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Israel
Bethlehem, the little town where Jesus is said to have been born is the site of the Church
of the Nativity, which is ablaze with flags and decorations every Christmas. On Christmas
Eve natives and visitors alike crowd the church's doorways and stand on the roof to watch
for the dramatic annual procession. Galloping horsemen and police mounted on Arabian
horses lead the parade. They are followed by solitary horseman carrying a cross and
sitting astride a coal-black steed. Then come the churchmen and government officials. The
procession solemnly enters the doors and places an ancient effigy of the Holy Child in the
church. Deep winding stairs lead to a grotto where visitors find a silver star marking the
site of the birth of Jesus. Christian homes in Bethlehem are marked by a cross painted
over the door and each home displays a homemade manger scene. A star is set up on a pole
in the village square.
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Italy
The popularity of the Nativity scene, one of the most beloved and enduring symbols of the
holiday season, originated in Italy. St. Francis of Assisi asked a man named Giovanni
Vellita of the village of Greccio to create a manger scene. St. Francis performed mass in
front of this early Nativity scene, which inspired awe and devotion in all who saw it. The
creation of the figures or pastori became an entire genre of folk art. In Rome, cannon are
fired from Castel St. Angelo of Christmas Eve to announce the beginning of the holiday
season. A 24-hour fast ends with an elaborate Christmas feast. Small presents are drawn
from the Urn of Fate. The main exchange of gifts takes place on January 6, the feast of
the Epiphany, the celebration in remembrance of the Magi's visit to the Christ Child.
Children anxiously await a visit from La Befana who brings gifts for the good and
punishment for the bad. According to legend, the three wise men stopped during their
journey and asked an old woman for food and shelter. She refused them and they continued
on their way. Within a few hours the woman had a change of heart but the Magi were long
gone. La Befana, which means Epiphany, still wonders the earth searching for the Christ
Child. She is depicted in various ways: as a fairy queen, a crone, or a witch. The main
Christmas meals vary from region to region. A general menu would feature capitone,
roasted, baked or fried female eel for the meatless Christmas Eve dinner, the pranzo delta
vigilia; Christmas dinner might consist of tortellini, a capon and a variety of cakes. On
Christmas Eve the children would present their parents with their Christmas letter, best
wishes and promises to be good printed in their best hand on ornate stationery.
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Jamaica
Jamaican Christmas festivities reached their height in the late eighteenth and early
nineteenth centuries with feasts and processions featuring strolling singers and
performers. In this century, the celebration came under more regulation so that performers
had to be licensed. This has added to a general decline, although all the customs can
still be found in various pasts of the island. The women were called
"set-girls," because they worked together in a set of a specific number. They
danced to the accompaniment of gourd rattles, fifes, triangles, and tambourines. The men
were called "actor boys" or " koo-koo boys." They wore masks and
elaborate headdress and would sometimes perform plays or skits. The name "koo-koo
boys" derived from a song in one of the plays which begged for food.
"Koo-koo" was the sound used to imitate the rumbling of an empty stomach. The
most colorful figure in these bright festivities was the "John Canoe" dancer. He
wore a mask, a wig, and a military jacket. On his head was a pasteboard houseboat with
puppets of sailors, soldiers, or plantation workers. Often this was of great size, and the
most skilled dancer had to be chosen to wear it. The name John Canoe is obscure. It may be
a corruption of the French gens inconnu, which means "unknown people," or it may
come from cornu, "horned," since early dancers wore animal masks. The origins of
all these festivities are lost in antiquity, but they seem to derive equally from African
and European customs. Bermuda was the home of similar Christmas festivities, as were parts
of the American South.
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Japan
Christmas was introduced in Japan by the Christian missionaries, and for many years the
only people who celebrated it were those who had turned to the Christian faith. But now
the Christmas season in Japan is full of meaning and is almost universally observed. The
story of the Child Jesus born in a manger is fascinating to the little girls of Japan, for
they love anything having to do with babies. In the scene of the Nativity they become
familiar for the first time with a cradle, for Japanese babies never sleep in cradles.
Many western customs in observing Christmas have been adopted by the Japanese. Besides
exchanging gifts they eat turkey on Christmas Day, and in some places there are even
community Christmas trees. They decorate their houses with evergreens and mistletoe, and
in some homes Christmas carols are sung gaily. In Japan there is a god or priest known as
Hoteiosho, who closely resembles our Santa Claus. He is always pictured as a kind old man
carrying a huge pack. He is thought to have eyes in the back of his head. It is well for
the children to be good when this all-seeing gentleman is abroad. New Year's Day is the
most important day of the whole calendar in Japan. On New Year's Eve the houses are
cleaned thoroughly from top to bottom, and are decorated for the morrow. when everything
has been made clean and neat the people of the house dress themselves in their finest
clothes. Then the father of the household marches through the house, followed by all the
family, and drives the evil spirits out. He throws dried beans into every corner bidding
the evil spirits withdraw and good luck enter.
