Holiday Feasts and Festivities
Ahead of Christmas, Members from all corners of the globe share time-honored holiday traditions from back home.
Sol Invictus, the final day of the Saturnalia festival, was celebrated by second-century Romans with a feast on December 25. It is believed early Christians lifted traditions from the annual rite, including the exchange of small gifts, to secretly recognize the Christmas holiday.
As Christianity spread throughout Europe, new Christmas traditions grew in different cultures.
Scandinavians once burned yule logs to honor Thor, the Norse god of thunder. German families decorated evergreen trees with apples and nuts, while revelers in the English town of Canterbury would drape holly above doorways.
With the movement of Christianity to the New World, too, many more unique customs developed over time. Ahead of the Club’s own seasonal events, a number of Club Members explain the holiday traditions from their part of the world.
Diane Harris
Salt Lake City, Utah
We have many traditions: making my mother’s English toffee and shortbread, viewing the Christmas lights and, on Christmas Eve, we always watch It’s a Wonderful Life. On Christmas Day, we play bingo. I collect silly gifts all year long and, when someone wins and opens a gift, they have to say, “It’s what I’ve always wanted!”
My in-laws have a “lights on” party at the beginning of December, which motivates everyone to decorate their house early. We have a progressive dinner, visiting each home, seeing their decorations, eating food along the way, culminating with dinner at my in-laws. There, we eat Scandinavian food—frikadeller [meatballs], red cabbage and Swedish eggs—since we are Danish and Swedish. Each person blows out a candle and makes a wish for the New Year.
On a more serious note, we collect gifts for people in need or leave money at someone’s door who we know is struggling. Our children recognize how fortunate they are, so we try to make the holiday about helping others and spending time as a family.
Dirk Hermans
Aachen, Germany
The foundation of Aachen Cathedral was built around 800, when Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne determined the city would be the imperial capital of the new Rome. Charlemagne’s remains are consecrated at the cathedral, which was Germany’s first UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Aachener Weihnachtsmarkt, one of the top three Christmas markets in Germany, is held in front of the cathedral. People come from the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, all over, just to see it. It can be very cold at that time of year, so people enjoy the hot mulled wine. It makes you feel warm from the inside.
We have traditional Christmas customs: decorating the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, spending time with family and going to church. On Christmas Eve, we have meat fondue for dinner with close family. Different cities have different types of chocolates or cookies. I remember spekulatius, a shortbread biscuit. I will have to bring some back the next time I return from Germany.
Eduardo Romaneiro
São Paulo, Brazil
Christmas to me is a warm, sunny day with family and friends, nice and tanned from their day at the beach. The idea of a “white Christmas” has never felt right to me.
As a former Portuguese colony, most of Brazil’s Christmas customs and festivities are inspired by them, with nativity scenes, Christmas plays, a midnight mass service called Missa do Galo [literally translated as Mass of the Rooster], and, of course, Santa Claus, or Papai Noel.
The Christmas Eve feast, served around 10pm, includes pork, turkey, ham, salads and fruits. Everything is served with rice cooked with raisins and a spoon of farofa [seasoned manioc flour]. From there, traditions vary depending on city, with Paulistas enjoying Italian panettone, Cariocas serving Portuguese salted cod, while those from the northeast have African-style food.
New Year’s is celebrated at the beach where the Iemanjá ritual is performed. You should wear white attire to attract peace and happiness. We throw white flowers, jewelry, rice, perfume, mirrors and other gifts into the ocean and send out floating candles as offerings to the goddess of the sea.
Then you jump over seven waves in the ocean and, for every jump, you make a wish for the New Year.
Jesus Perezagua
Toledo, Spain
Toledo is the former capital of Spain and, like Jerusalem, all three major religions lived there together. We have beautiful mosques, synagogues and a magnificent cathedral.
The holiday starts on December 24 with a Christmas Eve family dinner and ends on January 6, Epiphany.
For generations, my family has prepared the same meal on December 24. The main course is Toledo-style partridges. We hunt the partridges on our land, using my grandfather’s 12-bore Sarasqueta rifle. We start at 6am and walk together in pairs. You get two or three, four if you are lucky, in one morning. Some days you come back with nothing.
The partridges are cooked for hours in a clay pot with onions and garlic. My mother is one of the best in the world at Toledo-style partridges. After that, we have almond soup and, for dessert, marzipan and a tray with a selection of nougat called turrón.
When you finish dinner, which is normally Spanish time, starting at 9 or 10pm, there is a special mass conducted at Toledo Cathedral. Going to the cathedral at midnight, even if you are not a believer, is impressive.
Philippe Bouchet
Auvergne, France
Being a region of hills and small mountains, Auvergne often has snow for Christmas. White snow outside and colorful decorations inside, including a Christmas tree and nativity scene, set the perfect environment for a nice family evening.
Cuisine being an important matter in France, preparation starts days before. Christmas cookies are made and we buy foie gras, oysters or escargots, turkey, ingredients for a bûche de Noël [chocolate log] and all that is needed for three to four days, as most shops will be closed.
The midnight réveillon is usually a medium to light meal taken just after church on the evening of December 24. The main Christmas course is on December 25. More than food itself, preparation is an important time when families are together, helping each other.
Local traditions are still very much alive. Saint Nicholas is important in eastern France. On December 6, you can buy small human-shaped breads called manalas in Alsace. In honor of Saint Catherine, on November 25, patisseries in Vesoul [in Burgundy] make a delicacy in the shape of a small pig. These patisseries are only available for a day or two, and they are not easily accessible, unless carefully planned.
Angela Rowe
Brisbane, Australia
Christmastime for us means the beach. With the seasons being opposite Down Under, you’ll typically see Santa depicted in board shorts surfing a wave. In northern Australia, Christmas Day is hot, so many families opt for a cold Christmas lunch of salads and seafood. In the southern parts, families may prepare a hot roast Christmas feast.
As with other countries, Christmas is a time for family. Carols by Candlelight [outdoor concerts] are held across all major capitals and broadcast on television. If you can’t make it to the concert, many families get together with Christmas Eve snacks and watch and sing along. Of course, all the children need to get to bed early and leave a snack for Santa and the reindeer.
In our family, a homemade trifle must feature amongst the desserts for Christmas Day. Also, every table setting is set with a paper bonbon. When it’s time, two people grab either end and pull the bonbon apart. Whoever holds on gets the contents, which are usually silly jokes and a paper crown. From there, everyone eats Christmas dinner wearing their paper crown. And we always hit the beach on Boxing Day [December 26].
Jen Penaverde
Manila, Philippines
We are predominantly a Catholic country and, as such, the Christmas celebration is centered on our faith and the birth of Christ. Filipinos come from all walks of life and the celebration of Christmas binds us all.
The season begins with what we call the “ber” months: September, October, November and December. Preparations for the holiday kick into full gear after we remember our departed on All Saints’ and All Souls’ days on November 1 and 2.
It’s a magical season for us. Houses are festive. Department stores and city streets are decorated with lights and our native parol Christmas lanterns. I fondly remember roaming around our village with makeshift drums and tambourines, happily singing Christmas carols.
Simbáng Gabi is a nine-day novena mass from December 16 to 24. Masses are held daily around 4am. After the mass, vendors line up outside the church selling bibingka [rice cakes] and puto bumbong [bamboo-cooked rice cakes].
On December 24, we gather for our Noche Buena [Christmas Eve] feast. We do love our lechón [roasted pig], embutido and morcon [pork and beef rolls] and Christmas ham. We also exchange gifts and engage family members in endless conversations and karaoke.
Words: Nick Narigon