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Christmas In Israel
Christmas in Israel
The celebrated birth place of Jesus in Bethlehem at Christmas
The final destination for Christmas around the world at Z88.3 this year is where it all started, the country of Israel, specifically the town of Bethlehem! Bethlehem is the little town in Israel where Jesus was born. It’s the site of the Church of the Nativity.
On Christmas Eve, natives and visitors from around the world pack the church’s doorways and watch the annual procession. Police lead the parade and are followed by a solitary horseman who is carrying a cross and sitting astride a coal-black steed. They enter the church doors that lead to a silver star marking the site of the birth of Jesus.
Christian homes are marked by a cross that has been painted over the door. Each home also displays a homemade manger scene and a star is set up on a pole for all to see in the village square.
The big Christmas meal in Israel is turkey that’s spiced with pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg and stuffed with rice, meat, pine nuts and almonds.
I want to invite you to read the story of Jesus’ birth. And share this with a friend this year.
Luke 2
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Birth of Jesus Christ
2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,[b] who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”[c]
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Source – BibleGateway.com
Saying Merry Christmas in Israel depends. There are two official languages, Hebrew and Arabic. In Hebrew you would translate “Merry Christmas” as “Mo’adim Lesimkha. Chena tova”. In Arabic the translation would be “Milad Majid”.!”
Join me each weeknight at 8:30pm through December 21st. We will travel to a new country to see how they celebrate Christmas. Listen online at www.zradio.com
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Christmas in Mexico
Christmas In Mexico
Rosca Cake
The Traditions of Posada and Rosca
Christmas in Mexico is celebrated from December 12th through January 6th. During this time the children perform the “Posada” which honors Joseph and Mary looking for a room at the Inn. The children are given candles and go caroling. The children are told there is no room in the house and that they must go away. Eventually they get to a home and are told there is room and are welcomed in! When the children go into the house they say prayers of thanks and then they have a party with food, games and fireworks. The big main presents are given to the children at Epiphany, and have been brought to them by the Three Kings.
A different home hosts a party each night where a pinata is filled with sweets and hung from the tree to be swatted at by children that have been blind-folded. The final host home is where the baby Jesus has been found, and he is finally laid to rest in his manger, then the families go to midnight church services.
All over the country, in every city and in every little town, bakeries offer the Rosca de Reyes, an oval sweetbread, decorated with candied fruit on top. The dried and candied fruits that adorn the bread symbolize the jewels on the crowns of the Kings, There are Roscas of all sizes, very small ones for two or three people and up to the ones that will delight more that twenty people.
Hidden inside this delicious Rosca, a plastic figurine of the Baby Jesus. The Baby is hidden because it symbolizes the need to find a secure place where Jesus could be born, a place where King Herod would not find Him. Each person cuts a slice of the Rosca . The knife symbolizes the danger in which the Baby Jesus was in. This is also the day the special cake is eaten. A figure of Baby Jesus is hidden inside the cake. Whoever has the baby jesus in their piece of cake is the Godparent of Jesus for that year.
Merry Christmas in Mexico is said “Feliz Navidad!”
Join me each weeknight at 8:30pm through December 21st. We will travel to a new country to see how they celebrate Christmas. Listen online at www.zradio.com
Like my evening page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Z88.3EveningShow
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Christmas In Ethiopia
Christmas in Ethiopia
Ethiopian Christmas Attire
The Ethiopian name for Christmas is Genna, which expresses the coming of the Lord to free mankind of its sins.
On Christmas Eve the city is crowded with pilgrims from all parts of the country. They remain outdoors all night, praying and chanting. In the morning, a colorful procession makes its way to a nearby hilltop where a service is held. Three young men march at the head of the crowd, lashing whips from left to right to keep the people in line. Those who worship are fed with bread and wine that has been blessed by priests.
Ethiopia (and especially the Ethiopian Orthodox Church) still use the old Julian calendar, so they celebrate Christmas on January 7th, not December 25th! Many people fast on Christmas Eve (January 6th). At dawn on the morning of Ganna, people get dressed in white, while the priests wear red and white robes and carry embroidered fringed umbrellas.
Christmas day is full of games for the men and boys in Ethopia, playing a game similiar to our game hockey. Or they may be on horseback where the men throw ceremonial lances at each other. After working up a big appetite playing outside, they come in for the traditional meal. It’s a thick and spicy stew that contains meat, vegetables and sometimes eggs that’s served on a flat bread. Or a pancake made of sourdough is also popular.
Most people go to Church on Christmas day. Old country churches are often very old and have been carved out of rock. People don’t give and receive present in Ethiopia. Sometimes children might be given a small gift of some clothes from their family members. It’s more a time for going to church, eating lots and playing games!
