!e Re"rrio#rializa$on of Christma% &egan Trimbl' &rs.

Ybarra- Period 1 (P Human Geography )hap"r 4 and Chap"r 5 Project

*HE RETERRITORIALIZATION OF CHRISTMAS AROUND THE +ORLD !is is a s#ry of how di,erent coun-ies have taken in Christmas .om popular culture and made it a na$onal holiday and how /ey have changed it # 0t in# /eir cultures. 1e"rri#rializa$on - a process in which people start # produce an aspect of popular 2ulture /emselves, doing so in /e con"xt of /eir local culture and place, and making it /eir own.
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!ow it was Establishe"

#ost of $e coun%ies $at celebra& Christmas celebra& Jesus's bir$, o$ers celebra& a di(erent gods bir$ or )esurec*on. +at is why it is so common, because almost a, religions have a god. +e spread of Christmas has a posi*ve and a nega*ve a(ect on coun%ies. It is posi*ve because it connect di(erent regions -ge$er on a .lobal scale, but more importantly it nega*vely a(ects coun%ies because $e coun%ies are adop*ng di(erent /hristmas %adi*on which could lead - adop*ng o$er cus-ms 0om $ose o$er coun%ies as we,, making $eir 1olk and/or local culture fade.

2ni&d Sta&s of Americ3

4#erry Christma5'
6e Uni&d Sta&s of America has many di(erent %adi*ons and ways $at people celebra& Christmas, because of its mul*-cultural nature 7any cus-ms are similar - ones in $e Germany, UK, France, Italy, Ho,and, Poland and Mexico. Distance decay has occurred over $e 8ears because as people keep immigra*ng 0om di(erent coun%ies in- America, we adopt some of $eir cultural %aits and as we do $is $e overa, Christmas cus-ms of $e USA end up being di(erent 0om a, $e origins $ey came 0om. +e %adi*onal meal for Wes&rn European 1amilies is turkey or ham wi$ cranberry sauce. Families 0om Eas&rn European origins favor turkey wi$ %immings, keilbasi 9a Polish :ausage;, cabbage dishes, and soups. Most Americans use popcorn $readed on s%ing - help decora& $eir Christmas Tree. People in America like - decora& $e outsides of $eir houses wi$ lights and some*mes even statues of Santa Claus, Snowmen and Reindeer. In Hawaii Santa is /a,ed Kanakaloka.

German<

4=rohe Weihnach>'
?ermans celebra& Christmas because $ey believe it was $e day $e sun god died and $en rose $ree days la&r. Germany was $e one who :tar&d Christmas Trees, evergreen %ees were used when celebra*ng $e yule 9$en meaning @sunA; god. +e evergreen %ee was a symbol of $e essence of life. So, Christmas Trees are very important in Germany, $ey were Brst used during $e Middle Ages. +e Christmas %ee was %adi*ona,y brought in- $e house on Christmas eve. Some*mes wooden 0ames, covered wi$ colored plas*c sheets and wi$ elec%ic candles inside, are put in windows - make $e house look preCy 0om $e outside. Christmas Eve is $e main day when Germans exchange presents Di$ $eir families. +e au$en*ciE of $e legend of $e glass 4Christmas Pickle' is famous in $e USA, but it's $at, a legend. Most people in ?ermany have never heard of $e Christmas Pickle! It is not part of $eir culture. In some parts of Germany, children wri& - $e 4Fhristkind' 94+e Christ Child' in English; asking for presents. +e leCers - $e Christkind are decora&d wi$ sugar glued - $e envelope -

7ake $em sparkle. Children leave $e leCers on $e windowsi, at $e beginning of or during Advent. Santa Claus or Fa$er Christmas 9der Geihnachtsmann; brings $e presents on December 24$. December 6$ is St. Nicholas' Day and @der NikolausA brings some sma, gifts, such as sweets and chocola&, - $e children. He comes in $e night between $e 5$ and $e 6$ and puts $e presents in- $e shoes of $e children, Dho usua,y place $em by $eir doors on $e previous evening. Ano$er %adi*on is $e S&rnsinger 9or star singers; who go 0om house house, sing a song and co,ect money for chariE 9$is is a predominantly Ca$olic %adi*on;. +ey are four children, $ree who dress up like He Wise men and one carries a star on a s*ck as a symbol for $e Star of Be$lehem.

