Wooden Shoes and Windmills

Do you know where we are? Think tulips, dykes, lots of water - We have arrived in Holland (aka The Netherlands). And I think I'm beginning to figure some things out about Christmas. But we'll save that for the round up of the trip.

What would you like to know? In the Netherlands Christmas celebrations begin on December 5th with Sinterklaas Avond (St. Nicholas Eve). Sinterklaas (Santa to us) sails from Spain to the Netherlands and mounts a white horse to visit the families. The children put out their shoes full of hay and sugar for Sinterklaas's horse and are usually rewarded with candy and small gifts. The emphasis is not on the gifts so much as it is on spending time with family.

December 6th is St. Nicolas Day and is celebrated with special family meals and gatherings. The next few weeks are spent decorating and preparing for Christmas Day itself. Decorations are kept relatively simple as the season is meant to focus on family. Trees are usually decorated much as we do here - with a mix of ornaments and themes.

Between the first Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve farmers in the eastern part of the Netherlands practice an old tradition of Midwinter Horn blowing. At dusk each evening they go out to a well or other echoing area and blow a horn made from an elder tree to herald the coming of the Christ child and in some legends to scare away evil spirits.

Christmas itself is observed in two parts. On Christmas Eve families light the Christmas tree and attend church. On Christmas Day there is a large family meal and being together. Some of the traditional fare is venison, hare, goose or turkey served with Kerstbrood and Kerstkrans (Christmas loaf and ring). The second day of Christmas is spent together as a family with a play or other leisurely activities.

Right about now in out holiday preparations I am wondering why we (America) don't celebrate like the Dutch. It feels so laid back and relaxed. All of my reading led me to believe that the rush and hustle just wasn't there. It was all about family and resting and enjoying the good the year had brought. Something tells me that the Dutch may have figured out the Peace of the season.

Joyeux Noel! (And I had to copy that because I don't speak French!!)

Can you smell the bread? Did you bring your corkscrew? How about some cheese? That's right CAW fans! We have finally made it to France. And what an education I have received! Christmas in France is so different from what we are used to but enough babble! Let's get started.

Christmas begins on December 6th with St. Nicholas Day. In some regions of France the children receive their gifts for St. Nicholas Day and Christmas Day is reserved for religious observances. In other regions, Pere Noel brings the gifts on Christmas Eve. But guess what? Pere Noel doesn't come alone. Pere Fouttard comes with Noel to remind him of the children's bad behavior during the year and he may even hand out some spankings if he deems it necessary. Kind of brings to mind the good angel - bad angel on your shoulder doesn't it?

Decorating in France is also very different. Christmas trees never really seemed to catch on like they have here in the States and around the world. Instead there is a large focus on the Nativity or Creche. Artisans sell the different pieces for the nativity from year to year in the markets. The molds for these have been passed from generation to generation. Once a family has their established Nativity, the artisans add other saints from history or from the local legends and patrons.

Here's a little trivia for your next Christmas party. In France (the country known for romance?) the mistletoe is hung over the doorway to symbolize good luck. How many embarrassing moments could you have avoided?

Christmas Eve families attend a midnight mass and then return home for le reveillon - a traditional large family feast. The dishes served depend on the region of France where one is celebrating. Some dishes you may see in your travels include goose, buckwheat pancakes, turkey, or oysters. Dessert will include the Yule Log - and no that's not the one that you've been burning. It is a delightful blend of chocolate and chestnuts formed into a log shaped cake.

One Twelfth Night (January 5th) the children go out to meet the three kings and provide food for them, their pages, and their camels. In return the Kings give gifts once again. The celebration for Epiphany includes a Cake of the King (tune in Mardis Gras friends!) which is a decorated cake that includes a trinket or bean buried somewhere inside. The person who finds the trinket in their piece is king or queen for the following year.

Off to the Emerald Isle!

Ahhh, Ireland! The one place I would love to visit for a year! I'm a European mutt so you may get more information about the European countries that you every wish to know but I promise I'll try not to bore you. (Did I mention that I should have a guest post for Germany? Stay Tuned!!)

Now a little poll for you? How many of you put candles in your windows? Did you know that that is an invitation for strangers to enter in Ireland? Ok, maybe not "invitation" but it is traditionally an indication that strangers are welcome - perhaps a nod to the inkeeper in the Nativity story.

