CHRISTMAS

Some cultural notes

Teacher: Inês Carreira

Advent (from the Latin

"arrival“)

It begins on the Sunday

nearest to 30th November (St.

Andrew's Day) and lasts until

Christmas Eve.

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday, celebrated on December 25, that commemorates

the birth of Jesus of Nazareth

The date of commemoration is not

known to be Jesus' actual birthday.

Some national churches

including those of Russia,

Georgia, Egypt, Armenia, the

Ukraine and Serbia celebrate

on January 7.

Christmas marks the

beginning of the larger

season of Christmastide,

which lasts twelve days.

The Christmas tree is probably the

Christianisation of a pagan

tradition and ritual surrounding the

Winter Solstice, which included the

use of evergreen boughs, and an

adaptation of pagan tree worship.

From Germany the custom

was introduced to Britain by

Prince Albert.

In London, near the statue of Lord Nelson in

Trafalgar Square, a giant Christmas tree is set

up and decorated with great ceremony each

year. The tree has been a thank you gift from

the people of Oslo, Norway. During the Second

World War, King Haakon of Norway was forced

into exile in England when the Germans

occupied his country.

Since the 19th century, the

poinsettia, a native plant

from Mexico, has been

associated with Christmas.

QUEEN’S SPEECH

At three o'clock in the afternoon,

the Queen gives her Christmas

Message to the nation which is

broadcast on radio and television.

It is a tradition begun on the radio

in 1932 by George V.

Christmas carols are special songs which are sung during the Christmas season. The

songs are about Jesus and the time when he was born.

Caroling, is singing carols in the street or public places to collect

money for charity. It is one of the oldest customs in Great Britain.

The traditional period to sing carols is from St Thomas's Day (21

December) until the morning of Christmas Day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13SaSh_xW2M&feature=related

A Christmas Cracker is a brightly

coloured paper tube, twisted at both

ends. A person pulls on each end of the

cracker and when the cracker breaks, a

small chemical strip goes “Pop” and the

contents fall out.

A traditional British Christmas dinner

includes roast turkey or goose, brussels

sprouts, roast potatoes, cranberry

sauce, rich nutty stuffing, tiny sausages

wrapped in bacon (pigs in a blanket)

and hot gravy.

During World War I an unofficial

Christmas truce took place. The

truce began on December 24,

1914, when German troops

decorated around their trenches in

the region of Ypres, Belgium, for

Christmas.

St. Nicholas was a very shy man and wanted

to give money to poor people without them

knowing about it. It is said that one day, he

climbed the roof of a house and dropped a

purse of money down the chimney. It landed in

the stocking which a girl had put to dry by the

fire!

Father Christmas is the British

version of Santa Claus. He is an

old jolly man with white hair and a

beard. He is dressed in a red* suit.

Father Christmas and his elves

make all the toys for Christmas in

the North Pole.

BOXING DAY

An 'Alms Box' was placed in every

church on Christmas Day, into which

worshippers placed a gift for the poor

of the parish. These boxes were

opened the day after Christmas.

Many poorly paid workers had to

work on Christmas Day and took

the next day off to visit their

families. Their employers would

then present them with

Christmas boxes.

In Canada, New Zealand, the United

Kingdom, and some states of Australia,

Boxing Day is primarily known as a

shopping holiday. It is a time where

shops have sales, often with dramatic

price decreases.

Merry Christmas and

a Happy New

Year