| A typical element of Christmas celebrations is the custom to set the decorated spruce tree in houses. This tradition has originated from the German people in ceremonies where the spruce an evergreen plant was the symbol of life and fertility. With the spreading of Christianity among the people of central and northern Europe, the spruce decorated with different colored balls is getting a new symbolism: people started to set it in houses on the 24th of December, when as per the western tradition day of Adam and Eve is celebrated, as a symbol of the tree of paradise with plentiful fruits. In the context of Christmas, the spruce already symbolizes the tree of paradise and eternal life, which human beings get again through the New Adam – Jesus Christ. The Gospel narration states that, three wise men, who have come to worship the Infant Jesus, have brought gifts – gold, incense and myrrh, in the result of which a tradition to present gifts during Christmas day to children and one to another was born. As per the tradition, on this day the whole family assembles at the Christmas dining table and the feast table is decorated with traditional dishes – specific for each country. In England the compulsory dish for Christmas is a turkey hen baked in the oven with gooseberry sauce and Christmas pudding, which is covered with rum, set afire and put on the table. In the USA also, the turkey hen is supplied without fail to the Christmas table but with cranberry sauce. If there is no turkey hen baked in white wine, then it is not a festival in France. Oyster, pate from goose liver, cheese and champagne are also consumed in France. Turkeys, duck or goose are quite famous Christmas dishes. The duck or goose stuffed with apples, rice pudding and sweet rice porridge with cinnamon and raisins are eaten in Denmark. For Christmas, turkey or ham are prepared in Ireland, turkey in wine – in Greece, fried goose – in Lithuania and Germany. On Christmas day, Germans use the compulsorily dish with apples, nuts, raisins and marzipan. In china, where a lot of Christians live, the emperor’s dish is the famous duck as per Peking culture and is prepared for Christmas. The Christmas goose, duck, chicken and turkey are never prepared during Christmas in Austria, Hungary, and Balkan countries. In these countries, people consider eating the bird on this evening as sin, if you eat it your good fortune will fly away. Calves’ sausage with truffles, wild boar meat, traditional cake and wine is used in Belgium during Christmas lunch. Rabbit, venison or fowl are used in Holland. Luxemburg uses bloody sausage, apples, local sparkling wine. Italians for Christmas prefer fish or sea foods and cakes and all these things with champagne. Milky piglet fried on a roaster is served in Spain along with sherry. The feast table in each Spanish house will have sea gifts – prawns, crabs, crawfish and also Christmas sweets – halva, marzipans, aniseed drops. And the Portuguese on this day eat bakkalao – a dish from dried salty sizzles, which is eaten with port wine. People in Scandinavia very thoroughly prepare for Christmas. Two weeks before Christmas, the Christmas pigs are cut, bloody sausages are made, salt is added and meat is smoked. Then the beer preparation starts, which is boiled for three to four days duration without any break from morning to evening. Christmas is celebrated not only by catholic and protestant churches, but also its related religious sects – those who follow the Gregorian calendar in church chronology. |
All we want for Christmas are some quality holiday movies, say movie critics. According to the recent reviews, there will hardly be any brilliant Christmas movies on the Hollywood sky this Christmas.
