Elsa Lang Lively
Growing up in an American household, my views on Christmas and my memories associated with the holiday have stemmed from traditions such as hanging stockings, Christmas Eve services, opening presents, and family feasts. Christmas is truly the happiest season of all, not just in America, but in many other countries as well. Although European Christmas traditions can be quite similar to those of American ones, each country has its own traditions that make celebrating Christmas unique. In order to find out more about how Christmas is celebrated in Europe, let’s examine the traditions of England, Norway, France, and Italy, shall we?
The first stop on our whirlwind European Christmas tour is jolly old England. British Christmas traditions date back as far as the days of the British Druids, when they would keep holly, ivy, and mistletoe in their homes to bring peace. The Christmas tree first became popularized in England when Prince Albert had one stand in the Royal Household in 1840. Today, nearly every city and small town in England has its own Christmas tree standing in the city center to be admired by all its townspeople and visitors. Since 1947, Norway has presented England with a large Christmas tree each year that stands in Trafalgar Square to commemorate Anglo-Norwegian cooperation in World War II.
The first British Christmas card was mailed in the 1840s, and the practice of wishing holiday tidings to loved ones quickly became a common practice. Today, over a billion Christmas cards are sent across Great Britain, many of which are sent in order to aid charities. For children, the best way to send a letter full of Christmas wishes to Father Christmas is by placing them in the back of the fireplace. The draft then carries them up through the chimney and to the North Pole.
On Christmas Eve, many English enjoy caroling to their neighbors in groups, wishing them a happy Christmas. Families hang their stockings over the fireplace in order to find goodies in them the next morning. Children leave mince pies and wine out for Father Christmas, as well as a carrot for his reindeer.
On Christmas morning, presents are unwrapped and the Christmas Day feast is prepared. A traditional British Christmas feast features a roast turkey, goose, or chicken with stuffing and roasted potatoes. This is then followed with mince pies and Christmas pudding flaming with brandy. “Figgy” pudding done right takes weeks to prepare, with occasional stirring by each family member (if you stir the pudding, you get to make a wish). Some families also prepare a Christmas fruitcake made with marzipan, icing, and sugar frosting. Many children enjoy breaking open their Christmas crackers during the feast, which are not, in fact, edible crackers at all, but brightly colored tubes that can contain riddles, toys, or other trinkets.
After the family feast, families all across England gather around the radio or television to hear the annual Queen’s Christmas Message. Some families attend Christmas services at a local church. The next day is known as Boxing Day, a holiday that first began in order to give deliverymen and other city employees who worked throughout the year a gift of money or food in a Christmas box. These days, the holiday is more commonly celebrated by tipping milkmen, postmen, and other servicemen during the Christmas season.
Norwegians have their own unique Christmas traditions as well. A Nordic Christmas is characterized by its celebration of light, as the winter months in Scandinavian countries are cold and dark, with the sun setting around three or four o’clock in the afternoon on a daily basis. Holiday celebrations begin on December thirteenth with Santa Lucia day. Santa Lucia, the “Queen of Lights,” was actually a Sicilian saint from the fourth century who helped persecuted Christians by guiding them through tunnels wearing a wreath with candles on her head. She was eventually martyred for her faith and her aiding of the poor. Historians are not exactly sure how Santa Lucia day came to be celebrated in Scandinavia, but some speculate the story of Santa Lucia was told to the Nordic peoples when missionaries from southern Europe spread the gospel to Scandinavians in order for the Scandinavians to have an idea of what true faith looked like. Traditionally, Norwegian girls wear white robe-like dresses with a red sash and have a crown of either candles or electrical lights perched upon their heads as they deliver lussekattor, saffron buns, to those in their families and schools as well as to those in nursing homes and hospitals.
Norwegians also use mistletoe and Christmas trees like the British, a tradition that started with Norse pagans and remained alive even when Christianity spread across Scandinavia. Christmas trees are kept simple, yet beautiful, decorated with only white lights and candles and a star on top of the tree. During this time of year, Norwegians put candles on the graves of loved ones as well as a sign of remembrance and honor, where they are lit on Christmas Eve.
Each country has its own version of Santa Claus, and Norway is no exception. The Norwegian version is called the Julenisse, which literally translates to “Christmas goblin or gnome.” Although the Julenisse originally was a mischievous Christmas elf or forest gnome who watched over the farm and the animals, he has become more similar to the American Santa Claus over the years. These days, he now possesses the ability to ride in a sleigh transported by reindeer and ask children if they’ve been good over the course of that year. Children faithfully set out Christmas porridge on their doorsteps on Christmas Eve for the Julenisse.