Much of the decorations put up during the season are natural. True pine wreaths, holly branches and sprigs, pine cones, ivy and definitely a real Christmas tree are all among the decor for the season. This may account for my love of wreaths and garland in my decorating (althought mine are all fake - oops). And if you have a Nativity may I suggest that you consider adding an Irish tradition this year? When did Jesus truly arrive on the scene? On Christmas Eve, correct? In Ireland they wait until Christmas Eve or even Christmas morning to put Jesus in the manger.

The day after Christmas is called St. Stephen's Day in honor of St. Stephen, the first martyr in the Christain faith. In South Ireland it would not be uncommon to see "Wren Boys" on St. Stephen's Day. Originally it was a day of hunting wrens because of the legend that a wren is the tattletale who gave away Stephen's location to those who were hunting him. Then it became a day for young men (think frat boys here) to dress up in straw outfits and march from home to home drumming and playing whistles and reciting the poem:

"The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
On St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze,
Although he is little, his family is great,
I pray you, good landlady, give us a treat."

Originally they would be given a penny or some pittance from the home which they then put toward a party! That was sincerely frowned on by the church so now the Wren Boys collect for charities.

Now here is a tradition I found that all women should embrace regarless of their ethnic background! January 6th (no, not Dia De Los Reyes!) is called "Women's Christmas." It is the day that all the decorations come down and the season is closed. But here's why I say we should all embrace it - the men give the women the day off! That's right ladies! The men take down the decorations and clean up the holiday mess. All in favor? Unfortunately for us it didn't really stick and women do get honored but still pretty much do the work - but you don't have to tell your family that!!

Now what would our stop be without a nod to all the food? As a starter you would see smoked salmon or prawns. Then you have goose or turkey with all the trimmings (potatoes of course!) and the finishers would be Christmas (plum) pudding or mince pies. On a side note, mince pies and a Guinness are the traditional offerings for Santa as well as some apples or veggies for the reindeer.

After dinner it is traditional to see a Pantomime or go to the horse races. Although the truly brave souls head for water and go for a Christmas swim. Only in Ireland!!

**Information was heavily gleaned from DoChara, an absolutely fabulous site that made me fall even more in love with Ireland!**

It's Christmas in Jamaica, Mon!

Who missed the trip this weekend? I got a little overwhelmed with decorating and engagement parties and sewing and ...well, you get the picture! But I've restocked my backpack and have my traveling clothes on so let's get moving!

We've pretty much wrapped up Central and South America so I thought maybe on our way to Europe we would take a little stop over in Jamaica to get one more shot at warm weather. Welcome to the island!

In Jamaica it is tradition to paint your home and decorate with new curtains (talk about taking the decorating seriously!). Because of the African influence in the Carribean there is a tremendous shift in the celebration style. There are elaborate parades of revelers called Jonkanoo (John Canoe) during which revelers don elaborate masks and dance their ways through the streets.

Another part of the holiday season is Grand Market. As I read up on this I could only picture a flea market of fireworks, crafts, and food mashed together with a street carnival of dancing and music. Definitely sounds like fun to me!! Can you almost hear the steel drums now?

And let's not forget the food! The feast of Christmas is laden with chicken, oxtail, ackee, saltfish, fried plantains, curried goat, ham rice and gango peas (just for starters). The most interesting item on the menu for me was the Sorrel and Rum punch. Made with sorrel, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, sugar orange peel and rum, it certainly sounds like something that would make all the parties a little more interesting!

So there you have it! Another stop on our way around the world. And what a stop! The music the dancing, the parade - it's certainly a fun way to head off to Europe.

This afternoon I hope to land in that wonderful Emerald Isle we know as Ireland. Be sure you stop back and enjoy a pint with us.

The Zookeeper's other Adventure!

In my insanity Tuesday I asked my little exhibits and Orangutan's BFF to help me make to make some new ornaments for our tree and I thought I would share the clay recipes with you guys. These have to air dry so if you are going to use them you need to start early!

