Christmas in Latin America known as Las
Posadas, Navidad and Dia de los Tres Reyes. Throughout the
season are a lot of bright flowers and brilliant nights. They celebrate with
holiday foods, songs. Those songs and foods eaten are greatly influenced by the
different indigenous people of the region but all share the strong Latin
influence dating from the arrival of Roman Catholicism hundreds of year’s
ago. Christmas is very much a religious holiday centered around the
age-old story of the Nacimiento, Christ's Child.
In China, only about one percent of people are
Christians, so most people only know a few things about Christmas. Because of
this, Christmas is only often celebrated in the major cities. In these big
cities there are Christmas
Trees, lights and other decorat
ions on the streets
and in department stores. Santa Claus is
called 'Shen Dan Lao Ren' and has grottos in shops like is Europe and America.
In Chinese Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Sheng Dan Kuai Le or 圣诞快乐' in Mandarin and 'Seng Dan Fai Lok or 聖誕快樂' in Cantonese.Happy/Merry Christmas in lots more languages.
In China, Santa is known as 'Sheng dan lao ren' (Traditional: 聖誕老人, Simplified: 圣诞老人; means Old
Christmas Man). One a few people have a Christmas Tree (or celebrate Christmas
at all!). If people do have a tree it is normally a plastic one and might
be decorated with paper chains, paper flowers, and paper lanterns (they might
also call it a tree of light). The Christmas Trees that most people would
see would be in shopping malls! Christmas isn't that widely celebrated in the
rural areas of China, but it's becoming more well known. The strange thing is
that most of the world's plastic Christmas Trees and Christmas decorations are
made in China, but the people making them might not know what they are for. A
tradition that's becoming popular, on Christmas Eve, is giving apples. Many
stores have apples wrapped up in colored paper for sale. People give
apples on Christmas Eve because in Chinese Christmas Eve is called 'Ping An Ye'
(which means quiet or silent night) and the word for apple in Chinese is 'Ping
Guo' which sounds similar. Some people go Carol singing, although not many people
understand them or know about the Christmas Story. Jingle Bells is a popular
Carol in China! People who are Christians in China go to special services. Going
to Midnight Mass services has become very popular.
The popularity of the Nativity scene, one of the
most beloved and enduring symbols of the holiday season, originated in Italy.
St. Francis of Assisi asked a man named Giovanni Vellita of the village of
Greccio to create a manger scene. St. Francis performed mass in front of this
early Nativity scene, which inspired awe and devotion in all who saw it. The
creation of the figures or pastori became an entire genre of folk art. In Rome,
cannon are fired from Castel St. Angelo of Christmas Eve to announce the
beginning of the holiday season. A 24-hour fast ends with an elaborate
Christmas feast. Small presents are drawn from the Urn of Fate. The main
exchange of gifts takes place on January 6, the feast of the Epiphany, the
celebration in remembrance of the Magi's visit to the Christ Child. Children
anxiously await a visit from La Befana who brings gifts for the good and
punishment for the bad. According to legend, the three wise men stopped during
their journey and asked an old woman for food and shelter. She refused them and
they continued on their way. Within a few hours the woman had a change of heart
but the Magi were long gone. La Befana, which means Epiphany, still wonders the
earth searching for the Christ Child. She is depicted in various ways: as a
fairy queen, a crone, or a witch.
9 comentários:
Oi foi interessante saber a tradição do natal ao redor do mundo,neste blog .gostei.
Uma ótima semana pra você.
Deixo meu carinho e paz.
Thanks for the wonderful information on Christmas traditions.
Wonderful to learn more about this holiday around the world. I really like the expression "tree of light" for the Christmas tree. Thanks for such a interesting post!
Wow! very well covered.
Oi, Camila, interessante ver como é visto e comemorado o Natal ao redor do mundo. Que ao menos nenhum deles esqueçam que Natal é simplemente o nascimento das boas novas em nossos corações e como os anjos anunciaram aos pastores naquela noite,"É que hoje na cidade de Davi vos nasceu hoje o Salvador que é Cristo o Senhor" Te desejo um dia maravilhoso. bjssss
i loved this post! so glad you taught me about Christmas in Latin America & China and i especially love the story of epiphany!!
Feliz Natal para você e para a sua família.
Loving this and your previous Christmas posts. It really is nice to read how others celebrate these ocassions.
Oi,Camila vim aqui te desejar um dia maravilhoso neste dia de Natal. desejo que hoje e sempre o amor de Deus seja constante em tua vida. Amo vc. Deus abençoe a vc e sua família. FELIZ NATAL. BJSSS
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