Saying Merry Christmas in Ethopia is said Melkam Genna!
Join me each weeknight at 8:30pm through December 21st. We will travel to a new country to see how they celebrate Christmas. Listen online at www.zradio.com
Like my evening page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Z88.3EveningShow
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Christmas In Ireland
Christmas In Ireland
A St. Patrick ornament to symbolize the Irish Catholic faith.
Many Irish traditions are in honor of Mary and Joseph’s arrival into Bethlehem. In Irish homes, people put a tall thick candle on the sill of a large window after sunset Christmas Eve. It’s left to burn all night as a welcoming gift for the traveling pair.
After the evening meal on Christmas Eve, the kitchen table was reset and placed on it would be a loaf of bread filled with caraway seeds and raisins and a pitcher of milk . The door to the house is often left unlatched so that Mary and Joseph, or any wandering traveler, would be welcomed.
Holly is often placed on doors for decoration. That Irish tradition started because holly is a plan that really flourishes, so it gave the poor ample means to decorate as well.
The Feast of the Epiphany (January 6th) is also celebrated as ‘Nollaig na mBean’ or Women’s Christmas. Traditionally the women get the day off and the men do the housework and cooking! The women meet in each other’s homes to sew and chat. It is becoming more popular and many Irish women now get together on the Sunday nearest Epiphany, to have tea and cakes and enjoy each other’s company!
The Gaelic greeting for ‘Merry Christmas’ is:’Nollaig Shona Duit’……which is pronounced as ‘null-ig hun-a dit’.
Join me each weeknight at 8:30pm through December 21st. We will travel to a new country to see how they celebrate Christmas. Listen online at www.zradio.com
Like my evening page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Z88.3EveningShow
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Candy Cane Poem
Look at the Candy Cane
What do you see?
Stripes that are red
Like the blood shed for me
White is for my Savior
Who’s sinless and pure!
“J” is for Jesus My Lord, that’s for sure!
Turn it around
And a staff you will see
Jesus my shepherd
Was born for me.
Follow me on Twitter @Suzlynn
Christmas In Spain
Christmas in Spain
Christmas Lights In Madrid
Chrismas is literally rung in on Christmas Eve. At midnight, the ringing bells call the families to Chrstiasm Mass. The most famous service is held at the monastery of Montserrat, high on the mountain near Barcelona where a boy’s choir is described as performing the Mass “in one pure voice”.
The Spanish Christmas dinner is never eaten until after midnight and it is a family feast! Turkey, seafood and truffles, which are kind of like mushrooms. Not the chocolate truffles we understand in America.
Then after the meal, people in Spain do not go to sleep all night. As a matter of fact, Christmas Eve is known as Esta noche es Noche-Buena, meaning this is the goodnight, therefore it is not meant for sleep! Instead of sleep, you’ll see people walking through the streets in Spain carrying torches, playing guitars and beating on tambourines and drums.
The Children put their shoes up on window sills and doorsteps to be filled with presents. And Christmas morning it’s not Santa, but the Three Wise Men that come bearing presents.
New Year’s Eve is called ‘Nochevieja’ or ‘The Old Night’ in Spain and one special tradition is that you eat 12 grapes with the 12 strokes of the clock at Midnight! Each grape represents a month of the coming year, so if you eat the twelve grapes, you are said to be blessed in the new year.
A few different languages are spoken in different regions in Spain. In Spanish Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Feliz Navidad’; in Catalan it’s ‘Bon Nadal’; and in Galician ‘Bo Nadal’.
Join me each weeknight at 8:30pm through December 21st. We will travel to a new country to see how they celebrate Christmas. Listen online at www.zradio.com
Like my evening page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Z88.3EveningShow
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Christmas in Jamaica
Christmas In Jamaica
Jamaican Christmas Cake (recipe below)
Well the Z88.3 plane landed in the Caribbean Island of Jamaica to see how they celebrate Christmas!
Houses are painted, new curtains are hung and broken doors and windows are repaired all in preperation for visiting family and friends this very important holiday in Jamaica.
You’ll hear Christmas some traditional Christmas carols on the radio, and some raggea Christmas carols too.
The Christmas meal is normally prepared on Christmas Eve and it includes traditional Jamaican Christmas goodies like fresh fruits, sorrel which is a green from the garden and chicken or curry goat. But the Christmas breakfast may be even more important. It’s a big meal of fish, breadfruit, fried plantains, boiled bananas and fresh squeezed orange juice.
The grand market celebration is where you can find lots of goodies and where you’ll do you Christmas shopping for toys. While you’re shopping don’t be surprised to see lots of people dancing in costumes and singing with streamers, balloons and blowing horns!
But to the many Christians in Jamaica, Christmas is the high point of the calendar of worship. Christmas day is filled with communion services, candlelight ceremonies, concerts and all night prayer meetings.
