Fröhliche Weihnachten from Germany!

So far, my favorite country that I've visited in Europe is Germany. I've always been a fan of the Bavarian lifestyle and the allure of all the small towns...and the brats and brews :)

My brother-in-law just so happens to come from a German background. He and my sister even spent their honeymoon in Germany! A few days ago I was at their house and was taking a gander at the Christmas tree and ornaments.  I was able to spot my favorite ornament which was a stack of pancakes. Well, with the last name of Pankake it only seems appropriate. Thinking back to when I was at the gardens looking at the many trees from around the world, I remember coming across some interesting facts about a few traditions that Germany possesses.

One for instance is the production of glass ornaments. In 1847, a man named Hans Greiner began producing the first glass ornaments in Lauscha, Germany. Sure enough, I was able to visit this town during my tour and even brought home some ornaments which are now hanging from our tree! Originally, the inside of the ornaments were made to look silvery, first with mercury and lead, later with a special compound of silver nitrate and sugar water. Tinsel was also a very popular form of decor. All of this was created due to the towns location in a river valley. The resources were easily accessible, such as wood for burning, sand and real silver (for the tinsel).

A very old Christmas eve tradition in Germany was also originated around the time of the glass ornaments. This tradition involved hiding a pickle ornament deep in the branches of the Christmas tree. In the morning, the child to spot the pickle first would receive an extra gift. The first adult who finds the pickle traditionally gets good luck for the whole year. I was unable to find the pickle on the tree at gardens which left me frustrated.

one of the Lauscha glass bulbs on our tree

Legend has it that Martin Luther created the first lighted Christmas tree. He was inspired by the glistening vision of starlight that would filter through the trees in the woods. To recreated this vision, he cut down many trees, brought them home and placed candles on the branches so that he could share the beauty with his friends and family.

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Veseloho Vam Rizdva

Advancing on our tour of Christmas/holiday traditions around the world, Ukraine is one that has caught my eye. 

In Ukraine, the holidays begin around December 4 with the Feast of the Presentation and continue on to Malanka, a new years celebration.

On December 24, families will gather for the Holy Supper (Sviata Vecheria) one of the most important Ukrainian traditions. The dinner table can sometimes be seen having an assortment of wheat which represents the ancestors. Hay is also spread on the table and even the floor as a reminder of the manger in Bethlehem. The supper consists of twelve meatless dishes representing the twelve apostles who shared the last meal with Christ. Meat and dairy are typically not seen during this meal, instead families dine on items such as fish, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Something else that households often do is to wait until the first star appears in the evening sky before eating. Children often serve as look outs, watching for the star that symbolizes the birth of Christ. Once the star has appeared in the sky, families gather for a prayer and then eat the meal by candlelight.

Upon looking at Ukraines Christmas tree when visiting the FM gardens I was intrigued by its decorations and the use of... spider webs! These spider webs symbolize a Ukrainian legend. There once was a family that was so poor, they could not afford to decorate their Christmas tree. After the family went to bed mournful, spiders would come out of the woodwork and weave intricate webs on the tree as a form of decoration. In the morning, the suns rays would  shine through the windows of the home and turned the spiders webbing into silver and gold! Sounds like my kind of tree!

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India's Festival of Lights

the rangoli at Fredrik Meijer Gardens

 India has a significant five day Hindu celebration that occurs between mid-October and November. Much like our 4th of July, this involves festive fireworks, lights, flowers, decorations and worship (puja). This festival is called Diwali and is widely celebrated with rangoli. Rangoli is an extremely delicate and beautiful design made of colorful sand, rice flour, beans and flowers. The hindu women create these in front of their homes as a welcome to guests, this also adds beauty to their puja or worship space. The materials used in this are meant to be offerings to the gods and as they disintegrate they become one with the earth again and one with God. Plants are a very special part of Diwali. Strings upon garlands of flowers like banana plants, hibiscus and marigolds are used to enlighten this festive time. The true meaning behind the festival is to rejoice in the inner light or otherwise known as Atman. The inner light is symbolized by lighting small clay lamps like the one in the picture called a diya. The lighting   is considered highly favorable as it brings good health and prosperity. We tend to have many traditional acts of showing light over darkness during this season, so what are some ways (besides lights) that you symbolize lightness over darkness?

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Feliz Natal and Gledileg Jol

As most of you know, Brazil is the largest country in South America. And being located right below the equator, Christmas time is just another warm day.
Having a Christmas tree is very common for families and it is decorated with lots of festive colors and ornaments. A typical tradition for children on Christmas Eve is to place their shoes under the tree or beneath their beds for Papi Noel to fill with gifts.
Aside from that, children enjoy playing 'Petecas'. This game was created by a group of South American Indian tribes (the Tupians). Peteca is similar to badminton except there are no rackets involved, just the use of your hands. The Petecas look like a brightly color badminton birdie and tends to be quite entertaining as a spectator.
Some cultural traditions in Brazil include eating Brazilian chocolates, wearing festive masks just as they do during carnival and of course playing Petecas.