On Christmas Eve, Norwegians attend a five o’clock Christmas service at church before starting a traditional Christmas feast with their families. The feast usually consists of a roast goose or duck, pickled herring salad, and a plethora of desserts, including a julekake, a fruitcake, and a kransekaka, a marzipan tower. The feast is then followed by the joining of hands to form a circle around the tree, where the entire family sings carols and walks around the tree while keeping formation. Then, a knock at the door signifies the arrival of presents from the Julenisse, and gifts are opened while coffee and cakes are enjoyed. After all the singing and unwrapping is finished, family members wish each other “God Jul!” before heading to bed.
Heading on down to France, Christmas begins with the shopping for items for the Christmas feast in the marchés de Noël. These Christmas markets have beautifully displayed decorations for French homes as well as abundant amounts of fresh produce and seafood from various regions of France. Because the French culture is largely centered around cuisine, the preparations for the révillion de Noël, the large Christmas feast, are essential to the French. Depending on the region of France, this meal could include roast goose, turkey, foie gras, or oysters served with a vast array of local cheeses and good wine. For dessert, the traditional Yule log cake, called la bûche de Noël, is served along with other treats.
Before the révillion de Noël, however, families attend midnight mass at a local church or cathedral. No matter the size of the church, light shines throughout the building from multiple candles, representing the birth of the Light of the World. Carols and hymns are sung, and the echoes of bells and organs can be heard throughout the city or village. Usually young children do not attend the midnight mass but instead go to bed early after placing their shoes by the fireplace to receive candy and gifts from Père Noël the following morning. Interestingly enough, a law was passed in 1962 stating all letters sent to Père Noël would be replied to with a postcard. So when children send their Christmas lists to Père Noël from school, they know they will receive a response shortly.
Christmas trees, or sapins de Noël, are traditionally decorated with candy, fruit, nuts, and small toys either several days before Christmas or the night before. Although Christianity is not as prevalent in France these days, many families still place une crèche, a manger, inside or outside of their homes to commemorate the birth of Jesus. To many, this is their way of wishing “Joyeux Noël!” to all those passing by.
In France, holiday festivities do not end after Christmas Day or even New Year’s Day, but instead last up until the sixth of January, the day of Epiphany. This holiday celebrates the visits of the Magi to the baby Jesus, when they presented him with their gifts. On Epiphany, families celebrate by eating une galette des rois, a wafer king cake. Inside the cake is une fêve, typically a small porcelain figure or a bean, which ends up in one person’s slice. The one who finds la fêve in his or her piece of cake is declared king for a day and can choose his or her companion.
Venturing even more south, an Italian Christmas is celebrated starting in early December with La Festa di San Nicola, L’Immacolata Concezione, and La Festa di Santa Lucia. Unlike the children of other European countries, Italian children are known to write letters of love and gratitude to their parents instead of to a Father Christmas or Santa Claus. These letters are placed under their fathers’ plates and are read following the Christmas Eve meal.
Although some Italian families, primarily those living in the northern parts of Italy, put evergreen trees in their homes, many families’ primary decoration is a ceppo, a wooden frame shaped as a pyramid that holds a manger scene at the bottom and fruit, candy, and small gifts on the other higher shelves. This pyramid is called a “Tree of Light” and is decorated on the sides with shiny paper and candles and topped with a star or small doll.
Italian Christmas Eve feasts differ depending on the region, although many families enjoy dishes of eels and other seafood along with a Milanese cake called panettone. On Christmas Day, the pope gives his blessing to crowds gathering in Saint Peter’s Square. Children enjoy going around neighborhoods singing traditional Christmas carols and wishing “Buon Natale!” to the elderly.
Interestingly enough, Italian children anxiously await an annual visit from la Befana, a kindly old witch who brings gifts to children on January sixth, the day of Epiphany. Santa Claus does not seem to be as important in Italy. According to legend, la Befana was asked for directions by both the Magi and the shepherds when they were on their way to visit the baby Jesus. When they asked her to accompany them and see the baby for herself, she refused. Later that night, she saw a great light in the heavens and wished she could have gone with them to visit Jesus. She collected all the toys that belonged to her child who had died and tried to find Jesus in the stable. Unfortunately, she was unable to locate the stable and was left wandering. Each year, she brings toys to good Italian children and coal to the bad ones while roving the streets attempting to find baby Jesus.
These European Christmas traditions have truly stood the test of time, remaining a part of each country’s culture over hundreds of years. As both Europeans and Americans alike have moved away from Christianity over the years as a whole, Christmas is a time of year that unites many people groups under the celebration of the birth of the true High King. So wherever you are in the world, remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. Merry Christmas!
Sources
http://french.about.com/cs/culture/a/christmas.htm
http://italian.about.com/library/weekly/aa120600f.htm
http://mylittlenorway.com/2009/12/julenisse-decorative-christmas-elves/
http://www.ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article557
http://www.californiamall.com/holidaytraditions/traditions-england.htm
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