Holiday Traditions Of Other CountriesEngland / Germany / MexicoFour parts to this series. Children will Love to see how other Countries celebrate Christmas. I know I found it very interesting. Caroling and Mummering in EnglandCaroling is one of the oldest customs in Great Britain, going back to the Middle Ages when beggars, seeking food, money, or drink, would wander the streets singing holiday songs.Wandering minstrels traveled from hamlet to castle, performing carols. In later years, villages had their own bands of waits. They were originally watchmen who patrolled the city streets and sang out the time of night each hour. During the holiday season, they would entertain the townspeople with a Christmas song as well. The term eventually evolved to describe a group of carolers or musicians who sang and performed at numerous locations throughout the city during the holiday season. Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, was a German native and brought the tradition of the Christmas tree with him when they married. Trafalgar Square is the home of one of the country's most popular Christmas trees, a large spruce tree which is placed near a statue of Lord Nelson. During World War II when King Haakon of Norway was forced into exile in England during the German occupation of Norway, the Norwegian troops would smuggle a tree past the Germans into England so the King would have a Christmas tree to celebrate the holiday. Since then, Norway has sent a large Norwegian spruce tree each year as a thank you to the British people. The English gift giver is called Father Christmas. He wears a long red or green robe, and leaves presents in stockings or pillowcases on Christmas Eve. However, the gifts are not usually opened until the following afternoon. Another English tradition is called mummering. In the Middle Ages, people called mummers put on masks and acted out Christmas plays. These plays are still performed in towns and villages The day after Christmas in England is called Boxing Day. Boys would go around town collecting money in clay boxes. When the boxes were full, they broke them open. Celebrate Christmas and Three Kings Day in GermanyChristmas preparations in Germany often begin on the eve of December 5th, the eve of St. Claus Day. People often set aside special evenings for baking spiced cakes and cookies, and making gifts and decorations. Little dolls of fruit are traditional Christmas toys.Children leave letters on their windowsills for Christkind; a winged figure dressed in white robes and a golden crown and is the Christ Child's messenger who delivers gifts. Sometimes the letters are decorated with glue and sprinkled with sugar to make them sparkle. There is also a Christmas Eve figure called Weihnachtsmann or Christmas Man, he looks like Santa Claus and also brings gifts. Germans make beautiful gingerbread houses and cookies. The German Christmas tree pastry, Christbaumgeback, is white dough that can be molded into shapes and baked for tree decorations. Christmas trees are very popular in Germany. Some homes in Germany have several Christmas trees, and in all towns across Germany, they can be seen glittering and glowing. Some homes also display advent wreaths, called Adventskranz. They are decorated with holly and have four candles in the center. Each Sunday a candle is lit and the last one is lit on Christmas Eve. Children count the days until Christmas using an Advent calendar where they open one window each day and find a Christmas picture inside. Some families lock up one room of their home before Christmas. When the children are awoken by their parents at midnight, they find the room filled with gifts and a decorated Christmas tree. On the eve of January 6, German households inscribe the initials of the Three Kings Casper, Melchior and Balthazar, and the current year over their doorways to protect their homes. Catholic boys and girls dress up as kings for Three Kings Day on January 6, and sing carols and collect money for donations to different projects and charities. Celebrate La Posada in MexicoMexico's main Christmas celebration is called La Posada, which is a religious procession that reenacts the search for shelter by Joseph and Mary before the birth of Jesus. During the procession, the celebrants go from house to house carrying the images of Mary and Joseph looking for shelter.And though Santa Claus is not predominant, his bright red suit is represented in the traditional flower of the season. This flower is the poinsettia, which has brilliant green and red leafs on it. The legend of the poinsettia is really quite touching. It is believed that a young boy walking to the church to see the nativity scene showing the birth of Jesus had realized on the way that he had no gift to offer the Christ child. So, he gathered up some plain green branches and weeds to offer. Many laughed as he walked into the church, but he was told that as long as his gift was from his heart, the child would appreciate it. When he laid his gift near the manger, they changed into bright red and green leafs, and thus the poinsettia, or Christmas flower, was born. The Mexican children receive gifts on Christmas day. They are blindfolded while they use a stick or a bat to try and break a decorated clay piñata that dangles and swings at the end of a rope. Once the piñata has been broken, the children scramble to recover the candy that was inside the piñata. Those children who have been good also on January 6th receive a gift from the Three Wise Men, the same men who visited the newborn Christ child and brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Mexicans attend a midnight mass service which is called La Misa del Gallo or the rooster's mass, where they sing lullabies to Jesus. | ||||||
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You Are Here England / Germany / Mexico Holiday Traditions- Part 2 Jerusalem / Italy / France / India Holiday Traditions- Part 3 Africa- Kwanzaa / Holland / Ireland Holiday Traditions- Part 4 Canada- Boxing Day / Brazil / Australia / Greece | ||||||
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