10/9/2023
Christmas Pickle
Whether we like it or not, Christmas is right around the corner. The time when tra-ditions get the spotlight again. Every family has their own – some cut apples, so-me build a nativity scene, some predict the future from cast lead. That is the Czech classic. But is it the same abroad?
Traditions Arount The World
Traditions have always been a part of our lives, transferred from one generation to the next. Every nation has its own. Some remain virtually unchanged for ages; some gradually adapt to our current expectations and needs. Like the Christmas potato salad. Who can tell which recipe is the original one? With apples or celery? Some habits come from abroad, but become so popular that we believe they have always been our own.
Favorite Connections
🪙 Hidden Coins
Travelling only a bit further to the north, we can observe totally different traditions. Norwegians say that witches come out of their lairs on Christmas Eve to look for brooms they could fly. Therefore, women hide brooms and never clean the house on that day. Men shoot in the air to keep evil creatures away. In Denmark, people break crockery on their friends’ doorsteps on Christmas Eve. The more broken porcelain you find in front of your door, the luckier you will be the next year. During the dinner, the Danes serve rice pudding with a hidden almond. The one who finds it in his or her bowl wins a marzipan pig.
Treasures are often hidden in the Christmas pudding served in England. You can find a ring or a coin to bring you luck. The traditional English pudding is world-famous, but did you know that every member of the family has to stir the dish and make a wish? The English are also particular about kisses under a branch of mistletoe, a must in every household.
Christmas Quest
Have you heard the story of the Christmas pickle? Some say that the tradition comes from the 16th-century Germany, others believe that the decoration was first made in Spain to commemorate a story in which St. Nicholas saved two boys from a pickle barrel. Whatever the real origin, it caught on mainly in the US, especially in families with little kids. The one who finds the green gherkin on the Christmas tree is entitled to an extra present.
Text: Lucie Bezoušková
Photo: Shutterstock.com
The whole article is to be found in magazine of Leo Express.
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