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Holidays:  Christmas Cultural Traditions  |
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hudsonsinaf
True Blue Farmgirl
3162 Posts
Shannon
Rozet
Wyoming
USA
3162 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 29 2015 : 12:59:07 PM
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Hi everyone! For Geography over the next two months, the children and I will be studying Christmas traditions in different countries. I was wondering if any of you know of cultural influences, traditions, decorations, or traditional foods/recipes for any countries, that you would be willing to share. Thanks :)
~ Shannon
http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/ |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Oct 31 2015 : 07:26:08 AM
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What a wonderful study, Shannon! When my son and I did this for homeschool when he was little, we had a blast!!! I'm so excited for you!!!
Our neighbor is originally from Italy. Every Christmas Eve they have a special celebration with family and friends called the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Now, I have heard many people say that this is not an actual feast celebrated in Italy - that it is an Italian American celebration, but our dear neighbor will tell you that fish is a HUGE part of Christmas Eve where he comes from! There are many sites that can help you if you do a search online, but here is the Wikipedia explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_the_Seven_Fishes At our neighbor's celebration, there is bacala, fried smelts, fried squid, calamari, some really spicy seafood spaghetti, baby octopus, shrimp, cod and more - it's never limited to just seven, and, believe me when I say, the food NEVER ends! AND they always have the most amazing wines from "the old country," as well as special liquors and, of course, limoncello. The spread of desserts is beyond comprehension... Everything EVERYTHING is homemade, and made of the finest ingredients available.
The Italians also have a tradition of La Befana, an old witch woman who delivers gifts to the good children at Epiphany. Children who are not good receive coal and a swat with her broom. There is a really cute book about her by Tomie DePaola called "The Legend of Old Befana" that your children might really enjoy reading!
There is also a book called "Feasts and Seasons" written by Joanna Bogle that you all might find quite interesting. It is a wonderful book of holiday celebrations held and traditions observed by Catholics. She also has a wonderful video series in which she demonstrates and explains the foods, the decorations, etc. We loved it.
I know there were so many things we studied, but I cannot for the life of me think of them all right now. Here is a website that you and the kids might really enjoy exploring, though: http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/ When my son gets home, I'll run this by him and see what he remembers.
There is also a teacher's magazine called The Mailbox that had a really great Christmas Around The World-type unit study. I am not sure at all where my husband put that box of books, but if I can find it, I'll gladly send it to you! In the meantime, you may be able to find a copy on ebay...
Another family tradition of ours when I was a little girl was to have turtle soup on Christmas Eve. My grandfather would buy canned turtle at the grocery store (NO KIDDING!), and spend hours at the stove savoring the tastings until it was done to perfection. The funniest thing was, he always served it with a High Ball (and Grandpa did NOT drink!). I heard a neighbor once say that he did THAT to kill the taste! LOL! ANYHOW, I always thought it was a French Canadian thing, but as I got older I learned that Turtle Soup had long been a delicacy served mainly to people like Presidents and the rich. It was actually President Taft's favorite food! I think that's probably why Grandpa made it - it was a special treat. He always joked about waiting for his "ship to come in." Maybe in some small way, this special dinner made him feel like it had! ;)
That's all for now... I am sooo excited for you, because that particular unit study really made Christmas come alive for us that one year! Enjoy!!!!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
www.papercraftingwithnini.ctmh.com
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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sherone_13
True Blue Farmgirl
2460 Posts
Sherone
Evanston
WY
USA
2460 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2015 : 08:51:12 AM
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My maternal Grandmother came from Norway. The things she taught us mostly had to do with food traditions. We make Hjortabakkles every year. In Gaelic, this means Deer Cookies. They are made with a simple dough, rolled into ropes and tied in a knots....lots of lemon extract and are deep fried. Yum, Yum. Also, she made Norwegian pancakes. Here is the link to the recipe on my blog: http://annapearlsattic.blogspot.com/2010/07/anna-pearls-norwegian-pancakes.html. You can buy Lingenberry Jam at IKEA or World Market for an authentic topping. These would be great to make with your kids. They are easy. Grandma used to get frustrated because the first one always seems to flop. I remember her saying "Oof Dah" when it would not turn in the pan. :) My Grandpa was from Wales and he would make us Welsh cakes. They are little teatime cakes that are made with currants. For a modern, easier version, I have used dried cranberries. Here is a recipe for them: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5569/welsh-cakes. Also easy to do with the kidders. I hope this helps you and your little ones to learn about the world.
Sherone
Farmgirl Sister #1682
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Women are angels. When someone breaks our wings, we just jump on our broomsticks and fly! We are flexible that way! |
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hudsonsinaf
True Blue Farmgirl
3162 Posts
Shannon
Rozet
Wyoming
USA
3162 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2015 : 09:44:44 AM
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nini and Sherone - thank you both so very very much!!!! I am going to try to actually update my blog with what we do... We will see how successful I am ;) Today we looked at Russia. Our craft was stringing colored nesting dolls. For dinner we are having Russian Potato and Mushroom Soup along with Russian Tea Cakes. We will be focusing on four countries each week, so that if I miss a day (for example, my parents are coming for the afternoon tomorrow, so we will not be doing any tomorrow) it will not be a big deal. This also allows for an extra day to catch up on crafts, other schooling if Geography takes too long, and for field trips.
~ Shannon
http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/ |
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Holidays: Christmas Cultural Traditions |
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Christmas Cultural Traditions
