The warm embrace of the cold winter season, the aroma of freshly baked cookies, the exciting sight of presents under the Christmas tree and the stimulating spectacle of bright colors – these are just some of the exhilarating sensations we experience every Christmas. Another noteworthy scene is the influx of lush greeneries that come [...]
Although Christmas was originally a Christian tradition, it turned out to be one of the biggest and most popular events throughout the world. This is probably because Christianity accounts for about a third of the world population, with approximately 2.2 billion adherents who belong to various Christian denominations. This guide may come in handy if [...]
In Portugal, the family comes together on December 25th, not only to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ but the passing of deceased friends and family members as well. The alminhas a pehar (“souls of the dead”) are given food and a place at the table to ensure good luck and fortune for the future. [...]
In America, children have Jolly Saint Nick, otherwise known as Santa Claus, who brings them presents on Christmas Eve. In Iceland, they have the Yule Lads, or Yulemen, thirteen men who each visit children in the days leading to Christmas. The Yulemen were first introduced in 1932 by Icelandic poet Jóhannes úr Kötlum in [...]
For children in Germany, Santa Claus (a.k.a Saint Nicholas, Jolly Ol’ St. Nick, etc.) isn’t the only man who visits during the holidays. Knecht Ruprecht, which translates to “Servant Rupert” or “Farmhand Rupert”, escorts Saint Nicholas on December 6, Saint Nicholas Day in deustchsprachigen Raum, or German-speaking Europe. There are two stories of Knecht Ruprecht’s origin: [...]
Look at the traditional nativity display of homes around Catalonia, Spain and its neighboring cities and you might find a strange and somewhat out of place character in the middle of all the familiar figures. The Caganer, a statuette of a man in the act of defacation, is a controversial yet traditional piece featured in [...]
[/p] A stunning addition to any style of Advent or Christmas decor, the Moravian Star can be seen hanging in most parts of Germany and American states that have Moravian congregations. (Moravians being evangelical Protestants with roots in Germany) The star was created in the 1830s in Germany, where it was first made during school [...]
For most everyone, the image above comes to mind when Santa Claus is mentioned – a jolly, chubby, smiling man clad in a red velvet coat trimmed with white fur. This image, and the persona of Santa Claus as we know him today, was created by Thomas Nast, a German born American cartoonist known as the [...]
A long standing custom, our friends from Germany (and those with roots and relatives from the country) practice the German Christmas Pickle tradition. The tradition rewards the most observant child of the family. After the Christmas decorations and Christmas trees have been hung and finished, mothers or fathers hide a pickle-shaped glass ornament in the [...]
A few years ago, the upside down Christmas tree became all the rage in holiday design. Department stores and artificial tree retailers started carrying many versions of the unusual tree only to have them all fly off the shelves. However, not everyone was too keen about this seemingly strange tree. Some believed that to display [...]
Bad Behavior has blocked 86 access attempts in the last 7 days.