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I bet you have some fine family traditions that are customary at your house to help you celebrate the holidays. Have these changed or grown over the years with the addition of new family members?

What family traditions do you maintain this time of year?

What family traditions do you maintain this time of year?

Bon Bon Crackers in British Colonies

One of the customs in Australia that I enjoyed was the Christmas Crackers. Some here in the USA make these themselves for holiday parties.

Christmas crackers are a traditional Christmas favorite in the UK. They were first made in about 1845-1850 by a London sweet maker called Tom Smith. He had seen the French 'bon bon' sweets (almonds wrapped in pretty paper). He came back to London and tried selling sweets like that in England and also included a small motto or riddle in with the sweet. But they didn't sell very well.
 
However, one night, while he was sitting in front of his log fire, he became very interested by the sparks and cracks coming from the fire. Suddenly, he thought what a fun idea it would be, if his sweets and toys could be opened with a crack when their fancy wrappers were pulled in half. Traditionally they are pulled by two people and you cross arms like a wishbone when you pull on them for good luck. 

The Parasite of Love: Mistletoe in America

One of my first big money making enterprises consisted of selling mistletoe in front of our local grocery store when I was a kid. We cut the mistletoe (oak tree fungus) and sold it to happy holiday shoppers! When the store manager asked what our cause was, as you needed a cause to be allowed to "solicit" in front of this store, I replied "Gifts for needy children at Christmas" and that was true, of course we were the needy children, my little sister and I.

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that attaches to and penetrate the branches of a tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they absorb water and nutrients from the host plant.The tradition of hanging it in the house goes back to the times of the ancient Druids. It is supposed to possess mystical powers which bring good luck to the household and wards off evil spirits. It was also used as a sign of love and friendship in Norse mythology and that's where the custom of kissing under Mistletoe comes from. 

Papai Noel Wears Silk in Brazil

Papai Noel or Father Noel is the gift-bringer in Brazil. According to legend, he lives in Greenland. When he arrives in Brazil, he usually wears silk clothing due to the summer heat.
 
A huge Christmas dinner includes turkey, ham, colored rice, and wonderful vegetables and fruit dishes.
 
King Wenceslas was a real King
 
In Czech Republic, a girl can tell her future, it is said that according to tradition, by putting a cherry twig in water on December 4th. If the twig blossoms before Christmas Eve, the girl will marry sometime during the year.
 
The famous King Wenceslas of the Christmas Carol was a real King in this country.
 
Beat a drum in Greece
 
St. Nicholas is important in Greece as the patron saint of sailors. According to Greek tradition, his clothes are drenched with brine, his beard drips with seawater, and his face is covered with perspiration because he has been working hard against the waves to reach sinking ships and rescue them from the angry sea. Greek ships never leave port without some sort of St. Nicholas icon on board.
 
On Christmas Eve small boys to the beating of drums and the tinkling of triangles usually sing carols. They go from house to house and are given dried figs, almonds, walnuts and lots of sweets or sometimes small gifts. 

Swahili on Kwanzaa

On December 26th African Americans celebrate with Kwanzaa, a holiday that originated at the time of the civil rights movement in the 1960's and is in commemoration of African heritage. Created as a ritual for harvest time and using the language Swahili, Kwanzaa lasts a week during which participants gather with family and friends to exchange gifts and to light a series of black, red and green candles which symbolize the seven basic values of the African Americans family life that is unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. 

La Posades in Arizona

They follow the Mexican traditions called Las Posadas. Families play out the parts of Mary and Joseph searching for somewhere to stay. They form a procession and visit their friends' and neighbors' homes where they admire each family's Nativity crib. In parts of New Mexico, people place lighted candles in paper bags filled with sand on streets and rooftops to light the way for the Christ Child.

Festival of Lights - Hanukkah

Hanukkah means it's time for the menorah, dreidels, and gelt. Light the menorah!
The centerpiece of the Hanukkah celebration is the hanukkiah or menorah, a candelabra that holds nine candles. Eight candles symbolize the number of days that the Temple lantern blazed; the ninth, the shamash, is a helper candle used to light the others. Families light one candle on the first day, two on the second (and so on) after sundown during the eight days of Hanukkah, while reciting prayers and singing songs. The menorah -- either store-bought or homemade and crafted of metal, wood, papier mache, or clay -- is filled from right to left, but lit left to right so each new candle is lit first.

Light up The White House

In Washington D.C., a huge, spectacular tree with Christmas ornaments is lit ceremoniously when the President presses a button and turns on the tree's lights.

A Putz in PA

In Pennsylvania, the Moravians build a landscape, called a putz - under the Christmas tree, while in the same state the Germans are given gifts by Belsnickle, who taps them with his switch if they have misbehaved.

You better be good I'm tellin' ya why!

You better be good I'm tellin' ya why!

Do you string popcorn and cranberries to make a garland? Do you decorate a tree with tinsel, baubles and candy canes? Do you sing Christmas Carols? Do you enjoy turkey or pumpkin pie?

If you are a young family just starting out, we hope you will carry on the traditions of those who went before you, and possibly a blend from both family backgrounds to start your own.

Whatever traditions you hold dear, we wish you a holiday season overflowing with family friends and fun from Virginia State Parks!

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If you have read the article and have a question, please email nancy.heltman@dcr.virginia.gov.

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