Christmas Traditions from Around the World

Some of us were born and raised here in the United States, and so were our parents, grandparents, and even further. Lots of us don't have any cultural identity other than "American". We all have holiday traditions and customs handed down to our family, re-sized and re-shaped from generation to generation. I thought it would be fun to look at the traditions and customs of celebrating Christmas from other countries. Maybe you can even incorporate some of them into your own family's holiday traditions.

In France, most Christmas festivities center on the crèche, or as we would call it the Nativity Scene. In most homes, churches, and public places a manger scene will be displayed. The Christmas tree, however, is not historically that popular in France. They don't even usually do the traditional Yule log burning. However, they commemorate the Yule log with their traditional Christmas cake, the Christmas Log, or the Buche De Noel. You can make an easy version of this French Christmas cake:

Two ladyfingers or Twinkie for each log
Chocolate frosting
Powdered sugar
Holiday decorations such as sprinkles, or holly
Spread the frosting between the two ladyfingers and stack them. Spread frosting all over. Pull a fork over the frosting to make it look like bark. Sprinkle powdered sugar to make it look like snow. Add the decorations and serve.

Another French holiday traditional cake is the Galette Des Rois or the Cake of Kings. A whole almond is baked into the cake, and the person who finds the almond in their slice of cake is king or queen for the next twenty-four hours. And what a Christmas present that would be!

Most of the Christmas traditions we have here in the United States originated in Germany. Christmas is celebrated elaborately in Germany. The Advent wreath with its four purple candles to be lit on the four Sundays before Christmas, and the white candle to be lit on Christmas Day was a German tradition. The Advent calendars originated in Germany, too. You can make a simple one for you and your children.

Place stick-on notes numbered from 1 to 24 on a large sheet of posterboard. Beneath each flap, draw a picture, write a funny or sentimental message, leave a sticker, or even put a piece of candy or "ticket" for something special. Decorate the border of your calendar with festive stickers, glitter, paint, or markers.

A specialty in Germany at Christmas time since the Middle Ages is their Christstollen or Christmas Bread. This sweet bread is rich and filled with dried fruits like raisings, candied orange peel, dried cranberries; and nuts like almonds or walnuts. Sounds like a fruitcake, doesn't it? Try a nice fruitcake this year, and call it Christstollen for a German touch.

Christmas in Greece takes second place behind Easter for most Greek Christians, and those who are followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Christmas trees are rare, but they do have many customs and traditions for Christmas. Every housewife bakes a loaf of Christopsomo or Christ Bread, on Christmas Eve. The family begins their Christmas meal with this bread and honey, and afterwards they lift the table three times for good luck. To add a touch of Greece to your holiday, try baking these Kourabiedes (shortbread) this year.

4 sticks unsalted butter
¾ cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons brandy or cognac
4 ½ cups all purpose flour
whole cloves
Cream the butter until fluffy. Stir in sugar. Beat in egg yolk and brandy. Blend in flour and shape the dough into walnut-sized balls. Place a whole clove in each ball. Bake for 15 minutes on ungreased baking sheet in a 350 degree oven. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar before storing.

In Italy, Christmas Eve is still a fast day, and fish is the traditional meal. In Sicily, as many as twenty fish dishes may be included in the meal. In other areas, it is traditional to have seven types of fish cooked seven different ways to represent the seven sacraments. We might not want that much fish at our Christmas celebration, but try Risotto Con Frutti Di Mare (Rice with Shellfish) one year for a touch of Italy.

4 tablespoons olive oil
I clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound cleaned and deveined shrimp
1 pound mussels
1 pound littleneck clams
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups long grain rice
¼ cup flat leafed Italian parsley, chopped
salt
pepper
Saute garlic in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add red pepper and shrimp and cook for two minutes. Clean the clams and mussels. Boil for about 10 minutes with the remaining olive oil and wine. Remove the opened shellfish. Strain the liquid through a paper coffee filter. Add shellfish to shrimp. Add enough water to the cooking liquid to make 4 cups. Add rice and simmer for about 10 minutes, then remove the lid, and add shellfish. Cook uncovered until the rice has absorbed the liquid and is tender.

In Spain, Christmas Eve is a time for family to gather together and feast around the nacimientos, manger scenes, that are in nearly every home. Christmas Day is marked by gift-giving and the custom of the Urn of Fate. The Urn of Fate requires everyone's name to be written on a card and thrown into the urn. Cards are drawn two by two and the resulting pairs are expected to have a special friendship in the next year. Perhaps that is where we got the "Secret Pal" or "Secret Santa" idea. It also sounds like a good way to set up some blind dates. Almonds are a recurring theme in Spain's Christmas celebrations, so we can try the Sopa De Almendres or Almond Soup to invoke a little Spain into our holiday.

3 slices stale bread, crusts removed
1 ½ cup blanched almonds
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 teaspoons wine vinegar
8 cups ice water
seedless white grapes
Soak the bread in water. Process almonds, garlic, and salt to a fine paste in a food processor. Squeeze bread to remove most of the water and add to almond mixture. Add the olive oil, and vinegar with the food processor on. Put mixture in a large bowl and whisk in the ice water. Garnish each serving with 4 seedless grapes, cut in half.

Many customs, traditions, and rituals abound in other countries as well. Or you and your family can add some new traditions of your own.