Blue Umbrella Official Blue Umbrella Winter 2018 Issue | Page 13

Tradi ti ons
h e Gl obe
4) During Saint Nicholas day in
Ger m an y, St. Nicholas travels by donkey in
the middle of the night. He leaves treats
such as coins, chocolate, oranges, or toys in
the shoes of good children across Germany.
St. Nicholas also visits children in school or
at home, where, in exchange for sweets or
presents, each child must deliver a poem,
sing a song, or draw a picture. decorations include the boots of Father
Christmas as well as red and white flowers.
People also place cotton on Christmas trees
to mimic snow. Another interesting fact
about Argentina is that most family
assemblies take place on Christmas Eve,
which is celebrated with massive feasts,
gifts exchanged at midnight, and children
going to sleep to the sound of fireworks.
5) Every Christmas Eve at Caracas,
Ven ezu ela, the city?s residents head to
church on roller skates in the early
morning. This special tradition is so popular
that roads across the city are closed to cars
so that people can skate to church safely. 8) In Uk r ain e, Christmas trees aren?t
decorated with tinsel and ornaments;
rather, they are covered with mock spiders
and cobwebs.
6) In the Marshall Islands, people
prepare for Christmas months in advance,
storing gifts and dividing into jeptas, or
teams, that hold song-and-dance clashes
on Christmas Day. They also build a
piñata-like wojke containing small presents
(matches, money, soap) for God.
7) In Argent ina, standard Christmas
9) In Peru, December 24th, which is
known as La Noche Buena (?the Good Night?),
is the main day for celebrations. The most
important decorations are pesebre: complex
nativity scenes carved from wood or stone.
Gifts are spread around the manger instead
of around a Christmas tree. It is thought to
be lucky to be the one to put the figurine of
baby Jesus into this manger on Christmas
Eve.
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