It’s also the time of year even poor Jamaican’s give to charity. This is an important part of reflecting God’s love to them, by giving to others even though they have very little themselves.
JAMAICAN CHRISTMAS CAKE
6 ounces or 1.5 cups flour
8 ounces margarine or butter
8 ounces sugar
4 eggs
1 pound raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Half teaspoon mixed spice
Half teaspoon salt
4 ounces mixed peel
4 ounces cherries
Half pound prunes (chopped)
1 cup wine/brandy
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
Finely grated rind of 1 lime/lemon
2 tablespoons browning
Cream the butter, sugar, and browning until soft and fluffy. Sieve all the dry ingredients together. Beat the eggs and wine/brandy together and add to the creamed butter and sugar. Add fruits and then fold in the flour mixture, ensuring you do not over beat when mixing. Bake at 350°F for 1.5 hours. Yield: one 9-inch round cake.
Join me each weeknight at 8:30pm through December 21st. We will travel to a new country to see how they celebrate Christmas. Listen online at www.zradio.com
Like my evening page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Z88.3EveningShow
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Update on Christmas in Norway
Thanks for joining me each night at 8:30 pm on Z88.3 to see how different countires celebrate the birth of Jesus
Here’s the audio from when we visited Norway.
Suz
Christmas In Norway
Christmas In Norway
Norway Dessert Lefsa
It’s very snowy and cold in Norway at Christmas. Where Central Florida is in the mid 70’s this time of year, Norway is close to single digits.
Children in Norway receive a small present every day leading up to Christmas. The gifts are normally small and rather practical like a pencil, a toothbrush or chocolates.
The big day of Christmas celebration is Christmas Eve. It’s also when the family meal is served. What you’ll find on a Norwegian dinner table is turkey, smoked lamb and pork. And a traditional dessert is made 50% of rice pudding and white cream, served with sugar and strawberry sauce. After the meal, the family will gather in the living room to open presents.
Lefsa is a very traditional dessert in Norway. It’s basically a creamy, buttery potato flat dessert. Here’s a link for the recipe.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/norwegian-lefse/
When it comes to decorations, .lots of ta-do is made about the Christmas tree. Often presents are hung on the tree instead of being placed underneath it as we do in North America. Another Norwegan tradition is feeding small birds that have a hard time finding food in the cold snowy climate. The bird food is even made as decorations at Christmas.
Because Jesus cannot be talked about in schools and day cares, sadly Jesus is not the main focus of Christmas in Norway. You’ll see hundreds of Santa’s to every one baby – Jesus in a manger in shopping malls.
To say Merry Christmas in Norwegian is “God Jul”
Join me each weeknight at 8:30pm through December 21st. We will travel to a new country to see how they celebrate Christmas. Listen online at www.zradio.com
Like my evening page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Z88.3EveningShow
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Christmas In Russia
Christmas In Russia
Russian Nesting Dolls
Because many Russians identify themselves as atheists, celebrating Christmas has faded out, but more and more Russians are returning to Russian Orthodoxy. So in recent years, the number of people celebrating Christmas as a religious holiday is increasing quickly! Even the President of Russia has begun to attend the beautiful Christmas Eve service in Moscow each year.
You will hear children speak about Father Frost and the Snow Maiden in Russia during the two weeks Christmas is celebrated.
Some popular gifts are the nesting dolls which are small wooden figures made by highly trained craftsmen (pictured above) and Russian lacquer boxes, which are decorative boxes made of turtle shells or ivory.
Many Christian Russians fast Christmas Eve, until the first star has appeared in the sky. And when the meal is served, a special porridge made from wheat or rice is served with honey, poppy seeds and fruit. Many meals will not include meat or fish during the Christmas meal.
Following the meal, prayers might be said and people then go to the midnight Church services. They often don’t wash the dishes until they get home from Church – sometimes not until 4.00am or 5.00am!
One of the most famous things about Christmas in Russia, is the story of Babushka. Babushka means Grand Mother in Russian. It tells the story of an old women who met the Wise men on their way to see Jesus.
The Story of Babushka
Once in a small Russian town, there lived a women called Babushka. Babushka always had work to do sweeping, polishing, dusting and cleaning. Her house was the best kept, most tidy house in the whole village. Her garden was beautiful and her cooking was wonderful. One evening she was busy dusting and cleaning, so busy that she didn’t hear all the villagers outside in the village square talking about and looking at the new star in sky.