Baking Soda Clay

1 c cornstarch

2 c baking soda

1 1/4 c water

Mix together in a medium saucepan over low heat until it begins to form a dough (about 15 minutes). Allow to cool to room temp. Roll out like playdough and cut out your shapes. To make a hole to hang them up use a drinking straw. Allow to dry on wax paper but make sure you turn them over every other day so that they dry evenly . Otherwise you end up with curly edges (experience speaking - and that would be why we are making some new ones!).

I wanted to post the how to video that the kids made for you but my computer is not cooperating so you'll have to content yourselves with pictures.

CinnaClay
1 1/2 c cinnamon
1 c applesauce
1/3 c Elmer's glue

Mix together in a large mixing bowl to form a stiff dough and let stand for about 30 minutes. (Make sure you give it that resting period or else you are going to stick to everything! Experience again!) ON WAX PAPER (if you value your dining room table!) dust your rolling pin with cinnamon and roll out into 1/4 in thickness. Cut out with your cookie cutters and use your straw to poke a hanging hole. Again allow to dry for several days turning them over every other.

Both of these can be painted with paint pens for an added touch. But a word of caution on the painting. They are pourous so they absorb paint very well - you may need to paint a second coat especially on the CinnaClay. The Cinnamon ornaments make great gift tags for hand made gifts and they add a little hint of smell - not terribly over powering!

Have fun and send me pictures!

I am Enjoying Summer in December!

I'm enjoying it so much in fact that I think I'm going to stay in the Southern Hemisphere for a while longer (at least for today)! So it's over the mountains into Chile!

Christmas in Chile is a combination of our traditional customs and some that we saw in our other Latin American countries. The Nativity is present under the Christmas tree and Masses begin on the 16th and culminate with a midnight mass on Christmas Eve. There is a little twist though in that the children open their gifts on Christmas Eve instead of on Christmas Day.

Are any of you from Chile or familiar with the Christmas customs? Because I got a little confused here. Viejito Pascuero (Old Man Christmas) aka Papa Noel (Father Christmas) aka Santa still comes to bring the presents either via the chimney or through the window. So if he comes at night and brings the presents then either he is coming the night of the 23rd and the children have to wait ALL DAY on Christmas Eve or he comes while everyone is at Mass. For the sake of those poor Chilean children I hope he comes during Mass! Can you imagine looking at your presents ALL DAY and you weren't able to open them until after church - at midnight!!

Christmas Day is dedicated to playing with all those new toys and apparently the popular gifts are bikes and roller skates (again?!). Then there is a large family meal with azuela de ave (chicken soup with potatoes, onions and corn on the cob) , pan de pascua (Chilean fruit cake) and cola de mono - Monkey's Tail (coffee with milk, liquor, cinnamon and sugar). Something tells me after a meal like that you could be acting like a Monkey's Tail!

Both in Brazil and in Chile it is not uncommon to spend Christmas on the beach. I know some folks dream of a white Christmas but I can't say I would be terribly distressed if every once in a while I could have sand in my shorts on Christmas.

Oh cabana boy! I'll have a pan de pascua and a cola de mono - hold the pan!

Think Sandy Knows Me?

Sweet Sandy! My fellow Penn State fan! A woman after my own heart! She gave me an award that I will gladly accept with all my mouth. It involves chocolate people!

Here are the rules for accepting this delicious award:

1. You must eat a piece of chocolate in honor of accepting The Octamom Award.
2. You must eat yet another piece of chocolate when you put the award on your blog.
3. You must visit Debi B., who designed the award, and leave her a comment, because she deserves props for a chocolate award!!
4. Try to stop by those that were awarded...because they deserve love too!
5. Add or Subtract the rules at your leisure, except the parts about chocolate!
6. And if you are reading this post and you feel like you need a little chocolicious goodness in your life, right about now: feel free to award yourself the Octamom Award and eat a piece of chocolate!

So the question is who do I award? I have so many of you who deserve it! So here's the deal - if you are one of my 18 stalkers or if you frequent by blog and are too lazy to hit the follow me button then you may take a piece of chocolate and this award! But you have to leave a comment (and I will be checking!) and tell me what your favorite chocolate is - for me it's Lindt Milk Chocolate truffles (mailing address e-mailed on request!)

Have a wonderful day my friends! Take a minute today and do a little something for yourself. Just call it a Me Thursday (if it sounds like a holiday you're more likely to participate)!