What are some Saints people celebrate at Christmas time in Canada? Canadians have very different Christmas traditions than Americans. The purpose of this essay is to inform the reader on how Canadians celebrate Christmas in a complete, thorough, and accurate way.
During Christmas time the weather gets very cold in Canada. The temperature is always 20℉ or less the whole month of December. Because of this, local train stations are often shut down for a few weeks. The train tracks have to be treated with a coating that doesn't let them freeze. Although it is always snowy and cold, the activities Canadians enjoy don’t change because Canada is like that all year. All of the different snow plows are working all day to keep the streets safe
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One popular tradition that people do on Christmas Eve in Nova Scotia is called a belsnickle. A belsnickle is when someone dresses up in a unique or strange Santa Claus outfit and go door to door until the homeowner can guess who is in the costume. In the Province of Newfoundland many people have a tradition called Mummering. When someone mummers they dress up in costumes and go to homes and say phrases in a disguised voice. The mystery person might say something like, "Are there any Mummers in the night?" or "Any mummers allowed in?’” This usually means, “Are mummers allowed in the house?” If the mummer is let in he or she will sing and dance and will eat Christmas cake and have something to drink. A festival called the Snick Tuck was created by the Inuit people and celebrated throughout Canada. During the festival there is dancing and gift exchanging. Some traditions tie straight into Canadian religions. On Christmas many people clean their homes to honor Saint Philip. Canadians have twelve meals in the Christmas Season representing the twelve lunar Cycles and the twelve DIsciples of Christ. Some religions say that Christkindl, or Christ Child, bring the presents and not Santa Claus. Canadian Christmas traditions are unique and tie into their
Evidently, myths have become the culprit of traditions. That being said, the contemporary and ancient myths of Santa Claus and Krampus can only be understood by determining the elements that devise their entireties. Both narratives involve elements of opposition, trickery, mythemes, repetition, symbols, and ritualistic processes all of which support the structure of each holiday myth and tradition. Overall, the individual elements facilitate a valid, detailed compare and contrast analysis when examining the myths of Santa Claus and Krampus in a North American culture.
People often associate Christmas time with Pine Trees, presents, and Santa Claus, but never stop to think about how other Christian cultures such as the African American ones in New Bern,Jamaica, and the Caribbean celebrate this time of year.The contrast between the African-American celebrations called Jonkonnu, and American Christmas celebrations is profound to anybody. The celebrations are with tightly knitted communities that use music,dance, and songs to express their appreciation of one another instead of the tradition of gift-giving. Jonkonnu is an African-American Christmas celebration which takes place in New Bern, Jamaica, and the Caribbean.
Mummers were working class immigrants living in the Southern Philadelphia. Once a year on New Years’ Day, these people, all of varying ethnic groups, came together and walked the streets of their neighborhoods in costume, singing, dancing, and performing skits door to door for their neighbors, who often rewarded their performances with cake and other refreshments. “The public nature of the holiday gave the diverse ethnic groups an opportunity to see the individuals and their families from other cultures at play and to understand that, as different as they were, they could come together as neighbors and friends in the spirit of fun.” (Masters 42) Traditions within the mumming community developed spontaneously and informally, as the driving force was the desire to have fun and play together, affirming their group identities in that they could express group sentiment and values. In the early 1800s, mumming was a carnivalesque occasion, but following the Civil War, aesthetic and specific musical forms began to develop. Businesses began to offer cash prizes for categories such as best performance and best costume, and the Mummers parade changed from spontaneous play to competitive play with the institution of a set of rules when the different clubs came together to parade down Broad St in
Context: It is the early month of December and the students have been already reading, writing and hearing about Christmas in Canada. To date, they have already shared their cultural practices during Christmas, if any, and are now interested in the Canadian culture. They are familiar with the concept of Christmas and some key terms, like Santa Clause, Christmas tree, etc. The length of this class is two hours with one fifteen minute coffee break, after one hour.
Source 1 displays the aspects of the Indigenous culture and spirituality during the festive season. It acknowledges the native Indigenous Aboriginals of Australia; specifically their land, sea, and their inhabitants. This source is almost a manual, giving instructions to what is to be done, being a step by step process in acknowledging “the light Jesus brought into the world”. “The light”, as Jesus is described, is a symbol of Truth and Righteousness, opposite to Darkness as that of Hell and Evil. The ceremony starts with a spiritual act of a coolamon being placed with stones every week, including the act of placing
Christmas is almost here again, but have you ever thought how odd some of the holiday traditions are and how they became so popular? Buying a pine tree, setting it up in your house and then decorating it with festive lights and ornaments; hanging up stockings filled with candy over the fireplace; or how an old guy in a red-suit comes to your house the night before Christmas and leaves presents. This, too many Americans is normal, but why? Learning about these holiday traditions will get you into the Christmas spirit and show you what Christmas is truly about.
