St. Nicholas lived in the 4th century in Turkey. After the death of his parents, lots of money was inherited by him and used to help the poor. There are legends of bags of gold being thrown into peoples shoes through the window by st. Nicholas. His kindness was the reason why he was declared saint. Modern Santa Claus was inspired by him.

Tomas P

 How is St. Nicolaus Day  celebrated by Slovak children ?

 Shoes are cleaned by children on St. Nicholas Day and put them at the window sills and wait for presents  which are given by St. Nicholaus

If they were bad a piece of coal, an onion and  a tablespoon are given to bad kids by St.Nicolaus. 

Filip P

 Advent
Have you ever wondered where Christmas came from and why we actually celebrate it? We have to go back a little over 2000 years to a stable in Bethlehem, Israel. A little boy was born. This little child was Jesus Christ, and we celebrate Christmas today because He was born. And what about Advent ? Advent has spiritual significance and is not just a time to buy gifts. It represents a period of four weeks, and in this period believers comemorate  the coming of Jesus Christ. The symbol of Advent is an Advent wreath with four candles, which symbolize four Sundays before Christmas Day. Another symbol is Advent calendar, the idea of making an Advent calendar came in the 19th century from an Evangelical background. 

The first was quite simple, lines were drawn on the wall every day.   

by Lenka R

Imagine holidays full of peace and quiet, this is Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is being celebrated on 24th. December and is started at the table where whole family enjoy good meals like waffles with honey,fish and potato salat and desert pupaky. Then when eating is finished  whole family goes to the christmas tree and gifts are given to each other. But that is not all about it. It is about family being together and enjoying time with them. About seeing people that we do not see much time. That is true meaning of Christmas Eve.

Šimon P

Christmas dinner in Slovakia

In Slovakia the Christmas dinner is started by most families with cutting apples in half and if there is a star in the middle, it means that you are going to be wealthy. Nuts are also smashed and if they are “good”, you are going to be healthy. The starter are wafers (oblátky) with honey or plain. The following meal is cabbage soup (kapustnica). In our family It's eaten with a piece of bread, but some eat only the plain soup. Between this and the main course people eat deserts navels (pupáky) and mushrooms as well. The main course of the evening is a fried carp with mayonnaise salad. 

Tamara P

In the UK,  the 25th of December is when the Christmas dinner is served, and when the presents for kids are finally opened under the Christmas tree. Although some people like to have their Christmas dinner served  the day before, it is still usually served on the 25th of December. Meanwhile over here in Slovakia, the Christmas dinner is usually served on the 24th of December, and December 25th is usually reserved for going to church and praying. TV is watched a lot , leftover food from the day before is eaten, and people just have a jolly time.

Dec 26th-The Second Christmas Day

In Slovakia Meetings to the Blessed Virgin Mary  are held (zhromaždenie k presvätej Bohorodičke)  to commemorate and acknowledgment. Believers met the day after birth of jesus, to thanks the Blessed Virgin Mary for birth of Jesus Christ.

The Boxing day is  December 26th,  when employees get presents „christmas box“ from employer. It is mainly celebrated in Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. In South Africa it´s called Day of Goodwill. Boxing Day Traditions are football and Turkey sandwiches.

For many people Boxing day actually only means one thing – leftovers , for others sport activities. 

 Some charity events atre held as well. Fox hunting used to be extremely popular on St:Stephen´s day among the upper class. Nowdays it has been criticised by the  animal rights movements. 

   Samuel Z

While football and Turkey sandwiches traditions were in the UK, visitting grandmas and  eatting the remaining food were in Slovakia.

One thing – leftovers for many people only meant Boxing day.

Suits or dress  in costume (mostly Santa outfits)are worn by people. Bracing dip in chilly sea is taken by them. In UK money for charity are being raised by most participants.

Samuel Z

New Year´  s Eve traditions in Slovakia and the UK

New Year´ s Eve in the UK is December 31.  New Year´ s Eve is not a public holiday. Most people go to work as usual. In the evening, parties are organized by many English people. Others celebrate in pubs or clubs with their friends and families, or attend outdoor gatherings and firework displays.

Just before midnight "Auld Lang Syne" is sung by people who hold hands. They count the seconds down to the new year and when the clock strikes midnight, the hug and kiss and wish each other a Happy New Year! People often drink a toast to the coming year with a glass of champagne. 

Zuzana R

New Year´´´ s Day is celebrated on January . New Year´ s Day is a public holiday. That means that most shops and businesses  are closed for the day.

Old superstition in Scotland is called the first footing. Good luck will be brought for the coming year  by the person that first enters to someone´ s home on New Years Day. New Year´ s resolutions are often made at the start of the year.

In Slovakia is it practically the same. Maybe there are some very old traditions  like the first wish or the first footer should not be a woman. Brings bad luck.        Zuzana R 

CHRISTMAS DINNER IN THE UK

A traditional Christmas dinner in the UK is eaten usually at mid/day or early afternoon on 25 of December. Traditional dinner includes roasted turkey or goose, brussels sprouts, roast potatoes, cranberry sauce, rich nutty stuffing, tiny sausages wrapped in bacon and lashing of hot gravy. For dessert is eaten Christmas pudding or also called plum pudding is eaten.           