Iebanon

Jid Milad Maji"

Kn Lebanon, 35% of $e popula*on fo,ow a form of Chris*aniE ca,ed Maroni& Ca$olic. +ese Chris*ans build manger scenes in $eir homes /a,ed a Na*viE Crib. +e crib is more popular $an a Christmas Tree. It's %adi*onal for $e scene - be based around a cave ra$er $an a :table. It's of&n decora&d wi$ sprou&d seeds such as chickpeas, broad-beans, len*ls, oats and wheat $at have been grown on damp coCon Dool in $e weeks leading up - Christmas. +e crib scene $en becomes a focus for $e prayer of people in $e house. O$er common Ca$olic %adi*ons such as going - a midnight mass service are also celebra&d in Lebanon. In $e capital ciE, Beirut, big Christmas par*es are held in major ho&ls and lots of people like going - $em, even if $ey're not Chris*an. Commercial displays of Christmas lights, ho,y and /ommuniE Christmas %ees are also becoming more popular, al$ough some people don't like it becoming -o commercialized and based o( of Lopular culture 9popular culture - a large he&rogeneous culture;. When people visit each o$er houses over $e Christmas period, sugared

almonds are of&n ea&n wi$ s%ong cups of co(ee. In Lebanon most people speak Arabic, so Happy/Merry Christmas is Eid Milad Majid 9!"# !"$% &'"%; which means 4Glorious Bir$ Feast' or you could say Kul 4am wa enta bi-khair which means 4may every year Bnd you in good heal$'. In Lebanon, Santa Claus/Fa$er Christmas is known as Baba NoMl.

Kceland

4?leNileg jOP'
Felebra*ons start at 6.00pm on Yule Eve 9Christmas Eve;. +is may have come 0om old Icelandic %adi*on, when a new day star&d at 6.00pm not midnight. Icelandic children open $eir presents af&r $e evening meal on ANfangadagur. TV s-ps at about 5.00pm and restarts at 10.00pm. +is is when $e meal is ea&n. JOladagur 9Christmas Day; is usua,y celebra&d wi$ $e ex&nded family, $is cus-m has been Qaken in by many o$er coun%ies as we, 9cultural appropria*on;. +e main Yule meal is 4HangikjRt', a leg of roast lamb. Some*mes 4SjTpa' 9Rock Ptarmigan a sea bird; is also ea&n. Ano$er Yule meal specialiE is 4LaufabrauN' or leaf bread. +is is made of $in sheets of dough cut in- delica& paCerns and 0ied. Each family of&n has $eir own paCerns for $e LaufabrauN. Presents might also be brought by JOlasveinn 9Yule Man;.+ere are no na*ve evergreen %ees in Iceland, so $e Brst Yule or Christmas Trees were Rowan 9mountain ash;. +e Urst recorded Yule %ee was in 1862. People $en star&d - make Yule Trees 0om a cen%al pole wi$ branches aCached - it and it was a, Lain&d green. Nowadays, $ere are evergreen %ees grown on Iceland and people have evergreen Yule %ees. It is %adi*onal - have a star or

/rown on -p of $e %ee. +e Icelandic Flag is also commonly used as a decora*on. +e %ee is norma,y decora&d on VorlWksmessa or early Fhristmas eve. A very large %ee stands outside ReykjavXk 9$e capital of Iceland; Ca$edral and is a yearly present 0om $e people of Oslo, Yorway.It is %adi*onal in Iceland $at everybody has a new piece of clo$ing for Yule and also of&n a book. Children also %adi*ona,y )eceive a candle and some*mes a pack of cards.

?reecZ

4[ala Chris-ugenn3'
On Christmas Eve, children, especia,y boys, of&n go out singing 4kalanda' 9carols; in $e s%eets. +ey play drums and %iangles as $ey sing. \ome*mes $ey wi, also carry model boats decora&d wi$ nuts which are pain&d gold. Carrying a boat is a very old cus-m in $e Greek Kslands. If $e children sing we,, $ey might be given money, nuts, sweets and dried Bgs - eat. Christmas Trees are becoming more popular in ?reece, but $ey aren't %adi*onal, $ey have been been culturua,y appropria&d over $e years. Al$ough, most houses s*, fo,ow $eir original /us-ms, such as having a sha,ow wooden bowl wi$ a piece of wire is suspended across $e rim. A sprig of basil wrapped around a wooden /ross hangs 0om $e wire. Some wa&r is kept in $e bowl - keep $e basil alive and 0esh. Once a day, someone, usua,y $e mo$er of $e 1amily, dips $e cross and basil in- some holy wa&r and uses it - sprinkle wa&r in each room of $e house. +is is believed - keep $e 4[i,antzaroi' 9bad spirits; away. +e Ki,antzaroi are meant - appear only during $e 12-day period 0om Christmas - $e Epiphany 9January 6$;. +ey are supposed - come 0om $e middle of $e ear$ and get in- people's house $rough $e chimney. Having a Bre burning Hrough $e twelve days of Christmas is also meant - keep $e Ki,antzaroi away. Every December, in Aris-&lous Square in $e ciE of

6essaloniki 9which is $e second biggest ciE Greece; a huge Christmas Tree and $ree mas&d sailing ship are put up. It's a popular -urist aCrac*on in which $e giant Christmas Tree can be ques*oned it's au$en*ciE.

