Christmas traditions in different countries

Christmas traditions in Germany

Season of the Christmas holidays in Germany ("The fifth season") begins on November 11 (i.e. 11 11 months) at 11 hours 11 minutes. This is a period of grandiose fairs and festivities. People gather in the ancient squares of cities, sing, dance, eat and drink hot mulled wine.

One of the most famous and bright Christmas fairs - fair in Nuremberg. There is a legend according to which onea resident of Nuremberg bought a jewelry box decorated with gnomes, snowflakes and fir branches, on the market square of the Old Town. She gave this box to a friend on the eve of Christmas in 1626. Since then, the Christmas fair is opened by the Guardian Angel with golden wings. His role is played by a local girl growing no less than 160 cm and aged 16 to 19 years.

On the fourth Sunday before Christmas begins Advent. Its beginning usually falls for the period from 27November to December 3. On this day, children are given a Christmas calendar with sweets - behind each window with the date lies a candy. Every day Advent children open one window and so - until Christmas.

December 6 in Germany comes st. Nicolas day. Before going to bed, the children to shinepolish shoes and put one shoe on the threshold of the bedroom or apartment. If the whole year the child behaved well, Saint Nicholas will leave in his shoe sweets, if bad - the "gift" will be dry branches. In the role of St. Nicholas can act parents and even neighbors - if the child left the shoe on the doorstep of the apartment.

December 24 is coming Holy evening (der Heilige Abend), or Christmas Eve. On the morning of December 24, a Christmas tree is put in the house and decorated with glass balls, wooden toys and candles. However, before returning from the church, the children are not shown a Christmas tree. But when they returned from the service, the children ran to the Christmas trees and unfolded Christmas presents.

Traditional Christmas Dishes in Germany - it's potatoes in oil, vegetable soup,Boiled carp with cream sauce and baked apples with vanilla sauce and stuffing. The next day, December 25, served a hearty Christmas dinner with baked goose or duck. On December, 25th it is accepted to have dinner in the house at grandmothers and grandfathers.

Christmas traditions in the Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, Christmas days begin with Advent. Every Sunday of Advent a new candle is lit on the Christmas wreath. December 5 in the Czech Republic celebrate St. Mikulas Day (Nicholas). On this day, the angel, the devil and Mikulash walk the streets, giving sweets and nuts to obedient children, and naughty ones - potatoes and coal. It is difficult to deceive Saint Mikulash - he has lists with the names of obedient children and pranksters. You can only try to tell him a rhyme or sing a song, thus begging yourself forgiveness for bad behavior.

On the traditional Christmas table, Czechs traditionally should not be meat. It is believed that those who say goodbye will come to the evening golden pig - and he brings happiness!

A traditional Christmas dish in the Czech Republic - fried carp with a garnish of potato salad. Carp for the Christmas table are fed in special ponds throughout the year. In the middle of December, the water from the ponds is lowered, and the carp "move" into large containers of water. A week before Christmas Eve, these tanks with live carps are installed on the streets of cities, and each strives to choose a better carp. It is customary to put a scrap of Christmas carp in a purse - it is believed that it brings financial well-being for the whole next year.

It also happens that Christmas carp is noteat up. The fact is that according to custom, carp should be on the Christmas table. However, it is not specified anywhere, the carp must be alive or dead. Therefore, in many families live carp is brought home, released into the bath, they come up with a nickname and feed it with biscuits until Christmas. On Christmas Eve carp is put on the table in the basin, and on the morning of December 25 released into the river.

Of course, Christmas in the Czech Republic can not do without gifts. We bring them Santa Claus, in America - Santa Claus, and in the Czech Republic - Ezhishek (Ezulyatko), baby Jesus. Nobody knows what he looks like, because Ezhishek carefully watches, so that no one sees how he throws gifts to children. Traditionally Ezhishka is depicted in the form of a dressed ruddy doll. He even devoted a whole museum!

And Christmas traditions in Britain and France you can find in the second part of this material.