The evolution of the main course into turkey did not take place for years, or even centuries. At first, in medieval England, a main course of boar was sometimes served. Through the 16 and 17 centuries goose or capon was commonly served, and the rich sometimes dined upon peacock and swan. The turkey appeared on Christmas tables in England in the 16century.                                                          Anna P

Scotland New year - Hogmanay

Hogmanay is a very big deal in Scotland. It’s the biggest day in the festive calendar. The difference between Hogmanay and New Year in other country is that Hogmanay is longer. Hogmanay starts on New Year’s Eve but continues throughout New Year’s Day and into January 2, which is a public holiday in Scotland. The most popular tradition is the first-footing, where the first person to enter the house after midnight – ideally a tall, dark man – brings gifts such as food or coal. Other traditions include cleaning the house before Hogmanay arrives, watching terrible TV programmes before the bells chime and singing poem.   Patrícia R

New Year in Senica

In Senica  New year is celebrated so alike in other countries. People have  “silvestrovskú kapustnicu”- the sauerkraut soup for lunch . Then people who know each other  stay in one house or cottage and celebrate together. They eat so much food, drink alcohol. At midnight they have a glas of champagne and do the fireworks outside. In Senica every year on the first January there is tradition that people from Senica meet at the Senica’s square at 6 pm and  does one big firework is lit which is 10 minutes long.

Patrícia R

Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th.

According to tradition, the Three Kings, sometimes also referred to as the sages of the East, came to salute Bethlehem, now in Palestine, the newborn Jesus. The three kings of Jesus found Jesus by the star and gave him gifts: gold, incense and myrrh, which is a resin from the myrrh plant. Gold represents royal dignity, incense symbolizes the deity of Christ, and myrrh signifies Christ's death. Around the year 500, it is said that the three kings were Gašpar, Melichar and Baltazár. At the door, as a sign of them visit, I write the well-known abbreviation G + M + B and year. In fact, these are the first letters of the Latin sentence Christus mansionem benedicat, not the names of the sages. The Church celebrates today as Epiphany, because on January 6, Jesus Christ appears to the people as their king. Christmas is over, who has not yet removed the Christmas tree and all decorations , has the last day today.

Klara S.

Christmas superstitions in the UK and Slovakia

These are some of my favorite superstitionsin England : 

The gates of heaven are opened on Christmas Eve, "Welcome FatherChristmas" should be shoulted by the  first person who opens the door during the earlyChristmas morning - it helps bad spirits who were trapped to escape, The Christmas pudding will be  stirred from east to west- which represent the Wise Men travelling to see Jesus, Your luck will be bad if you avoid the kiss under the mistletoe.

And these are superstitions in Slovakia :

The table must not be left during Christmas Eve dinner – it could bring bad luck, When the same word is spoken by two people at the same time –it means that there will be a wedding next year,

Poultry is not being eaten on Christmas- because your happines could fly away, 

When you cut an apple and the star in the middle will be appeared you are going to be healthy  in the next year.

Melted lead is poured in the water- because people tell theirs future from the shape of the lead.                   
    Bibiana Š

December 26 is Saint Stephen, a day that became a holiday on the calendar in 1949. During this day the leftover food from the previous days is consumed, or soups are prepared.

In Italy there is no Saint Nicholas on the 6th of December as in Slovakia, but the day of the Epiphany which is the 6th of January. The Christmas festivities end on January 6th, with the Epiphany. The Befana is represented as an old lady, with hump and hooked nose. She travels on a “magic” broom, is dressed in rags and is stained with soot, because, when she can, she enters the houses through the fireplace where the Christmas stockings are attached. The night between 5 and 6 January she leaves in Christmas stockings gifts and sweets to children who were good, while those who were not good left pieces of coal (actually sugar from the appearance of cardboard!). Usually a small glass of wine and a plate with some food are left by the family for her before going to sleep on the 5th of January. The Epiphany is a mainly Italian custom and coincides with the arrival of the Three Kings at the cave of Bethlehem, to bring as a gift gold, myrrh and incense.

Rajae L

Volám sa Rajae Laaziz, pochádzam z Talianska a som na výmennom pobyte. Študujem slovenčinu. 

V Taliansku nemáme Mikuláša ako na Slovensku, ale máme Befanu, ktorá je 6. januára, nie 6. decembra. 

Vianoce sú 25. decembra, rozdiel je iba v tom, že v južnom Taliansku majú vianočnú večeru 24., ako na Slovensku a v severnej časti Talianska majú vianočný obed 25. decembra.

V Taliansku počas vianočného obeda sa prevažne je mäso, zákusky (s medom) a sušené ovocie. Tradičné vianočné jedlo je Pandoro a Panettone. 

8. decembra v Taliansku sa výzdoby vianočný stromček a betlehem a cely dom s rôznymi dekoráciami. Tiež si zakladame adventný kalendár, ktorý obsahuje 24 dni, kde nájdete drobné darčeky alebo sladkostí. 

Darčeky sa položia podľa stromček od Babbo Natale v noci na štedrý večer 24. decembra a nasledujúce ráno si detí rozbaľujú darčeky.

                                                                                            Rajae L