!ong Kong

4\ing dan By loc'

Kn Hong Kong, Chinese Chris*ans celebra& Christmas wi$ Church services in Chinese. At $e Anglican Ca$edral, some services are held in Jnglish, because Europeans who live and work in Hong Kong aCend $em as we, as people 0om Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, people also send Fhristmas cards, many of which are home made using Chinese craft &chniques. PoinseCias ]owers decora& homes, churches and public places, as we, as big red and gold leCers 0om $e Chinese alphabet on decora&d s%eamers and paper chains. In Hong Kong, Fa$er Christma5/ \anta Claus, is known as @Sing Daan Lou YanA 9Christmas Old Man; in Can-nese or @Sheng Dan Lo RenA in Mandarin. Every year in !ong Kong $ere is a 4Win&rfest'. It's a huge win&r parE $at involves $e shops, $eme parks and o$er aCrac*ons in Hong Kong. In 2008 Gin&rfest was 0om $e 28$ of November - $e 4$ of January and included a giant Christmas %ee in Statue Square, a sparkling castle at ^isneyland Hong Kong and a forest of 200 Christmas %ees and an ice ska*ng show and rink at Ocean Park. Win&rfest is also famous for its Yew Year's countdown and displays of lights and Breworks a, over $e ciE.

?reenland

4Juu,imi Ukiortaassamilu Pi,uarit' - Inui> 4?l_delig Jul' - Danis`

On Christmas Eve Church Services are held and most people go - $em, many in na*onal costume. Some men wear $e whi& anoraks which are worn on special occasions. Christmas Trees have - be impor&d, because no %ees grow as far nor$ as Greenland. +e %ees are of&n impor&d 0om Denmark.+e %ees are decora&d wi$ candles, bright ornaments and some*mes sma, versions of sealskin breeches known as aamiks. Trees are %adi*ona,y decora&d on $e evening of 23rd December. People who don't use an impor&d %ee, might have a %adi*onal driftwood %ee. Ano$er %adi*onal and popular decora*on is - put an i,umina&d star in windows. +ere are stars in most homes and in a, Lublic buildings. Because Greenland is so far nor$, and wi$in $e Arc*c Circle, during $e win&r $e sun never rises, so $e stars are :uppose - bring some light. Vi,ages also put a large Christmas Tree on a nearby hi,, so everyone can see it. +ese %ees are put up and decora&d ready for $e start of Advent. +ere are some ra$er unusual foods ea&n at Christmas *me in Greenland. 4MaCak' is whale skin

Di$ a s%ip of blubber inside. It is supposed - tas& like 0esh coconut, but is of&n -o -ugh - chew and is usua,y swa,owed. Ano$er Fhristmas food is 4kiviak'. +is is $e raw ]esh of liCle auks 9a Epe of arc*c bird; which have been buried whole in sealskin for several mon$s bn*l $ey have reached an advanced stage of decomposi*on. Al$ough it sounds s%ange, it is a delicacy and part of $eir cus-ms in ?reenland. It is %adi*onal on Christmas night $at $e men look af&r $e women, serving $eir food and co(ee and s*rring $e meal for $em. ?ames fo,ow $e Christmas meal, including one in which an object is passed 0om hand - hand round a long table under $e clo$. It is :upposed - be repulsive: round, clammy and rough in &xture; such as a 0ozen egg, wrapped in s%ips of wet fox cr. Greenland also claims be $e place where Santa Claus lives. He is said - have a home in $e nor$ of $e coun%y in Spraglebug&n, near $e -wn of Uummannaq.

