Off-topic: Merry Christmas, everyone!

Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope you are having a good time!

Just for interest: how is Christmas celebrated in your country?
Here in Germany, people usually celebrate on Christmas Eve, with having presents in the late afternoon, then having dinner, then go to church.

 

Merry Christmas for you.

We don't celebrate Christmas in Russia. Instead we have Novy God(New Year), that's where out Holiday Season starts. New Year is celebrated at midnight between 31st of December and 1st of January. But some people started celebrating earlier by taking in a bit of vodka to warm up for the actual Holiday. For the most dedicated people warming up can take a week or more. Actual midnight celebration involves having a dinner, gifting presents and often watching a yearly TV broadcast.

As for the Birth of the Christ, we have a separate day in the January(7th January), and it's purely religious Holiday. The reasons for a different date is Orthodox Church having a different calendar. We don't necessary have Christmas Eve(thou it exists), and most people start celebrating and giving presents in the morning, going to the church for a morning liturgy. Celebratory dinner is often happening in the evening.

We also have third, unofficial holiday. Old New Year on 13 of January. Which is an encore celebration of New Year , for the old calendar New Year date.

--- добавлено 26 дек 2021, предыдущее сообщение размещено: 26 дек 2021 ---

I've heard that Germany has some Carnival/Festive Month before Christmas. But never heard of details or how it works. Do you really have a whole month of celebration there? Does it mean that you do celebrate for two months straight?

 

Christmas eve (24th), dinner with family then opening of presents later in the evening. Then there is usually a few family gatherings/dinners the days after that. Elementary schools in Norway practice "gudstjeneste" were children would visit the local church and sing songs, and/or listen to a long speech by the priest. Many people also light the candles on the grave of their deceased ones.

Common food include ribbe, kalkun, pinnekjøtt, svinestek. Ribbe being the most popular at least on Christmas eve.

 

Merry Christmas to all our foreign visitors!

 

Thank you.

I wouldn't say "celebrate", but there are several traditions for the last four to five weeks before Christmas. For example, the Christmas markets. In cities and larger towns, booths are set up, selling sweets, hot drinks, food and presents. The markets start at th end of November and last until about December 23th. Smaller villages may not have a market the whole time, but for a few selected days. People will normally meet on the market, especially from late afternoon onwards, to have some Glühwein (heated wine with spices), punch or cocoa.

Advent calendars are very popular in Germany. I don't know how common they are in other countries. An Advent calendar is a calendar for the days from December 1st to December 24th. It has either small doors or consists of little sacks. Every day, you open the corresponding door/sack, and it will contain a little treat (or show an image). Children will usually get one, but also many adults have one. Nowadays, you can buy calendars with almost anything, let it be toys, parfume, sweets, tea...

Then there is also the Advent wreath which is an evergreen wreath with four candles. The candles count down the last four Sundays before Christmas. On the first Sunday, you light one candle. On the second, you light the first one and another one, and so forth.

On December 4th, which is St. Barbara's Day, some people will put freshly cut branches Cherry tree in a vase with water so that the branches will bloom on Christmas. This is very common in the mining regions of Germany (Rhur area, Saarland, Saxony), as St. Barbara is the patron saint of miners.

There is a small celebration already on St. Nicholas' Day, which is December 6th. Children will get a plate with sweets and a small present.

 

There is a Christmas market leading up to the days before Christmas eve in my city at least, I cant speak for the rest of the country.
Home | (julemarkedet-trondheim.no)

 

I remember my Mom bought such a calendar for us. It got marked doors from December 1st to December 24th. I opened the first door and it had a small chocolate in it. Then I opened the next door and it also got a chocolate in it. And then I opened all the doors and ate all the chocolates in one day And yeah, it was in Russia, not in Germany.

 

That is the correct way to do it Best way to use advent calendars - YouTube
We have cheap ones such as the one in video in Norway too. The spoiled kids gets calendars with one small toy for each day, we also have the adult kind

 

I see, thanks. Now I know source of inspiration for such presents in some video games.

 

It was a very sad year, but nevertheless: Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope you are having a good time!

Alle Jahre wieder [German Christmas song][+English translation]

 

It is a bit late, but merry Orthodox Christmas, everyone.

 

God jul! Christmas eve already over as we celebrate it the 24th like most of europe (?).

 

Thanks.

Merry Christmas, everyone!