Various Christmas traditions!

[j.r-ahde]

Hello you all!

I don't remember, if anyone has ever started a thread like this. So, to begin with;

The Americans have The Thanksgiving before Christmas.

In Finland The Peace for Christmas is declared in Turku, our oldest city.

So, what other interesting tradtitions there are?

All the best
Jukka

[Robert]

This must be one of the strangest :

http://laughingsquid.com/worlds-largest-el-caganer-19-foot-tall-defecating-giant-in-barcelona/

[Ally]

Hello you all!

I don't remember, if anyone has ever started a thread like this. So, to begin with;

The Americans have The Thanksgiving before Christmas.

In Finland The Peace for Christmas is declared in Turku, our oldest city.

So, what other interesting tradtitions there are?

All the best
Jukka

Thanksgiving is not related to Christmas in anyway. It is a secular holiday and completely separate, created by the federal government. Those who are religious might be thanking their god at the time, but the rest of us are just thanking the turkey farmers.

[Damaso Marte]

I was raised by Polish immigrants in the United States, and growing up we did not celebrate Christmas at all...the big celebration was on Christmas Eve. There would be a seafood dinner, the ceremonial sharing of these pieces of unleavened bread with religious scenes printed on them, then the opening of presents. Christmas Day was treated as just another day...I honestly think that Jews have more Christmas Day traditions than Polish Catholics.

[brummie]

Christmas tradition these days seems to consist of eating too much food ,the Queens speech at 3 o'clock and falling asleep during the Queens speech.

[RivkahChaya]

I honestly think that Jews have more Christmas Day traditions than Polish Catholics.

You're joking, right?

Also, how common a misconception is it, in other countries, that Thanksgiving, in the US, is some kind of prelude to Christmas? Retailers in the last 10 years or so have tried to turn the day after Thanksgiving into "Black Friday," or, the day their sales ledgers finally go out of red into black, by having the first sales of the so-called Christmas shopping season; it's when the "toys" sections in department stores and super-centers explode, and also when shopping centers and malls start having extended hours, but it's not when the first Christmas decorations go up; there are some out in September, and they're out with a flourish right after Halloween.

The big deal over "Black Friday" is partly just to designate a day for marketing and accounting purposes, but also because a lot of people have the day off, and are available to go shopping.

But Thanksgiving has nothing to do with Christmas. If you actually give thanks in so many words, it probably is to a deity, and most Christian denominations do have services on those days even though they wouldn't normally have services on Thursday, but it isn't a special service for Thanksgiving, it's just the regular service with a prayer for Thanksgiving, if that makes sense.

Jews who go to regular minyanim (daily services) probably add a prayer on Thanksgiving, but that doesn't in any sense make the holiday Jewish either, anymore than saying a prayer of thanksgiving on your birthday makes your birthday a religious holiday. Jewish siddurim (prayer books) prepared for use in the US by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (Reform) I think have a couple of specific prayers for use on Thanksgiving day, but they're not required.

I'm not going to guess what holiday is most widely celebrated in the US, but Thanksgiving is a good contender, because it isn't a religious holiday, and even though it is a national holiday, it's not as "patriotic," or something, as July Fourth, and more suitable for sharing with visitors from other countries. My parents were professors, and each spoke several languages, so nearly every year at Thanksgiving, we had guests who were from out of the country, who were lecturing at the university, or something, or else people from synagogue who were new in the country. I would guess that alien residents of the US embrace Thanksgiving more readily than July Fourth.

So, who else has this idea about Thanksgiving as a prelude to Christmas?

[Robert]

It's something to do with the harvest, isn't it?

There's a terrific childhood influence attached to these traditions. Basically if you're a kid, you like any tradition that
1. Means you don't have to go to school
and
2. Gets you presents, sweets etc.

That stays with you all your life.