She had heard about the new star but thought, “All this fuss about a star! I don’t even have the time to look because I’m so behind with my work. I must work all night!” So, she missed the star as it shone brightly, high overhead. She also missed the little line of twinkling lights coming down towards the village at dawn. She didn’t hear the sounds of the pipes and drums. She missed the voices and whispers of the villagers wondering whether the lights were an army or a procession of some sort. She missed the sudden quiet of the villagers and even the footsteps coming up the path to her door. But the one thing that she couldn’t miss was the loud knocking on her front door!
“Now what is that?” she wondered, opening the door. Babushka gaped in amazement. There were three kings at her door with one of their servants! “My masters need a place to rest,” the servant said, “and yours is the best house in the village.” “You want to stay here?” asked Babushka. “Yes, it would only be until night falls and the star appears again.” the servant replied. Babushka gulped. “Come in, then.” she said.
The kings were very pleased when they saw all of the of the home-baked bread, pies and cakes. She dashed about, serving them, asking lots of questions. “Have you come a long way?” “A very long way.” sighed Caspar. “Where are you going?” “We’re following the new star.” said Melchior. “But where?” The kings didn’t know, but they believed that it would lead the to a new-born king, a King of Earth and Heaven. “Why don’t you come with us?” asked Balthasar. “You could bring him a gift like we do. I bring gold, and my colleagues bring spices and perfumes.” “Oh, I’m not sure that he would welcome me,” said Babushka, “and what could I bring for a gift? Toys! I know I could bring a toy. I’ve got a cupboard full of toys.” she said sadly. “My baby son, died when he was small.” Balthasar stopped her as she went to tidy the kitchen up. “This new king could be your king too. Come with us when the star appears tonight.” he said. “I’ll think about it.” sighed Babushka.
As the kings slept, Babushka tidied up as quietly as she could. “What a lot of extra work there was!” she thought, “and this new king, what a funny idea, to go off with the kings to find him.”
Babushka shook herself. There was no time for dreaming, all this washing-up and putting away had to be done. “Anyway,” she thought, “how long would she be away? What would she wear? What about the gift?” She sighed. “There is so much to do. The house will have to be cleaned when they’ve gone. I couldn’t just leave it.” Suddenly it was night-time again and the star was in the sky. “Are you ready, Babushka?” asked Balthasar. “I’ll come tomorrow,” Babushka called, “I must just tidy here first and find a gift.”
The kings went away sadly. Babushka ran back into her house, keen to get on with her work.
Finally, she went to the small cupboard, opened the door and gazed at all the toys. But they were very dusty. They weren’t fit for a baby king. They would all need to be cleaned. She cleaned all of the toys until each one shined. Babushka looked through the window. It was morning! The star had came and gone. The kings would have found somewhere else to rest by now. She could easily catch them up, but she felt so tired. She had to sleep. The next thing she knew, she was awake and it was dark outside. She had slept all day! She quickly pulled on her cloak, packed the toys in a basket and ran down the path the kings had taken.
Everywhere she asked “Have you seen the kings?” “Oh yes,” everyone told her, “we saw them. They went that way.” For a day Babushka followed the trail of the kings and the villages got bigger and became towns. But Babushka never stopped. Then she came to a city. “The palace,” she thought. “That’s where the royal baby would be born.” “No, there is no royal baby here,” said the palace guard when she asked him. “What about three kings?” asked Babushka. “Oh yes, they came here, but they didn’t stay long. They were soon on their journey.” “But where to?” asked Babushka. “Bethlehem, that was the place. I can’t imagine why. It’s a very poor place. But that’s where they went.” replied the guard. She set off towards Bethlehem. It was evening when Babushka arrived at Bethlehem and she had been travelling for a long time. She went into the local inn and asked about the kings. “Oh yes,” said the landlord, “the kings were here two days ago. They were very excited, but they didn’t even stay the night.” “And what about a baby?” Babushka cried. “Yes there was.” Said the landlord. “The kings asked about a baby, too.” When he saw the disappointment in Babushka’s eyes, he stopped. “If you’d like to see where the baby was,” he said quickly, “it was across the yard there. I couldn’t offer the couple anything better at the time. My inn was really full, so they had to go in the stable.”
Babushka followed him across the yard. “Here’s the stable.” he said. He left her in the stable. “Babushka?” Someone was calling her from the doorway. He looked kindly at her. She wondered if he knew where the family had gone. She knew now that the baby king was the most important thing in the world to her. “They have gone to Egypt, and safety,” he told Babushka. “And the kings have returned to their countries. But one of them told me about you. I am sorry but you are too late. It was Jesus that they found, the world’s Savior.”
Babushka was very sad that she had missed Jesus and it is said that Babushka is still looking for him.
You say Merry Christmas in Russian “S RazhdestvOm”
Join me each weeknight at 8:30pm through December 21st. We will travel to a new country to see how they celebrate Christmas. Listen online at www.zradio.com
Like my evening page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Z88.3EveningShow
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