{"id":301,"date":"2016-12-12T09:53:42","date_gmt":"2016-12-12T15:53:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.iseeme.com\/blog\/?p=301"},"modified":"2016-11-01T10:02:18","modified_gmt":"2016-11-01T16:02:18","slug":"christmas-eve-traditions-cultures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.iseeme.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/12\/christmas-eve-traditions-cultures\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Eve Traditions from other Cultures"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Teaching children about traditions from other cultures develops an appreciation and tolerance for other people. The days before Christmas offer wonderful opportunities to introduce children to other cultures and how they celebrate the winter holidays. Together, you and your child have a whole world of amazing differences to explore\u2014why not start with these five countries?<br \/>\n<strong>France: Shoes Instead of Stockings<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your children might be a little jealous to hear French children get their Christmas presents before December 25<sup>th<\/sup>. Christmas celebrations begin on December 5<sup>th<\/sup>, or St. Nicholas Eve. It\u2019s on this day Father Christmas, or Pere Noel, leaves children presents, but he doesn\u2019t fill stockings. Children leave their shoes out for the jolly old elf to fill with gifts.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On Christmas Eve church bells ring and people sing noels, or carols. After a midnight church service Christmas Eve, the French eat a lavish meal called R\u00e9veillon, which can include roast turkey, roast goose, lobster, cheese and venison.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The French wish each other Merry Christmas by saying \u201cJouyeux Noel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Italy: Nativity Scenes, Coins, and La Befana<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The nine days before Christmas are called novena in Italy. On the first day of novena families assemble the presepio, or nativity scene. Prayers are said before the presepio with lit candles every morning and evening during the holiday season.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Santa doesn\u2019t come to Italy. Instead, children receive gifts from La Befana, a kindly old woman who rides a broom. La Befana is covered in soot because she comes down the chimney like Santa.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Italians say \u201cBuon Natale\u201d to wish each other Happy Christmas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Japan: Christmas Eve Presents and Fried Chicken<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Japan only has a small Christian population, but Christmas itself has caught on as a day to spread happiness and love. Christmas Eve is a romantic day for couples to spend together and swap gifts, rather like Valentine\u2019s Day in the US.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Japanese children find presents left on their pillows Christmas Eve, and a favorite food for Christmas Day is fried chicken\u2014KFC restaurants see their busiest day of the year on December 25<sup>th<\/sup>. \u201cMer\u012bkurisumasu\u201d is how the Japanese wish each other Merry Christmas, and Santa is known as Santa-san (Mr. Santa).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Norway and the Nisse<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Like the Japanese, Norwegians exchange presents the night before Christmas. Presents are brought by Julenissen, the Norwegian Santa Claus, or by helpful gnomes called Nisse. Children hang Nisse decorations, and in the countryside it\u2019s traditional to put out a bowl of rice porridge for the Nisse who guard farm animals.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Norwegians also hide their brooms on Christmas Eve, to prevent witches from stealing them for joyrides. Wish a Norwegian Merry Christmas by saying \u201cGod Jul\u201d or \u201cGledelig Jul.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mexico and Farolitos<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no chance of a white Christmas in Mexico\u2014the weather\u2019s too warm. When Mexicans decorate for Christmas they use lilies and evergreens, and make farolitos\u2014beautifully designed cut brown paper bags. Candles are placed in the farolitos and placed on rooftops, walls, and sidewalks. On Christmas Eve, or Buena Noche, children lead a procession to the church, where the figure of the Baby Jesus is added to the nativity before midnight mass.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Your children may recognize how Mexican\u2019s wish each other Merry Christmas. It\u2019s the name of a popular carol: Feliz Navidad.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Night Before Christmas<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With so many Christmas Eve traditions from other cultures, your children might want to start some family traditions of their own. Why not suggest ending Christmas Eve by reading a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.iseeme.com\/en-us\/night-before-christmas-personalized-book.html\">Night Before Christmas<\/a> story that puts your child right in the action? It\u2019s the perfect way to settle little ones into bed before the fun of Christmas Day.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Teaching children about traditions from other cultures develops an appreciation and tolerance for other people. The days before Christmas offer wonderful opportunities to introduce children to other cultures and how they celebrate the winter holidays. Together, you and your child have a whole world of amazing differences to explore\u2014why not start with these five countries? France: Shoes Instead of Stockings Your children might be a little jealous to hear French children get their Christmas presents<a class=\"more-link-excerpt\" href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.iseeme.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/12\/christmas-eve-traditions-cultures\/\"> <i class=\"fa fa-long-arrow-right\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.0 (Yoast SEO v21.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Christmas Eve Traditions from other Cultures | I See Me!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"See how other cultures celebrate Christmas Eve with unique traditions &amp; celebrations. 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