"Blessed is the season
which engages the whole world
in a conspiracy of love."
Hamilton Wright Mabi
Spend some time reading about Christmas traditions from Italy, Mexico, France, and Africa. I've included links to recipes and fuller explainations of celebrations, such as La Misma Del Gallo. Perhaps you'll find one or two that you want to work into your personal celebration!!
Feliz Navidad!
ITALY: In Italy the Christmas season lasts for three weeks, beginning eight days before Christmas and is known as Novena. The week before Christmas the children go from house to house dresses as shepherds, playing pipes, singing and reciting Christmas poems. They are given money to buy presents. A fast is observed for twenty four hours before Christmas Eve, and then a celebration meal followed by a light Milanese cake Panettone and chocolates are served. At noon on Christmas day the Pope gives his blessings to crowds gathered in the Vatican Square.
In contrast to Saint Nicholas, or Father Christmas, it is La Befana who brings children toys on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6. According to the legend of La Befana, the Three Wise Men stopped at her hut to ask directions on their way to Bethlehem and to invite her to join them. She refused, and later a shepherd asked her to join him in paying respect to the Christ Child. Again she refused, and when night fell she saw a great light in the skies. La Befana thought perhaps she should have gone with the Three Wise Men, so she gathered some toys that had belonged to her own child, who had died, and ran to find the kings and the shepherd. But La Befana could not find them or the stable. Now, each year she looks for the Christ Child. Since she can not find him, she leaves gifts for the children of Italy and pieces of coal (nowadays carbone dolce, a rock candy that looks remarkably like coal) for the bad ones.
FRANCE: Most French homes at Christmas time display a Nativity Scene or Creche. This Creche is often filled with little clay figures called Santons or Little Saints. The Christmas tree is not popular in France and though the use of the Yule Log has faded, they make a traditional Yule Log shaped cake called the Buche de Nol which means Christmas Log. Le revillon is a very late supper held after midnight mass on Christmas Eve. (from the verb réveiller, to wake up or revive). Le Réveillon is a symbolic awakening to the meaning of Christ's birth and is the culinary high point of the season, which may be enjoyed at home or in a restaurant or café that is open all night. Each region in France has its own traditional Christmas menu, with dishes like turkey, capon, goose, chicken, and boudin blanc (similar to white pudding). The menu varies according to the region. In Alsace, goose is the main course, in Burgundy it is turkey with chestnuts and in Paris, oysters and pate de gras. Le reveillon may consist of poultry, ham, salads, fruit and wine.
MEXICO: The Mexicans and the Spanish share many traditions. A religious procession called La Posada reenacts Joseph and Mary search for shelter before the birth of Jesus by going from house to house carrying images of Joseph and Mary looking for shelter. Children receive gifts and on Christmas day are blindfolded and try to break a clay piñata and once it is broken, they recover the candy that was inside. The children who have been good also receive gifts on January 6th from the” three wise men”. Mexicans attend a midnight mass called la Misa Del Gallo (click link to view Vatican version, 2008). or “the rooster mass” where they sing lullabies to Jesus.
AFRICA: Christmas in South Africa is a summer holiday. Homes are decorated with pine branches and all have the decorated Christmas Fir in a corner with presents for the children. For some, Christmas dinner is an open air lunch. For others it is a traditional dinner of either turkey, roast beef, mince pies, or suckling pig, yellow rice with raisins, vegetables and plum pudding. On the west coast of Africa in Liberia most homes have an oil palm for a Christmas tree decorated with balls. Dinner is eaten outdoors with everyone sitting around in a circle sharing a meal of rice, beef and biscuits. Games are played in the afternoon and at night fireworks light up the sk 26th of December is known as the Boxing Day and is a proclaimed public holiday. It is the day to relax.
FRANCE: Most French homes at Christmas time display a Nativity Scene or Creche. This Creche is often filled with little clay figures called Santons or Little Saints. The Christmas tree is not popular in France and though the use of the Yule Log has faded, they make a traditional Yule Log shaped cake called the Buche de Nol which means Christmas Log. Le revillon is a very late supper held after midnight mass on Christmas Eve. (from the verb réveiller, to wake up or revive). Le Réveillon is a symbolic awakening to the meaning of Christ's birth and is the culinary high point of the season, which may be enjoyed at home or in a restaurant or café that is open all night. Each region in France has its own traditional Christmas menu, with dishes like turkey, capon, goose, chicken, and boudin blanc (similar to white pudding). The menu varies according to the region. In Alsace, goose is the main course, in Burgundy it is turkey with chestnuts and in Paris, oysters and pate de gras. Le reveillon may consist of poultry, ham, salads, fruit and wine.
MEXICO: The Mexicans and the Spanish share many traditions. A religious procession called La Posada reenacts Joseph and Mary search for shelter before the birth of Jesus by going from house to house carrying images of Joseph and Mary looking for shelter. Children receive gifts and on Christmas day are blindfolded and try to break a clay piñata and once it is broken, they recover the candy that was inside. The children who have been good also receive gifts on January 6th from the” three wise men”. Mexicans attend a midnight mass called la Misa Del Gallo (click link to view Vatican version, 2008). or “the rooster mass” where they sing lullabies to Jesus.
AFRICA: Christmas in South Africa is a summer holiday. Homes are decorated with pine branches and all have the decorated Christmas Fir in a corner with presents for the children. For some, Christmas dinner is an open air lunch. For others it is a traditional dinner of either turkey, roast beef, mince pies, or suckling pig, yellow rice with raisins, vegetables and plum pudding. On the west coast of Africa in Liberia most homes have an oil palm for a Christmas tree decorated with balls. Dinner is eaten outdoors with everyone sitting around in a circle sharing a meal of rice, beef and biscuits. Games are played in the afternoon and at night fireworks light up the sk 26th of December is known as the Boxing Day and is a proclaimed public holiday. It is the day to relax.
In Ghana, on the west coast of Africa, churches and homes are decorated with the first week of Advent, four weeks before Christmas. Christmas time is the time for cocoa harvest and hence people have prosperous and money to spare. Everybody return to homes on Christmas Eve including farmers and miners. Children sing Christmas carols and march down the streets shouting, "Christ is coming!". In the evening, a special service is held in the churches, which are decorated with evergreen and palm trees and lighted candles. Nativity plays are conducted and people sing hymns. Everybody dresses up as Christmas angels on the main day and sing Christmas carols at home and dress up in native or Western attire for the church service.
The traditional Christmas feast consists of rice, meats, porridge, okra soup or stew and yam paste called fufu. Families and close friends gather at the feast and share gifts and presents. An oil palm decorated with bells is used as the Christmas tree in Liberia. In the morning of Christmas, they wake up with carols and share utility items such as soaps and pencils as Christmas gifts. Christmas dinner in Liberia is arranged outdoors and the traditional dishes consist of rice, beef and biscuits. Traditional Christmas games serve as afternoon pastime while the advent of Christ is celebrated in the night with fireworks.
Written by: © Debra Contreras© 12/2009
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