Multicultural Holiday Experience...

I was just sitting here and realizing what a crazy multicultural mix of holiday experiences we had this year!  We try to keep many of our own family traditions in place, no matter where we live and serve.  We have added other experiences along the way. And we are always ready to learn something new and celebrate with someone else in their traditional way.

Our 'home culture traditions' that we carry with us:

• We brought some of our favorite Christmas tree ornaments with us to Spain.  Not all of them, of course, but many favorites so that decorating the tree still feels like 'home'.
• We brought our stockings with us... my great grandmother made mine when I was a little girl.  My aunt made Billy's, and later she made Ryan and Miles'.  I made Sarah's.  All are made with the same pattern and the exact same box of beads and sequins that my great-grandmother used.  All are hand-sewn with lots of love and memories.  I love those stockings for so many reasons.
• We always eat chili on Christmas Eve.  Not sure why.  But it's tradition.  And ham on Christmas day.  Period.

Some new 'other culture' things that we have added:

• We have a nativity scene from Mexico, and one from Bethlehem.
• We drink hot chocolate and eat panettone (a special sweet bread) - a custom we adopted when we lived in Peru.

Other new things that we are experiencing with the holidays here in Spain:

• Spaniards aren't really in to the actual Christmas Eve and Christmas Day thing, except to have a big meal with family.  So, for us, Christmas Eve and Day were kind of a let down as far as celebrations go.  Christmas Eve is called Noche Buena (The Good Night), and traditionally the family Christmas meal is eaten at midnight.
• Spaniards are BIG TIME into January 6th - the celebration of the day the Three Kings come and give gifts.  Children don't hang stockings... they leave empty shoes out to be filled with goodies (or coal).  The Three Kings have a big parade through town and throw candy to the crowds, too.  And the traditional food is... wait for it... King Cake!  (Somewhere in here is a connection to Mardi Gras, I'm sure!)
• We were invited to Boxing Day by our British friends this year.  Actually, at first they invited us  to 'come over for Christmas'.  So we were thinking that we were going over there for Christmas Day.  But what 'come over for Christmas' meant to them was 'Boxing Day' - the day AFTER Christmas.  We had no idea what Boxing Day was... do we need to take a box?  Or boxing gloves?  Turns out that it is pretty reminiscent of what we do on Christmas Day... big meal, traditional foods, etc.  We experienced our first Christmas Crackers (cylindical tube things that you pull apart and there is a gift inside - and a paper crown).  And we had the traditional figgy pudding (♫ "Oh bring us some figgy pudding, oh bring us some figgy pudding" ♪).
• New Year's Eve is a big thing.  It's called Noche Vieja (Night of the Old Year).  Our church had a big, churchwide dinner and prayer service.  PS... dinner STARTED at 10pm!  Because, you know, it's Spain!  At midnight, we had a toast.  Then everyone goes around and hugs and kisses everyone and tells them Happy New Year... I'm talking EVERYONE!  Like, it is not okay to miss anyone.  If you miss someone, you are hunted down and stalked until the hug and kiss and new year greeting occur.  Seriously... Today is the 8th of January and someone just fussed at me that we had not hugged and kissed and given each other the obligatory new year greeting!!!  After the greetings, there commenced a grand fiesta.  The sanctuary was no longer a quiet, nice dinner and prayer service... it was now something like a dance hall!  Pews were moved and colored lights and disco balls began twirling.  Music was blarring.  Dancing and games galore.  It was crazy fun!  Lots of laughing. The founding pastor was sitting with Billy and he commented on the scene, "I would rather them all stay here and dance the night away together than go out to the discos and bars tonight."  Children, youth, college kids, parents, middle-agers, and old guys all hung out and danced and laughed and had a great time.  UNTIL 3AM!!!!!  Yes - we were partying at the church until 3am!!!  We finally gave up the fight for sleep and went home, but we hear that many stayed until 5am.  Wow...
• Some Spaniards have the custom of eating 12 grapes at midnight, one for every stroke of the clock.  This was also a custom in Peru.  Good luck or something...some say it's one grape for each month of the year... no one really knows.  It's just a tradition.

Back to school yesterday for Sarah.  It was a nice, long Christmas break.  New traditions and new experiences.  Learning about holidays is a fun part of living in another culture!