2015年12月14日
Strange Christmas Traditions
Hello, all!
Everyone in Japan knows about Santa Claus and his reindeer. People know what a Christmas tree is, and that it's traditional to give presents on Christmas Day. But these ideas really just come from America. In other places where Christmas is celebrated, the traditions are very different!
For example, in Eastern and Northern Europe, children believe that all animals can talk for one or two minutes at midnight on Christmas Day. My sister and I had a storybook about this legend. Every Christmas Eve we decided to wake up at midnight to see if our pets (we had gerbils, parakeets, guinea pigs, a very stupid rat, and a very smart mouse) would talk to us. But every Christmas Eve we were too tired to get out of bed! Maybe if you have a pet dog, you can check and see if this legend is true?
Most countries have their own versions of Santa Claus. In many countries, Santa has an "evil" helper who punishes bad children! The most famous are Zwarte Piet (Holland) and Krampus (Austria). Zwarte Piet usually just hurts children who are bad, but Krampus is particularly nasty. Krampus eats bad children, or takes them away to Hell!
I warned you! Krampus is really scary!
When I was a child, I often celebrated Sinterklaas with some Dutch friends of ours. In the Netherlands, presents are not given on Christmas! Instead, people give presents on December 5th, a special holiday called "Sinterklaas" (which is the Dutch name for Santa Claus). on Sinterklaas, children leave out shoes instead of stockings. Good children get candy in their shoes, but bad children get sticks! Sinterklaas presents come with poems instead of Christmas cards. The poems usually make fun of the person getting the present! (For example, if someone gets a present of deodorant, the poem might read, "Roses are red,/Violets are blue;/When you get home from school,/We all yell, 'P.U.!'")
And of course, every family has their own Christmas traditions. My family always watches David Lynch's Eraserhead on Christmas Day, which is a pretty weird tradition. I have a friend in Minnesota whose family always makes sushi on Christmas Day!
What's your favorite Christmas tradition?
—Matthew
Everyone in Japan knows about Santa Claus and his reindeer. People know what a Christmas tree is, and that it's traditional to give presents on Christmas Day. But these ideas really just come from America. In other places where Christmas is celebrated, the traditions are very different!
For example, in Eastern and Northern Europe, children believe that all animals can talk for one or two minutes at midnight on Christmas Day. My sister and I had a storybook about this legend. Every Christmas Eve we decided to wake up at midnight to see if our pets (we had gerbils, parakeets, guinea pigs, a very stupid rat, and a very smart mouse) would talk to us. But every Christmas Eve we were too tired to get out of bed! Maybe if you have a pet dog, you can check and see if this legend is true?
Most countries have their own versions of Santa Claus. In many countries, Santa has an "evil" helper who punishes bad children! The most famous are Zwarte Piet (Holland) and Krampus (Austria). Zwarte Piet usually just hurts children who are bad, but Krampus is particularly nasty. Krampus eats bad children, or takes them away to Hell!
I warned you! Krampus is really scary!
When I was a child, I often celebrated Sinterklaas with some Dutch friends of ours. In the Netherlands, presents are not given on Christmas! Instead, people give presents on December 5th, a special holiday called "Sinterklaas" (which is the Dutch name for Santa Claus). on Sinterklaas, children leave out shoes instead of stockings. Good children get candy in their shoes, but bad children get sticks! Sinterklaas presents come with poems instead of Christmas cards. The poems usually make fun of the person getting the present! (For example, if someone gets a present of deodorant, the poem might read, "Roses are red,/Violets are blue;/When you get home from school,/We all yell, 'P.U.!'")
And of course, every family has their own Christmas traditions. My family always watches David Lynch's Eraserhead on Christmas Day, which is a pretty weird tradition. I have a friend in Minnesota whose family always makes sushi on Christmas Day!
What's your favorite Christmas tradition?
—Matthew