Moving North to Iceland, an island near the arctic circle with glaciers that cover a small percentage of the country. Daylight only lasts about 3 to 4 hours per day during the holiday season (December and January).

Yuletide Lads

Skipping right ahead to one of my favorite folklore tales is the Yuletide Lads which originated in Iceland. These lads are mischievous sons of trolls who live in a cave amongst the mountains and are always kept quiet...until Christmas time. They put small gifts (or potatoes if they're bad) into the shoes of children the 13 nights before Christmas Eve. Today it is believed that there are 13 individual lads. Some of their names are Gully Galk, Stump, Ladle Licker, Door Sniffer and Sausage picker.

leaf bread

Speaking of ladle licking and sausage picking, making leaf bread is a holiday tradition that comes from the northern part of Iceland where wheat is at a premium. The dough is rolled as thinly as possible, almost to where it's see through. The dough is then folded and cut into various shapes such as snowflakes and either given as gifts to eat or hardened to make ornaments for hanging on the tree.
Whether your shoes are being filled with presents, making intricate baked goods or hitting around a colorful birdie, having traditions such as these are what makes each and every place/ culture so unique and special. If we all did the same thing then life wouldn't be as interesting ya know?!.
Cheers.

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A Balmy Christmas

Australian 'Bush' tree decorations

In honor of my younger sister who will be studying abroad in Australia this spring, it is only necessary to highlight the Christmas celebrations of an "Aussie". Christmas takes place in the summer and it just so happens to be one of the warmest days of the year. So rather than going outside and building a snow man, the average family has a barbecue and spends the day at the beach.
Due to the climate, there are many native plants in bloom during the Christmas season. They are typically known as Christmas plants. When Europeans first arrived in Australia, they liked that they could pick wild flowers that look like bells and green foliage covered in colorful flowers to use s decoration.
These folk down under also have their own version of the 12 days of Christmas song involving native animals such as kookaburra, wombat, koala, and my favorite animal, kangaroo!

Staying on the warmer side, Africa is quite a unique continent for Christmas convivialities. Most African holiday celebrations are centered around the family being together. Things such as food, traditional dress, music and dance are all common parts to the festivities. Masks are also used for ceremonial purposes. They tend to combine human and animal traits and are worn with the special attire.

Baobab Tree

 The common tree during holiday season is the Baobab. The legend of this tree states that upon its creation, the baobab complained that it was not slender as the palm tree nor as fruitful as some other trees. The Gods became irritated, uprooted the tree and replanted it upside down so that is would keep quiet. Known as "The tree of life", every part, including nectar, fruit, bark and roots can be used in some way.

So, how different would your traditions be if the weather was warm, or in some cases cold?

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Oh Christmas Tree

Well you can say that I'm quite the slacker with my updates, but this doesn't mean that my adventures have taken a pause. Actually, today I took a trip around the world...well sort of. In lieu of all the expenses and hassles of holiday travels, I made a visit to a local garden and sculpture park. Fredrik Meijer Gardens is my new favorite place and I even became a member so that I can go regularly. My love for horticulture has increased and I find it fascinating. So with this, FMG just so happen to be celebrating the holiday season with a spectacular exhibit of Christmas tree traditions around the world. Displaying over 30 different trees and seeing many unique decorations got me really excited for Christmas!
For the next several days I am going to share with you some of the countries that I learned about and hopefully you too will learn something new. Perhaps some of your traditions reign from a certain culture that you didn't even know!
Seeing as how I am now a "Michigander" I will share some Michigan facts as well as the U.S. Christmas tree traditions.
Michigan is among the top Christmas tree producers in the nation and will harvest over 3 million trees this year! Some other facts to share with your friends and look like a real tree hugger to them is that it take 7-10 years to grow a 7 foot 'Christmas' tree.
-Fir trees are the top seller due to needle retention and fresh fragrance.
-live trees are 100% recyclable...whodda thought! =p

Many Christmas traditions have been adopted from numerous other countries here in the U.S. The Christmas tree tradition began in America in the early 1800's by German immigrants. Over time our decorations have been made simple..popcorn strings, candy canes and ball ornaments. Popular American Christmas characters such as Rudolph the red nosed reindeer and Frosty the snow man appear as common decor as well. Typically on the top of the tree, an angel is placed. The angel is a sign of peace.
Also, Santa Claus is that jolly man that every American child is fond of. Introduced from Holland in the 1800's, Santa arrives on the night of Christmas Eve on a sleigh pulled by reindeer where upon he leaves presents under the tree while everyone is asleep. Excited yet??

Now moving on to the more indigenous people of North America...American Indian. Some items typically hung from a Christmas tree would include a dream catcher. A native American tradition originating from the Ojibwa nation (formerly located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.) They are placed above the bed to protect sleeping children from nightmares. Another ornament is a drum. Indians believe that drums are the heartbeat of mother nature and all the people. It is said that people can connect with the spirit of the drums through a rhythmic pounding. One more trinket is trade beads. Shells, bones, seeds and nuts are also used to accent clothing...or in this case, a tree!
What do you put on the top of your Christmas tree?? Stayed tuned for more traditions around the world!
cheers!
Meijer Gardens

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