Another food is stuffed turkey and roasted stuffed pig. During Miranda(a event where a pig gets fried) a Christmas party in thrown with family, friends and neighbors. Also, families decorate Christmas trees. On Candle day, which is December 7th, candles are lit in window sills and and in streets to celebrate December. Most of these candles are red and blue. On the 16th of December families, neighbors and friends pray for 9 days. Santa does not exist in Colombia, instead Jesus gives them presents. A way that children hope to get presents is on the day before Christmas Eve, children write notes to baby Jesus and put these notes in the pesebre (nativity). These notes also can be called Carta Niño Dios. On Christmas, which is the 25th, they eat leftovers from Christmas Eve. On Christmas people in the U.S. eat ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, ham, stuffing and bread. In the U.S. people decorate Christmas trees with ornaments and lights. Families also hang stockings above fireplaces, bed posts, stair cases, window sills, door knobs and other places. Also, some children leave out cookies for Santa, they also write letters to him. It is believed that Santa Claus eats cookies that are left out for him, and he leaves presents under the Christmas trees for all the good boys and girls, and if you don’t be nice you get coal in your stocking instead of candy. Also, a tradition that started in 2005 is Elves
... Religious Customs, History, Legends, and Symbols from around the World; Supplemented by a Bibliography and Lists of Christmas Web Sites and Associations. Detroit, Mich: Omnigraphics, 2003. Print.
Wrightson, Paula, “Christmas Past- Paula Wrightson, Brighton & Hove Museums Describes A Regency Christmas” Preston Pages 2014 http://www.prestonpages.com/history_christmaspast.php
One might ask, where did the tradition Santa Claus come from? The answer to this question unfortunately is not quite as straight forward. Somehow this tradition wove itself into the holiday season during the 4th century from Turkey, where a wealthy bishop, by the name of Nicholas habitually gave gifts to children. Following the death of Nicholas, he was honored as a saint, Sinter Nikolass, and a holiday was established in honor of him on December 6th. Dutch people in the Netherlands later shortened the saint's name to Sinter Klaas, which eventually evolved into Santa Claus in the US following Dutch i...
The purpose of Thanksgiving in Canada is different from the Americans. But even though the reasons for giving thanks are different, many of the customs are the same. Canadian Thanksgiving was originally started to give thanks to God for a bountiful harvest. This was when there were lots of farmers that grew crops. Now we give thanks for everything we appreciate. Some farming families still give thanks for a good crop.
Carols, snow, mistletoe, cookies and milk. These are all synonymous with the Christmas season. However, for many, the true staple of Christmas is Santa Claus. Every child has felt the joy of Christmas Eve, spending time with family, leaving treats out for Santa, tossing and turning in their beds in anticipation for old St. Nick’s arrival. Although what Santa does is well known, his origins are slightly less familiar to most. The man we identify with Christmas has developed over a long time and has encountered many changes. “The original St. Nicholas is for the most part a shadowy figure, lost in historical mists and religious myths. (Myers 318).
Frosty the Snowman waves hello alongside Santa 's reindeer that are ready to take off. Candy canes line the sidewalk and the ginger bread dolls dance in a merry circle. The trees all sparkle with thousands of red, yellow, purple, blue, and orange lights. Out back, Mary and Joseph stand over baby Jesus, Choo-Choo train’s chug in spot, stars twinkle with bright yellow bulbs, and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause wave in the distance. Kerkhoven, MN, the location of the happiest house on the block. Every year my breath is always taken away as my eyes struggle to soak in the utter abundance of Christmas spirit. I 'm smiling and we 're not even inside yet.
Dutch children would put shoes by the fireplace for St. Nicholas or "Sinter Klaas" and leave food out for his horse. He'd gallop on his horse between the rooftops and drop candy down the chimneys into the children's shoes. Meanwhile, his assistant, Black Peter, was the one who popped down the chimneys to leave gifts behind. Dutch settlers brought the legend of Sinter Klaas to North America -- where we came to know him as Santa Claus. Clement Clarke Moore first described the “jolly old elf” with his sleigh drawn by reindeer, in the poem "The Night Before Christmas.
It is a series of novena which starts from December 16th and ends on December 24th. This is locally known as Simbang Gabi which literally means ‘Night Worship.’ Filipinos go to church at three or four o’clock every morning and afterwards have breakfast together. This specific tradition is the most cherished during Christmas because it shows deep devotion to God and this increases the anticipation of the Nativity of Jesus. Filipinos also believe that if a person attended and completed the nine masses, he or she can make one special wish that will be granted by God. Also after mass, it is tradition to buy and feast on puto bumbong (a sticky rice pastry), bibingka (rice cake) and salabat (ginger tea) or tsokolate (chocolate). These are sold right outside the church and along the streets. The next tradition is the ‘panunuluyan’ which is very similar to posadas in Mexico. This is observed in provinces throughout the country. It reenacts the journey of Joseph and Mary in search for a shelter while Mary was pregnant. Another Christmas tradition is the monito (male)/monita (female)- the Filipino version of secret Santa. Groups of friends, family, schoolmates or workmates draw names as early as December 1st and the chosen name would receive their gift. The most exciting part is keeping their identities a secret. The presents are usually given on a Christmas party where the