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November 27, 2009
Gone to pot ...
I am a keen but somewhat haphazard gardener and by December I feel I can safely shut the potting shed door without a guilty conscience until January. However, I can't sit round the fire planning my next year's floral and vegetable extravaganza as there is Christmas to look forward to.
When the English speaking countries sit down to a "traditional Christmas dinner" we eat an Aztec bird by an Alsatian tree followed by a pudding spiced with sub-tropical fruits. One of our popular carols tells of the Bohemian King Wenceslas, set to the music of a Swedish spring song. This set me thinking of how other countries celebrate Christmas.
The Danish Santa Claus Julemand (Yule man) has helpers called Julenisser who have been in Danish folklore and legend for centuries. Nisse (as he is known) wears home spun grey clothing and is said to live in barns and outbuildings. When we stayed with friends in Denmark they had a life size Nisse in their attic and. according to custom gave him a bowl of porridge on Christmas Eve. Woe betide them if they do not leave anything out for these little men who can be quite grumpy and might not leave presents. As the nights draw in the Danish family will make new decorations from brightly coloured paper. The tree is kept hidden in the main room and decorated in secret by the parents until it is shown in its full glory just before dinner on Christmas Eve. After dinner the tree is lit and the family walk round it singing Christmas hymns. Presents are then opened.
In Germany Christmas begins with Advent when a wreath of evergreens is made with four red candles. Like our Advent Crown the first candle is lit on the first Sunday in Advent and the final one lit on Christmas Eve, known as Heligabend (Holy Night). On St Nicholas Night, 6 December, children leave a shoe outside their bedroom door which is filled overnight with tiny gifts. In Westphalia on Christmas Eve soup bowls for each child in the household are set out and filled with sweets during the night by the Christkindl Ange, Hans Trapp, with his stick, accompanies the Angel and beats bad children. I hope German children are particularly good as there is also a witch called Berchtel who is equally unpleasant to those who have been naughty.
In France some children put out their shoes on Christmas Eve to be filled with presents from Pere Noel. It is essentially a religious festival and family holiday mainly devoted to children. The adults have their festivities on New Year's Eve when they exchange presents and visit friends. Nowadays they do have a Christmas tree, but send New Year cards rather than Christmas ones. In Les Baux in southern France their famous Christmas Mass is celebrated at the Church of St Vincent, where the congregation is led into the Church by three men, dressed in the costumes of Arles, playing pipes and drums. Carrying a candle and a new born lamb, the Shepherd of Les Baux kisses the foot of the baby in the manger. He then passes the lamb to the shepherdess, symbolising the shepherds' gift to the baby Jesus.
On 6 January, the Feast of the Epiphany, Italian children receive their gifts from an old witch called La Befana. Although she is very ugly, she is very kind and said to appear between 1 and 6 January. During the last night strange things occur - trees become laden with fruit and the waters of streams and fountains are transformed into gold. She flies from house to house on her broomstick, sliding down chimneys to fill the shoes and stockings of good children with presents and those of bad children with coal.
5 December in Holland is known as Sinterklaas Eve. Sinterklaas (Santa Claus) spends most of the year in Spain recording the behaviour of all children in a big red book, while his Moorish servant Zwarte Piet (Black Peter) stocks up presents for 5 December. Dutch children leave carrots and hay for Sinterklaas's horse in their clogs by the fireside, which Zwarte Piet exchanges for small presents.
Whatever the differences may be in the way we celebrate Christmas, whoever you are and wherever you may be, I hope Christmas brings you joy!
Floreat Hortum
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