POLAND

Hi! My name is Emilia. 

I will tell you about Polish traditions in Christmas.

Christmas tree decorating

On Christmas Eve, almost each Polish family decorates a Christmas tree. 

It is one of the earliest traditions of Christmas Eve. 

At first, including the polish territories, „jodlka” was popular (the tip of a pine, fir or spruce suspended from the ceiling). 

This tree was suppused to protect the house and its inhabitants from evil spirits.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is the most solemn, and most moving evenings of the year in the Polish traditions. 

When the first star in the sky appears the whole family gatherers at the table.

The Breaking of the Christmas Wafer

Before the Christmas Eve dinner family members share a Christmas Wafer (oplatek) and offer each other best wishes for the upcoming year. 

Oplatek symbolizes and reminds us to share our last piece of bread with others.

Dishes

Though the dishes vary between regions, some of them can be found on almost every Christmas Eve table: fish, beet soup (barszcz), pierogi, cabbage with mushrooms, dried fruit and noodles with poppy seed. 

Traditional Christmas Eve supper consists of 12 dishes and everyone should taste each dish to ensure themself good luck throughout the year.

Another tradition is leaving one extra place at the Christmas Eve table. 

It is believed that this place is for the stray wanderer who may appear in our house.

According to tradition, before the christmas Eve supper one of the family members reads the gospel according to St, Luke devoted to the birth of Jesus Christ.

Another custom that has survived till this day is putting a little hay under the tablecloth as a remembrance of Christ's birth in a manger.

Christian tradition holds that Jesus was born at night, so the mass commemorating His birth is celebrated at midnight on Christmas Eve and is called „pasterka” 

(Shepherds' Mass).

Shepherds' Mass

Inseparable part of Christmas is „koleda” - children dress up as Shepherds, Angels, Wisemen, Devils, Death and visit people to sing them carols, wish them a happy New Year and ask for money.

That evening is the best of all year for children. 

There are presents !!!

THIS IS HOW WE PASS CHRISTMAS IN ITALY. I LIVE IN ORTUCCHIO, A SMALL VILLAGE IN A REGION CALLED ABRUZZO. MY NAME IS MELANIA AND I'M FROM ICS SAN GIOVANNI BOSCO. ON THE TOP YOU CAN SEE THE CRIB

Giulia greets everybody and tells about Italian good culinary recipes people prepare for Christmas

Here Lucrezia tells us about another recipe from Abruzzo

AND MARIASTELLA SHOWS US A NICE CHRISTMAS CARD FOR ALL OF YOU, WITH OUR HABITS IN THIS PERIOD

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM FABIO, class 3C, ICS SAN GIOVANNI BOSCO. THIS IS OUR BINGO, THE GAME WE PLAY DURING THESE HOLIDAYS

OUR BEST WISHES FROM CAMILLA                                   TOO

CHRISTMAS IN SPAIN

Hi, we are Martiño and Sabela and we are going to tell you about some traditions in our country, specially about Christmas traditions in Galicia, the beautiful region in the north of Spain where we live.

O APALPADOR

He is a mythical character in Galicia culture , who lives in the high mountains. He is a coal seller and he travels around Galicia. On Christmas Eve and on New Year's Eve he comes down the mountain and visits the kids while they are sleeping He touches their tummy to check if they have had a good dinner, and tells them a magic spell "Be that way all year round".He leaves them a handful of chestnuts and a wooden toy. Then he dissappears until the next year.

He is the Apalpador!!!

This is one of the songs of the Apalpador

“Vaite logo, meu  meniñ@

Marcha para a camiña

Que vai vir o Apalpador

A apalparche a barriguiña” 

“Xa chegou o día grande

Día do noso Señor.

Xa chegou o día grande

E virá o Apalpador”

“

O CEPO DO NADAL

It is a big piece of wood that people burn in the fireplace the whole night long. People gather around the fire singing Christmas songs (which are called PANXOLIÑAS  in Galicia), they also tell ghosts stories or jokes. 

The ember is kept in some corner of the house because it is believed to have magic powers. When there is a storm the ember is thrown to the fireplace again  to keep the evil away.

O TRUBINCO

He is a goblin which comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve. People in the house must have some pine cones covered with tar to give them as a present , on the contrary the goblin will play some prank or will mess up the house.

