10 things I get you never knew

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

CHRISTMAS is upon us and though it is a holiday widely celebrated worldwide, there are many different traditions and customs that are native to each country. Today we look at some popular ones.

1 In Rome, Italy, cannon are fired from Castel St Angelo on Christmas Eve to announce the beginning of the holiday season. A 24-hour fast ends with an elaborate Christmas feast, where small presents are drawn from the Urn of Fate, which holds a wrapped present for every member of the household.

2 In Ukraine, if you find a spider web in the house on Christmas morning, it is believed to be a harbinger of good luck.

3 One thousand years ago in Sweden, King Canute declared that Christmas would last a month, from December 13, the feast of St Lucia until January 13, or Tjugondag Knut (St Canute's Day).

4 In Poland, an elaborate tradition called Wigilia is celebrated. Beginning on Christmas Eve, a strict 24-hour fast is observed which ends with a huge Christmas feast. In honour of the star of Bethlehem, the meal cannot begin until the first star of night appears.

5 It is customary in Russia, to fast until after the first church service on Christmas Eve. The Christmas Eve dinner is meatless, but festive, where the most important ingredient is a special porridge called kutya.

6 Christmas is a deeply religious holiday in Spain. The country's patron saint is the Virgin Mary and the Christmas season officially begins December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Children of Spain don't receive gifts until the day of the feast of the Epiphany, January 6.

7 Venezuelans attend a daily early morning church service between December 16th and 24th called Misa de Aguinaldo (Early Morning Mass). In Caracas, the capital city, it is customary to roller-skate to this service and many neighbourhoods close the streets to cars until 8:00 am.

8 On Christmas Day in Iraq, a bonfire is lit in the churchyard. The bishop, carrying a figure of the Baby Jesus leads the service. Afterwards he blesses one person with a touch. That person touches the person next to him or her and the touch is passed around until all present have felt the "touch of peace".

9 Christmas trees are not commonly used in Greece. In almost every home the main symbol of the season is a shallow wooden bowl with a piece of wire is suspended across the rim; from that hangs a sprig of basil wrapped around a wooden cross. A small amount of water is kept in the bowl to keep the basil alive and fresh. Once a day, a family member, usually the mother, dips the cross and basil into some holy water and uses it to sprinkle water in each room of the house. This ritual is believed to keep the Killantzaroi away from the house.

10 Nearly every French home at Christmas time displays a Nativity scene (also called manger scene) or creche, which serves as the focus for the Christmas celebration, instead of having Christmas trees. The creche is often peopled with little clay figures called santons or "little saints".

— Melaine Warren

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10 things I get you never knew