Now Christmas gluttony starts, when the resolution not to eat so much gives way to the heavily laden Christmas table, and we end up overeating just like every year before. Within the Czech Christmas menu, there lurks the added danger of getting a carp bone stuck in your throat. No one wants to be one of those unfortunates who spend their Christmas Eve in the emergency room, as many people do each and every year.
After dinner, the family leaves the room where the Christmas tree is, so that Baby Jesus can come and leave the presents under the tree or so the little children are told. But in reality, the father, typically, or grandfather stays in the room to place the gifts arond the tree and then ring a little bell that is the signal that it's the moment everyone, big and small, has been waiting for, the unwrapping of the presents! Everyone has a good time! After everyone has gotten what they desire most, the whole family snuggles down in front of the TV for the Christmas programs. Before midnight, some people tear themselves away from the TV and go to church for Christmas Mass. This one service attracts a great many people who never go to church during the rest of the year. In a lot of chuches, Ryba's Czech Christmas Mass is an integral part of the ceremony.
After Christmas Eve come 2 more holy days of celebration. On St. Stephen's Day, the 25th of December, people largely pay each other visits, and of course feast, watch television, go on walks or just get some well-deserved rest after the strain of all their Christmas preparations. Then they can slowly start to look forward to next Christmas, as they say: "Next year I won't overeat so much. I promise."
A month before Christmas shopkeepers decorate the front doors of their shops in Hungary. In the bustling cities the streets are embellished with holiday decorations, while, on the street corners, you can buy hot fried or roasted chestnuts.
Hungarians celebrate Luca Napja or Luca's Day on the 13th of December. According to tradition, village people make a chair of seven different kinds of wood. This is part of an old superstition that claims you can stand on this chair at the Christmas Eve Mass and see all who are witches in the room.
Several weeks before Christmas wheat is soaked in a cup so that it will germinate in time for the Christmas celebrations. People usually use it to decorate the salad for their holiday dinner.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Go To Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Dr. Donald R. Houston's Russian Culture topic, please visit the Discussions page.