Say hello to my new favorite Christmas tradition. It is a glorious pastry that makes a nice breakfast or afternoon pick-me-up. It has several steps but it’s not too hard to make
Christmas Traditions
In the United States, Santa Claus is often depicted as flying from his home to home on Christmas Eve to deliver toys to children. He flies on his magic sleigh led by his reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and the most famous reindeer of all, Rudolph. Santa enters each home through the chimney
Many Ways to Celebrate
Christmas, the Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus, is celebrated in a variety of ways around the world. Here are just a few examples:
- Christians in China have a tradition of giving apples wrapped in colored paper to each other. Why? Christmas Eve in Chinese is “Ping An Ye,” which means quiet or silent night. The word for apple is “Ping Guo” which is pronounced similarly.
- In some parts of Germany, the “Christkind” tradition remains strong. Children often write to Christkind and ask for presents. They decorate their envelopes brightly and leave them on a windowsill at the beginning of Advent. Many children still believe that Christkind delivers the presents, not Santa Claus.
- In Ethiopia, they celebrate Christmas on January 7 based on the old Julian calendar. The celebration is named Ganna. No gifts are exchanged. Instead, people fast on Christmas Eve and the most devout attend services at 4 AM on Ganna morning. It is believed that the wise men who visited baby Jesus came from Ethiopia. Twelve days after Ganna, there is a three-day celebration called Timkat to celebrate the baptism of Christ.
