Hello to all! Today I will be focusing on Christmas for our MHH members who reside in Australia, Canada, and Scotland!
In the land Down Under, Australia, Christmas corresponds with the end of the school year and the students are out until early February. It is a time of school celebrations and concerts.
One tradition is "Carols by Candlelight." Australians take a picnic dinner to where the event is being held and sing along to carols while holding candles or torches. The large cities often telecast these and feature celebrities. A family Christmas Eve could include watching the televised event.
Because Christmas occurs in the summer months, Santa is offered a cold drink and a bucket of water is left out for the reindeer.
Stocking are not traditional- they are large sacks like a pillow case.
A traditional meal would be a roast joint of meat, roast vegetables and gravy. A hot fruit pudding and custard is served for dessert. The pudding is made in October and hung to dry until Christmas. On Christmas it is boiled again for a few hours. A three pence is placed in the pudding and whoever finds it, has to do the dishes.
Christmas traditions in Australia are Steeped in English tradition, Australians enjoy "crackers" and the paper crowns that come with them.
Boxing Day (December 26th) is a huge day with friends and family over to enjoy the leftovers of the Christmas meal.
Cricket is on TV and it also is the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race. Many families enjoy taking their leftovers to the beach to spend the day there.
Canada is a huge country broken up by provinces so Christmas Traditions are different according to which province you live in.
Having started in 1913, The Santa Claus Parade in Toronto is one of the oldest and largest Santa Parades in the world.
"Snick Tuck" is a festival started by the Inuit that is celebrated in some provinces in Canada.
The Eastern Canadian province of Novia Scotia sends its best fir tree to Boston in the USA as an acknowledgement of the assistance the city gave during the Halifax Explosion.
Mummering or "Jannying" is a tradition in Newfoundland. People dress up in costumes and say in a disguised voice, "Are there any Mummers in the night?" Then they sing and dance and have Christmas cake and something to drink before moving on to the next house.
The city of Labrador City is also in Newfoundland and people feature ice sculptures outside of their houses as part of their Christmas decorations.
In northern Canada, some people participate in a taffy pull held in honor of St. Catherine, the patron saint of single women. The taffy pull is an opportunity for single women to meet single men.
In Quebec, midnight mass on Christmas Eve is a big event. Tourtiere, a meat pie, is a popular part of the meal as well as the yule log for dessert.
In Scotland, the first person to arrive at a home for Christmas dinner is called the "First Footer." They arrive with a gift for their hosts of whiskey, a "wee dram" or a black bun. What is black bun? It is a type of fruit cake that is completely covered in pastry.
What food will be served at Christmas? Cock-a-leekie soup- a chicken soup, haggis bon-bons, clapshot- a turnip, potato, onion mash, and a clootie dumpling (like an English pudding) for dessert. Want a lighter dessert? Try Cranachan- a dish made with crowdie cheese (or whipped cream) served with raspberries, oats, honey and whiskey.
"Hogmany" is a popular tradition on midnight on January 1st. On Hogmany, The first person to arrive at a friends house must carry in a traditional item like a lump of coal.
Hogmany's origins reach back to the Vikings celebrations of the winter solstice. Why is it called Hogmany? No one really knows but the word has been around since at least 1604 when it first appeared in written records.
An old tradition that is gaining in popularity is the "saining of the house"- where the house and and livestock are blessed with holy water and the lady of the house goes from room to room with a smoldering juniper branch filling the house with purifying smoke.
I would like to thank our MHH members: Sweetpumkinpye, luludou, and frostythesnowman who shared their countries traditions with me and us!
Annie
In the land Down Under, Australia, Christmas corresponds with the end of the school year and the students are out until early February. It is a time of school celebrations and concerts.
One tradition is "Carols by Candlelight." Australians take a picnic dinner to where the event is being held and sing along to carols while holding candles or torches. The large cities often telecast these and feature celebrities. A family Christmas Eve could include watching the televised event.
Because Christmas occurs in the summer months, Santa is offered a cold drink and a bucket of water is left out for the reindeer.
Stocking are not traditional- they are large sacks like a pillow case.
A traditional meal would be a roast joint of meat, roast vegetables and gravy. A hot fruit pudding and custard is served for dessert. The pudding is made in October and hung to dry until Christmas. On Christmas it is boiled again for a few hours. A three pence is placed in the pudding and whoever finds it, has to do the dishes.
Christmas traditions in Australia are Steeped in English tradition, Australians enjoy "crackers" and the paper crowns that come with them.
Boxing Day (December 26th) is a huge day with friends and family over to enjoy the leftovers of the Christmas meal.
Cricket is on TV and it also is the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race. Many families enjoy taking their leftovers to the beach to spend the day there.
Canada is a huge country broken up by provinces so Christmas Traditions are different according to which province you live in.
Having started in 1913, The Santa Claus Parade in Toronto is one of the oldest and largest Santa Parades in the world.
"Snick Tuck" is a festival started by the Inuit that is celebrated in some provinces in Canada.
The Eastern Canadian province of Novia Scotia sends its best fir tree to Boston in the USA as an acknowledgement of the assistance the city gave during the Halifax Explosion.
Mummering or "Jannying" is a tradition in Newfoundland. People dress up in costumes and say in a disguised voice, "Are there any Mummers in the night?" Then they sing and dance and have Christmas cake and something to drink before moving on to the next house.
The city of Labrador City is also in Newfoundland and people feature ice sculptures outside of their houses as part of their Christmas decorations.
In northern Canada, some people participate in a taffy pull held in honor of St. Catherine, the patron saint of single women. The taffy pull is an opportunity for single women to meet single men.
In Quebec, midnight mass on Christmas Eve is a big event. Tourtiere, a meat pie, is a popular part of the meal as well as the yule log for dessert.
In Scotland, the first person to arrive at a home for Christmas dinner is called the "First Footer." They arrive with a gift for their hosts of whiskey, a "wee dram" or a black bun. What is black bun? It is a type of fruit cake that is completely covered in pastry.
What food will be served at Christmas? Cock-a-leekie soup- a chicken soup, haggis bon-bons, clapshot- a turnip, potato, onion mash, and a clootie dumpling (like an English pudding) for dessert. Want a lighter dessert? Try Cranachan- a dish made with crowdie cheese (or whipped cream) served with raspberries, oats, honey and whiskey.
"Hogmany" is a popular tradition on midnight on January 1st. On Hogmany, The first person to arrive at a friends house must carry in a traditional item like a lump of coal.
Hogmany's origins reach back to the Vikings celebrations of the winter solstice. Why is it called Hogmany? No one really knows but the word has been around since at least 1604 when it first appeared in written records.
An old tradition that is gaining in popularity is the "saining of the house"- where the house and and livestock are blessed with holy water and the lady of the house goes from room to room with a smoldering juniper branch filling the house with purifying smoke.
I would like to thank our MHH members: Sweetpumkinpye, luludou, and frostythesnowman who shared their countries traditions with me and us!
Annie
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