dus%alia

4!appy Christma5'
Kn Aus%alia, Christmas comes in $e middle of $e summer holidays. Aus%alians hang wrea$s on $eir 0ont doors and some*mes go out Fhristmas carol singing on Christmas eve. People also decora& $eir houses and gardens wi$ Christmas Trees and Christmas lights. Yeighbors some*mes have liCle compe**ons as - who has got $e best light display. +e neighbors of&n visit each o$er - look at $e light displays at night. Some*mes $e displays are put out as early as December 1st. Some places wi, raise money for chari*es by leCing people go bp and down $e s%eets and look at $e decor for money. Aus%alians also decora& $eir houses wi$ bunches of 4Christmas Bush', a na*ve dus%alian %ee wi$ sma, green leaves and cream coloured ]owers. In summer $e ]owers turn a deep shiny red over a period of weeks 9.enera,y by $e week of Christmas in Sydney;. In each Sta& capital ciE $ere is a large Carols by Candlelight service. Famous Aus%alian :ingers like +e Wiggles, John Farnham, An$ony Warlow, Colin Gery, Niki Webs&r and many more who are part of popular culture help :ing $e carols. +ese carol services, held in di(erent ci*es, are broadcast on TV across Aus%alia. +ere are also huge Christmas pageants in each sta& capital ciE, $at are also broadcast across $e coun%y. Most -wns and ci*es have fes*vals and parades. In some places, $ere is a Ureworks display at $e local park. +ey also believe $at when Santa gets - Aus%alia, he gives $e reindeer a rest and uses kangaroos or 4six

Dhi& boomers' 9a popular Aus%alian Christmas song;. He also changes his clo$es for less 4hot' ones. Also, most families %y - be home -ge$er for Christmas and $e main meal is ea&n at lunch *me. Most people now have a cold Christmas dinner, or a barbecue wi$ seafood :uch as prawns and lobs&rs along wi$ $e 4%adi*onal english' food. On Christmas Eve, Bsh-markets are of&n c, of people queuing - buy Heir 0esh seafood for Christmas day.

Kmage 0om $e St. Nicholas Cen&r www.stnicholascenter.org

=un Fact5

Yew Year's Eve / New Year's Day in Icelan"

6is is one of $e most important nights of $e year in Iceland and $ere are several magical %adi*ons $at are supposed happen on it! Cows are meant - be able - talk, seals take on human form, $e dead rise 0om $eir graves, and $e Elves move 1orm house - house.

6e Man Behind $e S-ry of Fa$er Christmas/Santa Clau5

\t. Nicholas was a Bishop who lived in $e four$ century AD in a place ca,ed Myra in Asia Minor 9now ca,ed Turkey;. He Das a very rich man because his parents died when he was young and left him a lot of money. He was also a very kind man and had a reputa*on for helping $e poor and giving secret gifts - people who needed it. +ere are several legends about St. Nicholas, al$ough we don't know if any of $em are %ue. +e most famous s-ry about St. Nicholas &,s how $e cus-m of hanging up

:-ckings - get presents in Brst star&d. It goes like $is: +ere was a poor man who had $ree daugh&rs. He was so poor, he did eot have enough money for a dowry, so his daugh&rs couldn't get married. 9dowry - a sum of money paid - $e bridegroom by He brides parents on $e wedding day.; One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down $e chimney and in- $e house 96is meant $at $e oldest daugh&r was $en able - be married;. +e bag fe, in- a s-cking $at had been hung by $e Bre dry. +is was repea&d la&r wi$ $e second daugh&r. Fina,y, de&rmined - discover $e person who had given him $e money, $e 1a$er secretly hid by $e Bre every evening un*l he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold. Nicholas begged $e man - not &, anyone what he had done, because he did not want - bring aCen*on - himself. But soon $e news got out and when anyone )eceived a secret gift, it was $ought $at maybe it was 0om Nicholas.

fecause of his kindness Nicholas was made a Saint. St. Nicholas is not only $e saint of children but also of sailors. One s-ry &,s of him helping some sailors $at were caught in a dreadcl s-rm o( $e coast of Turkey. +e s-rm was raging around $em and a, $e men were &rriBed $at $eir ship would sink benea$ $e giant waves. +ey prayed - St. Nicholas - help $em. \uddenly, he was standing on $e deck before $em. He ordered $e sea - be calm, $e s-rm died away, and $ey were able - sail Heir ship safely - port.

\t. Nicholas was exiled 0om Myra and la&r put in prison during $e persecu*on by $e Emperor Diocle*an. No one is rea,y anows when he died, but it was on 6$ December in ei$er 345 or 352 AD. In 1807, his bones were s-len 0om Turkey by some Ktalian merchant sailors. +e bones are now kept in $e Church named af&r him in $e Italian port of Bari. On St.gNicholas feast day 96$ December;, $e sailors of Bari s*, carry his statue 0om $e Ca$edral out - sea, so $at he can bless $e wa&rs and so .ive $em safe voyages $roughout $e year.

hesource5

hCp://www.whychristmas.com/cus-m5/

Dww.his-ry.com/-pics/christmas!

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