a large female eel that can be roasted, baked or fried. After dinner the children set out their shoes for La Belfana, a female Santa Claus who fills the shoes of good children with toys, candies and fruit.

In Spain, chestnuts roasting on an open fire takes on a whole new meaning. The "Hogueras" ritual, characterized by people leaping over fires to symbolically protect themselves from disease, is held in observance of the winter solstice. On Christmas Eve, as the stars begin to twinkle, tiny oil lamps are lit in every village window to cast a warm glow on all. Swings are set up in courtyards throughout Spain on Christmas Day so that children can swing as everyone sings and celebrates. They may play a game called "Catalonia," in which the children hit a tree trunk filled with goodies in an effort to knock out some of the treats. But it is not until January 5th, the Eve of the Epiphany, that children leave their shoes filled with barley out on the doorstep. As the Three Wise Men come secretly in the night to leave gifts, their camels feast on the barley.

December 6th is the day that Saint Nicholas visits Austria. Donning his glittering Bishops robe, St. Nick roams the streets handing out apples and sweets to the children. On December 24th, farmers write the initials of the Three Wise Men in chalk on the archway of their stable doors, in hopes that this welcome will help to protect their herds from sickness in the coming year. With burning torches illuminating the night, families descend from their homes in the snow-covered Alps to gather in churches and village squares. Following the local celebrations, everyone returns home to unveil the Christmas tree, which has been locked away from sight. A bell rings and the door is opened, revealing a tree glittering with lights, decorations, candies and cookies. Beneath the tree are presents that have been brought by Kristkindl, a winged baby with golden locks who descends from Heaven on Christmas Eve with a band of angels who decorate the trees.

Christmas in Germany is such a special event that it lasts two full days. December 26th is called "zweite Weihnachtstag," or "second Christmas Day." The celebrations begin on December 6th, St. Nicholas Day, when children place a boot by the fireplace. They all hope that they have been good, so that their boots will be filled with holiday goodies; if not, all they will get is a boot filled with twigs. On Christmas Eve, according to legend, the most wondrous things happen in Germany: barren trees bear fruit, rivers turn to wine, animals can speak to one another, church bells can be heard ringing from the ocean floor, and mountains break open to expose a hidden bed of gems. But it is only the pure in heart that are able to witness this Christmas magic. It is also very important on Christmas Eve to follow the custom of "Dickbauch," or "fat stomach," because it is well known that those who do not eat well on Christmas Eve will be haunted by demons in the night.

Though traditions may differ, the joy and magic of the holiday season is the same all around the world. So why not fit some European traditions into your own Christmas celebration this year? Pass the eel and let's go roast some chestnuts!

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