"Christmas Around the World"

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

Naturally, the celebration of the Christmas Season is "supposed" to be just like we celebrate it here....Santa Claus, a dinner of turkey and dressing, a church service, and loads of gifts under the tree, as well as a celebration that begins almost as soon as Ol' Tom Turkey is put in the fridge, following Thanksgiving and not ending until the New Years Holiday!

Well, we decided that it would be interesting to see how the Christmas Season was observed in other places. So, a logical place to begin was at Cumby High School, where foreign exchange students, Tim Oschitzki from Berlin, Germany, and Alexsander Andrik from Oslo, Norway, are spending a school year in America. They shared with us the celebration of Christmas in their homelands.

"I've found the season is much bigger and longer, here in America, than in Berlin, and we don't celebrate Thanksgiving," expressed Tim. "It's more of an Old World Christmas, back home, where we share 'little' gifts of candy and chocolates from December 1st through the 24th!"

 

Homes are not as lavishly decorated in either Germany or Norway, as they are here in the U.S.

 

 

"And, it doesn't seem to snow here in Texas!" exclaimed Tim. "And, there is always snow for Christmas in Germany! Either it is snowing or there is snow on the ground, during the season, with much,  much colder weather!"

Families in Germany traditionally go to church on Christmas Eve morning, sing Christmas carols and relate the birth of Christ, before coming home to exchange gifts with family members, according to Tim.

"And, Santa Claus is Weihnachtsmann, in German!" inserts Tim. "He's a jolly old chap that leaves you presents and is magic!"

"We don't celebrate Christmas any way at school in Germany," continued Tim. "It's strictly a holiday to be celebrated with family!"

"And, our Christmas dinner is typically made up of roasted or prepared lamb, saurkraut, mashed potatoes, and no turkey," related Tim. "We usually open small gifts of candy, chocolate, or something small, every day leading up to Christmas!"

 

Tim Oschitzki, left of Berlin, Germany, and Alexsander Andrik, of Oslo, Norway,
discussed the differences of the Christmas celebration in their homelands, and
what they have observed here in the United States, as they spend a school year at
Cumby High School, in Hopkins County.

 

 

 

"Well, I'm from Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer's home of Oslo, Norway!" expressed Alexsander Andrik. "And, we too celebrate the Christmas season with a Christmas calendar that has places for small gifts, each day of December, leading up until December 24th!"

"However, typically our Christmas trees are not put up until about the 23rd of December, and done by your parents, so that on the morning of December 24th you wake up to a decorated Christmas tree in your home," relates Alexsander. "We open our main gifts from family, always on Christmas Eve and there is a tradition of family and friends 'dropping by' the home, where you have dry cakes, or as you would call them, tea cakes, to offer friends and family. They are called 'Jule Kaker,' and no home is without at least seven different kinds of cakes to offer those coming by. It's a source of pride to offer the cakes in a variety of flavors and shapes to your guests!"

 

Alexsander told us that in Norway that Christmas cakes, called
"Jule Kaker" are a source of family pride and offered in homes
to those guests who come to visit.

 

Alexsander told us that their traditional Christmas Eve Dinner would always include "Ribbe," which is a carefully prepared pork roast with the pig skin left on it, and that it's prepared so the skin is "crunchy," and very flavorful. Also, there would be a selection of Christmas meat balls, made from lamb and beef, and Christmas cabbages called Surkaal (green cabbage) and Roekall (a dish made with red cabbage), pickled fish like Herring that has a tomato sauce, similar to marinara sauce, and boiled potatoes. Also, "Ris Kream" a sweet porridge made from rice, milk, sugar, and butter, and seasoned with strawberry or other fruit preserves.

"And, we always have loads of chocolate candies, too!" advised Alexsander.

 

 

Santa Claus is called "Jule Nisse" in Norway, and the myth surrounding him is that he was a beloved saint and "little people" or elves live out in his barn and make all the toys for Christmas, that he brings the children.

"Another tradition that we always observe on Christmas Day, December 25th, is that it is spent going to the cemetery, where we place holiday flowers on our loved ones' graves and light candles, that will burn brightly on Christmas night, in their memory," allowed Alexsander. "It's a beautiful sight on Christmas night to see all the lights burning in the cemeteries!"

"It's a different type of celebration, but we're really enjoying the differences here in America, with all the Christmas lights on home, and month-long decorations of houses," expressed both Tim and Alexsander. "And, we like the foods here and the way the Christmas theme is carried out at school, with the celebrations, too!"

 

And, "Ol' Tom Turkey" would be "safe" in both Norway and
Germany, as their traditional dinners consist more of lamb
and pork, for the holiday meal.

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