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Mexico
Several weeks before Christmas, elaborately decorated market stalls or puestos are set up
in the plazas of every town and city. Some people travel for days from remote areas to get
to these markets. The puestos offer crafts of every conceivable kind, foods such as
cheese, bananas, nuts, and cookies, and flowers such as orchids and poinsettias. The
poinsettia is native to Mexico and is believed to have first been used in connection with
Christmas in the 17th century when Mexican Franciscans included the flowers in their
Christmas celebration. There is a legend connected with the flower. A little boy named
Pablo was walking to the church in his village to visit the Nativity scene, when he
realized he had nothing to offer the Christ Child. He saw some green branches growing
along the roadside and gathered them up. Other children scoffed, but when he laid them by
the manger, a brilliant red star-shaped flower appeared on each branch. The main Christmas
celebration in Mexico is called las posadas, which refers to processions reenacting Joseph
and Mary's search for a place to stay in Bethlehem. The processions begin nine days before
Christmas because the original journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem took nine days. Friends
and family members divide themselves into two groups - pilgrims and innkeepers. The
pilgrims travel from house to house asking for a shelter and are refused at each until
they finally reach the house where an alter and Nativity scene have been set up. Here the
pilgrims are admitted with great rejoicing, a traditional prayer is spoken, and the party
begins. Food and drink are served and then children take turns trying to break open the
pinata.
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Nicaragua
Like many Latin American countries, Nicaragua retains many of the customs of old Spain. In
the weeks leading up to Christmas people stroll the streets where there are many things to
buy: candles, Nativity pictures, toys and foods. Children carry fragrant bouquets to the
alter of the Virgin and sing carols. On Christmas Eve, church bells beckon the people to
Midnight Mass. On January 6, the feast of the Epiphany, it is the three wise men who
brings gifts for the children. Often the Holiday season concludes with a brilliant display
of fireworks.
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Norway
At 4:00 p.m. all work comes to a halt on Christmas Eve in Norway. Everyone bathes and puts
on new clothes to greet the season. The largest sheaf of grain is hung out for the birds
to make their Christmas merry, too. Christmas dinner begins with rice pudding with a lucky
almond hidden in it for someone, and a bowl is also set out for the barn elf so that he
will continue to watch over the animals and not turn mischievous. A Christmas pig provides
most of the meat dishes. Traditionally the Norwegians kept the season bright with a Yule
log. It literally formed the center of the celebration since it was frequently an entire
tree that could only partly fit into the fireplace and so extended well out into the
middle of the living room. As it burned it would be pushed farther into the fire to
provide continuous light and warmth through the whole Christmas season. The Christmas tree
is taking the place of the Yule log today.The popularity of Santa Claus has resurrected an
ancient Norse figure called Julesvenn. In ancient times he would come during the feast of
Jul to hide lucky barley stalks around the house. Now he comes on Christmas Eve to bring
gifts to good children. After Christmas Day is past, children indulge in a custom much
like trick or treat. It is called Julebukk and children wear costumes and go door to door
asking for goodies.
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Peru
Many Peruvian manger scenes will feature the quaintly beautiful figures carved of wood by
the Quechua Indians. On Christmas Eve, the meal after Midnight Mass features tamales.
Christmas Day festivities in Lima are highlighted by a bullfight and a procession with the
statue of the Virgin Mary.
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Poland
The lucky children of Poland receive presents twice. On St. Nicholas' Day, the good saint
himself brings presents. On Christmas Day, it is the Star Man. The Star of Bethlehem is
the most popular image in the Polish Christmas. It is the first star of Christmas Eve,
which marks the end of the Advent fast and ushers in the time of feasting. Though
Christmas in Poland is officially known as Bozz Narodzenie, it is most often referred to
as Gwiazdka, which means "little star." Once the star appears, a special rice
wafer blessed by the parish priest called oplatki, is broken into pieces and shared by
all. Finally the meal can begin. The feast consists of twelve courses, one for each
Apostle. The table is always set with one extra seat in case a stranger or the Holy Spirit
should appear to share the meal. After supper the Star Man arrives attended by the Star
Boys. They are dressed fantastically, as Wise Men or animals or other figures from the
nativity. The Star Man examines the children in their catechism and rewards them with
small presents if they do well, even if they need a bit of coaching. The Star Boys sing
carols and are given a treat for their help. After the fun, all go to Pasterka, the
midnight Mass of the Shepherds.
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Portugal
Christmas is celebrated in much the same way in Portugal as it is in Spain. The Portuguese
enjoy an additional feast, called consoada, in the early morning hours of Christmas Day.
They set extra places at the table for alminhas a penar ("the souls of the
dead"). In some areas crumbs are left on the hearth for these souls, a custom that
derives from the ancient practice of entrusting the seeds to the dead in hopes that they
will provide a bountiful harvest.
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