SINGING IN THE VILLAGES

Groups of young people go around singing traditional Christmas songs. On Christmas Eve they sing "Panxoliñas",on New Year's Eve "Xaneiras" and on the 6th January "Aguinaldos". In exchange for the songs the youngsters ask for a treat (wine, chorizo, sweets...), which later they eat together. 

CHRISTMAS DINNER

It is believed that the soul of our dead beloved come back home on Christmas Eve  , for this reason we must lit a fire , put an extra plate on the table and leave them some food.

MISA DO GALO

On Christmas Eve people used to go to church at midnight, this mass is called "Misa do galo". It was a tradition to play jokes on people during the mass.Nowadays not many people follow this tradition.

NEW YEAR'S EVE

You better eat the 12 grapes if you want to have a lucky new year!!!

According to Galician tradition New Year's Eve is a time when witches (or as we called them"meigas") get together , so you must be careful and as the saying goes: "Meigas Fóra!" 

REIS MAGOS (6TH JANUARY)

The Three Wise Men ( Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar) are the ones who bring the children presents on the night of the 5th of January. They come on their camels and quietly enter every single home when everyone is sleeping. Each family member leaves their shoes on the floor so that they know where to put each present. The next morning all the kids get up early to open their presents. But .......if you have been naughty they only give you a piece of coal!!!!!

O ROSCÓN DE REIS

This is a typical cake eaten on the 6th of January . It has a small figure inside and the person who finds it will be lucky . It has also a bean and the one  who finds it has to pay for the "roscón". 

Yummy!!!

Hi! We are Jovan and Teodora. We are going to tell you something about Christmas and New Year in our country

In the morning we have a special guest, položajnik, a dear friend or 

a relative, usually a child, who comes to our house and wishes to our family a happy Christmas, good health and prosperity. We give presents to položajnik.  Položajnik represents Jesus.

Our friends , Andjela and Alekandra wish you happy holidays!

For New Year we decorate the fir tree and            Santa brings presents to kids.

                      We wish you all 

                 Merry   Christmas 

                              and 

                   Happy New Year!

         Vuk Karadžić Primary School,

                Kruševac, Serbia

Hi everyone from Ukraine! Christmas is one of the two most important holidays of the year and this is how we celebrate it.

Unlike Catholic Christmas we celebrate it on January 7, being Orthodox. All the family gathers at a festive table on Christmas Eve (January 6). There should be 12 dishes, the number of Christ's disciples.

We light a candle and pray before the dinner. Then we try KUTIA first which is a porridge of wheat, raisins, honey and nuts. We also eat food with is lean(no fat).

Children gather in VERTEP to sing carols called KOLYADKY. The world famous Ukrainian carol is "Shchedryk" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Giukato3LI8

DIDUKH - is a symbol of Christmas which has to be put on the festive table.

It is a tradition at New Year to go to the main Christmas tree and take photos. This is how it looked last year in Kyiv.

Gymnázium P.O.H. Dolný Kubín

"Sauerkraut"       "Honey wafers"  "Vanilla rolls"        "X-mas carp"

"X-mas movies"      "A midnight mass"

Hello from Slovakia. 

My name is Oleg.

I´ m going to tell you about our X-mas traditions.

Sauerkraut

It is typical Slovak Christmas soup.

The main ingredient are sour cabbage, smoked sausage and dried mushrooms. It tastes really very good.

People often buy a Christmas carp alive some time before Christmas Eve and keep it as a pet till the 24 December. 

On Christmas day they kill and cook it for dinner. We eat it with potato salad. Some families eat another kind of fish like salmon or trout.  

X-mas carp

A midnight mass

The midnight mass is the most beautiful mass of the year.

Midnight Mass is the domain of Roman Catholics. Many people come to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

X-mas movies

Three nuts for Cinderella  

Pelíšky  

Perinbaba 

are classic Czechoslovak movies. Many families watch them at Christmas time.

Honey wafers

Vanilla rolls

 This sweet pastry dissolve on the tongue. They are baked at Christmas. Powdered sugar is sprinkled on the vanilla rolls for a sweet taste and appearance. The are made of  butter, flour, sugar, eggs and nuts.

Wishing you a very Merry Christams!

May it bring you Joy, Happiness and everything you deserve. 

CHRISTMAS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Primary school J. A. Comenius Nivnice