Santa’s journey continues! He pursues in Germany, Austria and Italy to bring the present of knowledge to everyone. Knowledge of Christmas traditions and favourite memories. Let’s get the second part of this journey started now!
Santa’s next stop: Germany – sweets, Christmas markets and… potato salad for Christmas Eve?
A traditional Christmas dish:
Letizia: In Germany, there are various typical dishes for Christmas. Some people eat a simple potato salad with sausage (“Kartoffelsalat mit Würstchen”), others duck or goose with potato or bread dumplings (“Kartoffelklöße” or “Semmelknödel”) and red cabbage (“Rotkohl”). Others prepare a fondue or do raclette.
Besides that, we also have many traditional Christmas biscuits like “Zimtsterne” (cinnamon stars), gingerbread, “Spekulatius” or “Stollen” (sweet bread).
Elliot: Of course, dishes differ from region to region and from family to family.
In Germany, there’s also a lot of sweets you can find around Christmas time. We have Christmas markets everywhere where you can get them and a lot of families also bake them together. Some sweets we have are the same as Austria, like “Vanillekipferl”. Germans also like to eat roasted almonds or cotton candy.
A typical Christmas tradition:
Letizia: German Christmas traditions usually start in advent time: people often enjoy advent calendars and an advent wreaths. Besides that, we usually celebrate St. Nicolaus Day (“Nikolaus”) on 6th December. There’s the common belief that, if children behaved well, they get some little presents, usually sweets, in their shoes (which they cleaned the day before) on the night to December 6th.
For me personally, Christmas markets and baking cookies together with my family and friends is also a very important part of Christmas.
Elliot: Watching “Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel” (English: “Three Wishes for Cinderella”). It’s a Cinderella movie from the Czech Republic. Even just hearing the movie’s music puts a lot Germans into the Christmas spirit.
Christmas Eve:
Letizia: For me personally, Christmas is about gathering with your family and enjoying the Christmas magic together.
On Christmas Eve, we usually go to the church, often to watch or even take part in the nativity play (“Krippenspiel”). Once we return home, and eat all together, children’s favourite part of Christmas starts: it’s time for Christmas presents…
Elliot: We celebrate in the evening on the 24th of December. Like Austria, we also call it Heiliger Abend (“Holy Evening”) or even shortened Heiligabend.
Our Christmas tree gets decorated in the days leading up to Christmas and will stand in all its glory on the evening of the 24th.
All day, no presents will be beneath the tree.
On Christmas Eve, everyone needs to go to their rooms (or a room that isn’t the living room, if you’re a guest) and then wait until you hear a bell ring.
We say we’re waiting for Santa, whose German name is Weihnachtsmann (Christmas man).
When the bell rings, you are allowed to go out and to the living room where the Christmas tree is, and presents appeared (Santa has come).
What is your favorite part about Christmas? What is your favorite Christmas memory?
Elliot: My favorite part of Christmas is also my favorite memory:
In my city we have a show around Christmas, performed by a huge group of dancers. It’s a musical show about some animals trying to celebrate Christmas but every year a fox tries to ruin it somehow. In the end they always succeed in saving Christmas.
It’s mostly for kids and I’ve been going there since I was a child.
But it’s also fun for grown-ups as they often put some jokes that only adults understand, so it’s still funny.
Santa arrives in Austria – Weihnachtskarpfen, Vanillekipferl, Weihnachtsstollen and the Christkind
A traditional Christmas dish:
Nina: In Austria, one of the most traditional Christmas dishes is Weihnachtskarpfen (Christmas carp). This dish dates back to Catholic traditions when meat was avoided on Christmas Eve. The carp is usually breaded and fried or baked. For dessert, Vanillekipferl (crescent-shaped vanilla cookies) and Weihnachtsstollen (a rich, fruit-filled bread) are often enjoyed. In some regions, roast goose or duck is also a festive highlight. In my family we prefer to keep it rather simple and so it has become our tradition to make raclette (a typical Swiss dish) on Christmas Eve.
A typical Christmas tradition:
Nina: A cherished Austrian tradition is the Christkind (Christ Child). Unlike Santa Claus, the Christkind is depicted as a childlike angel who delivers presents on Christmas Eve. Families often gather to decorate the Christmas tree on December 24th, which remains hidden from the children until the Christkind has “brought it.” The arrival is announced by the soft ringing of a bell, and gifts are then exchanged.
Christmas Eve:
Nina: Christmas Eve, or Heiliger Abend, is the most important day of the celebration in Austria. It begins with final preparations, such as decorating the Christmas tree and cooking the festive meal. In the evening, families attend Mette (Midnight Mass) at church, sing carols like “Stille Nacht” (Silent Night, which originated in Austria), and exchange gifts. The atmosphere is warm, intimate, and filled with candlelight and festive cheer. Of course, this can differ from family to family.
What is your favorite part about Christmas? What is your favorite Christmas memory?
Nina: One of the favorite aspects of Christmas in Austria is the Advent season, leading up to Christmas itself. The streets are filled with magical Christmas markets (Christkindlmärkte), where you can enjoy mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, and traditional crafts. I also love that on Christmas, my whole family from all over the world comes together to celebrate and eat.
Santa in the country of pizza and pasta: Italy – cakes, presepe and moments, which feel like a movie
A traditional Christmas dish:
Every region tends to have a different meat or fish-based dish for the Christmas lunch/dinner. What I consider the most recognisable is Panettone e Pandoro. They are both cakes: panettone (I think might be more well known outside of Italy) is a sweet bread with candied fruit peels, usually orange or lemon. Pandoro is another type of slow-rising dough, mainly made with flour, butter, eggs and vanilla extract.
A typical Christmas tradition:
For me, Christmas is not the same without the Nativity representation (in Italian, Presepe). It dates back to the medieval times, when Saint. Francis of Assisi invented it (according to the legend) one Christmas night.
The presepe is in everyone’s house – it can be as small as a tree decoration, or as big as occupying the entire living room. The basic presepe is usually the sacred family, maybe you add the ox and the donkey. You can find plenty of figurines everywhere, but in Naples it’s a completely different world. There’s an entire street (very big) full of shops with handcrafted statuettes to put in your presepe. Sometimes it’s random extras, sometimes it’s satirical or political characters, most of the times is a football player.
Christmas Eve:
Depending on where you live, you celebrate Christmas in different days. Usually, you tend to get together with one side of your family on the 24th, and the other side on the 25th. But I know that it also varies depending on the region. Some people only celebrate one day.
After Christmas Eve’s dinner, practicing Catholics go to the mass at midnight, while kids open the gifts that Santa brought.
What is your favorite Christmas memory?
I was around 8 or 10 years old, and my mum and I were decorating our Christmas tree. We decided to listen to some Christmas music (I have this very old CD with the image of Santa completely ruined by the time); and while we were putting up decorations, it started snowing. It felt like a scene from a film. I’ll never forget it.
That was quite a lot for Santa again. But be sure – he is going to continue delivering presents of knowledge soon. We are already curious, where Santa is spotted next time!
Thanks to all the volunteers again for giving us an insight into their Christmas traditions!