Christmas-A discovery tour
Christmas in particular is steeped in tradition. Customs vary from family to family, but even more so from country to country. A short discovery tour.
"Every year, the Christ child comes ...". So far, so good. This line from one of the best-known German Christmas carols is probably something that at least all Christians can subscribe to. But how and when people celebrate and give presents varies greatly from country to country.
Here in Germany, there are several firmly established traditions surrounding Christmas. From Advent Sunday to Advent Sunday, one more candle is lit on the Advent wreath, and every day from December 1, another door is opened in the Advent calendar until December 24 is finally reached. Before that, there is one more important stopover: St. Nicholas Day on December 6. The evening before, boots are placed by the fireplace or in front of the front door, which St. Nicholas then fills with sweets. (By the way: BÄR produces some models up to size 48.5, so it might be worth borrowing dad's shoes). On Christmas Eve itself, the family gathers together, eats carp or roast goose, possibly attends Christmas mass - and somewhere in between it's finally time for the presents!
Christmas is celebrated differently in other countries. In our French neighbors, for example, it is not the Christ Child who comes, but "Père Noël" - Santa Claus. December 24th is a normal working day, but there is often a more common festive meal in the evening, traditionally turkey with chestnuts. Then it's off to mass at midnight. The children have to wait until the morning of December 25th for their presents - Père Noël likes to bring them down the chimney at night (like our St. Nicholas).
In Spain, neither St. Nicholas nor the Christ Child or Santa Claus bring the presents, but the Three Wise Men. This means that the presents are only given on January 6! This tradition goes back to the story that although the baby Jesus was born on December 24, the Three Wise Men only arrived with their gifts on January 6 after their long journey from the East. A figurine is baked into the Epiphany cake, which is then eaten. Whoever has it in their piece of cake can call themselves king for the whole day. On Christmas Eve, there is a family dinner and at midnight, people go to church for the "Misa del Gello", or "Mass of the Rooster".
The idea of celebrating Christmas under the sun on the beach seems strange. In Australia, Christmas falls at the height of summer, when temperatures of 30 degrees and above are not unusual. So the freezing cold and mulled wine are not a factor, but the atmosphere is still Christmassy: plastic fir trees are put up, front gardens are decorated and houses are festively lit. Christmas carols by candlelight, the public singing of Christmas songs, are particularly popular. People bring candles and sit in their thousands in parks, squares or even on beaches, where pop stars or opera singers sing Christmas carols. The Santas who are present wear shorts!
Well, other countries, other customs. But it's nice wherever people come together to celebrate Christmas. With this in mind:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
P.S. Are you still missing the right present?
You can still get a last-minute gift from us with the BÄR value vouchers in a beautiful gift box and with small care products. Just pop into your local BÄR store or visit us online.