It's Over...Again!

" Hope you had a good Christmas? What did you get?"

Christmas is over. Once again, we have memories of family gatherings, happy faces, gifts given and received

 and now,family visitors who have left for their homes.

Time to get the vacuum cleaner out, take off all those ornaments and put away the artificial tree . It’s over, again. Stores and shops have been enjoying their seasonal upsurge in business and now it’s time to check the ‘bottom line’. It’s a great time of the year!

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The secular sideshow of modern Christmas represents a time of joy, gift-giving. Early history credits the first gift-giving and travel to that of the three wise-men visiting the new-born baby Jesus.
Christmas in the Christian tradition honors the birth of Christ – though the commercial side outshouts the sacred in our modern society. History accounts of ‘Christmas’, as we know it, evolved out of the Roman tradition of Saturnalia, a festival honoring their god of agriculture, Saturn, on the winter solstice. Currently, the commercial side of the holiday season heavily outweighs the sacred meaning of Christmas.

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Many of our traditional practices of Christmas have evolved from the past. December is cold, damp with long, dark nights.Christmas in Scandinavia is an antidote to darkness, a way to break winter's hold. From lighting the candles during Advent to following the ritual of burning the Yule Log, Scandinavian Christmas traditions are the highlight of the festive season.

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Advent, for Christians everywhere opens the joyful activities. A candle is lit in each of the four Sundays in prepare for the anticipated event celebrated in US churches.

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 December 6th is an important date for today’s children. Saint Nicolas has been known to bring rewards to the young.

A fourth century bishop named Nicolas was concerned with the people living in poverty in his area.

He gave what he could in homemade food, clothes, and furniture. The bishop even gave out oranges, which would have been very rare and expensive in Lycia, where he lived. The problem: ‘Where to leave these gifts so that the children would find them?’..Everyone would go the early-morning fireplace to get warm! Many people believe Saint Nicholas was the basis of Santa Claus, but the practice of stocking-stuffing can be traced back to his charitable donations in the 4th century. Nicholas believed that childhood should be savored and enjoyed – but in a time where boys and girls younger than 10 had to work to support their families, this wasn’t always possible.

　

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A Famous Swedish saint coincides with the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year before calendar reforms, so her feast day has

become a festival of light. Lussinatta, the Lussi Night, was marked in Sweden, December 13 . According to the traditional story, Lucia was born of rich and noble parents around the year 283. It is believed that a Sicilian Saint called Lucia was killed for her Christian faith in 304 AD.

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Scandinavia is known to be the birthplace of Yuletide traditions. The dark, cold winters inspired the development of these customs that would go on to become one of the most important traditions in Christmas around the world.

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Since Scandinavia experiences little natural light for a large amount of the year, the sun has become extremely important to the Scandinavian people. In ancient times, it was believed that the gods controlled the return of the sun and if they were not  worshipped properly , the sun would not return. Because of these superstitions, many Scandinavian holidays, such as Midsummer,Santa Lucia Day, and Christmas, revolve around  the celebration of the sun and light.
   

The high point of the Scandinavian season is not Christmas Day, but Christmas Eve. This part of Scandinavian Christmas traditions  may also have to do with darkness. Coming to dinner through streets wrapped in darkness, having the door of welcome opened and yellow light suddenly streaming out into the dark  must create a warm and friendly atmosphere.

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  Not Santa, but the' Julenisse' puts presents under the Christmas tree at night. According to customs, children leave a bowl of porridge outside for the gnome, in the hope that the gnome gets impressed and leaves presents. At times , the Julenissen can be seen in a small sleigh pulled by a goat!

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In Scandinavia, a small gnome called 'Straw Goats', also known as the'Yule Goat' are

probably the most famous Scandinavian Christmas characters. Typically made out of straw,  these goats are associated with the custom of 'wassailing', sometimes referred to as 'going Yule Goat' in Scandinavia. This can be traced back to sagas recalling two goats pulling the wagon of Thor, the powerful mystic-being who made thunder and lightning by throwing his hammer in the sky. The straw comes from the last bundle of grain harvested earlier to honor a successful harvest season.

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Possible, we may be able to 'spice up' our caroling fun next year! Between Christmas and New  Year’s Day, Scandinavians don masks and costumes and go door to door. Neighbors receiving them attempt to identify who is at their door because the visitors  often disguise their voices and body language to further the masquerade. Offering the visiting people holiday treats and something to drink is customary. Once identities are known and the food is eaten, the Julebukkers,  continue to the next home. This custom has been borrowed and enjoyed by American youth in our Halloween Eve every year.

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The Yule season remains a time for feasting, drinking, gift-giving, and gatherings, but, in the past, it was also  the season of awareness and fear of the forces of the dark.

-In the words of Thor Heyerdahl -

"We use our holidays to celebrate the sun. We celebrate the arrival of the sun, the summer

solstice, we journey to the mountains in search of the sun, and on the days we miss it the

most, because it is farthest away, we cheer ourselves with a grand Christmas fest".
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Now that the Christmas festivities have ended ,  we  expect a long winter. But first, we take some time to reflect on the 'Old Year' , and make our plans for the days yet to come!  Hopefully, an even better year  ahead.

Happy New Year!

Christmas, Long Ago

 

 In ancient times, long before Christianity came to Scandinavia, “Jul” or “Yule” was an observation of the winter solstice. It was a mid-winter celebration of the transition from the dark winter to spring and the time to celebrate harvest, fertility and birth. December is the darkest month of the year but it is also when the days start to get longer again. In “The Early Days”,      

    

 Jul was  a pagan tradition that, in time,slowly converted into a Christian custom , the last week of December,celebrating the birth of Jesus.

And today...

 

In Sweden, youngsters had  their stockings hung at the end of their bed before the morning of the 24th,  Christmas Eve. Following the discovery of the stockings contents, joyous activities were enjoyed   until about 3 pm. At this time, much of Sweden gathered their families, of all things, to watch  cartoons! This was the time when a viewing of Donald Duck and his Friends officially kicked off the Christmas festivities.

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Every year on Dec. 24 at 3 p.m., half of Sweden sits down in front of the television for a family viewing of the 1958 Walt Disney Presents Christmas special, "From All of Us to All of You." Or as it is known in Sverige (Swedish),' Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul:' ( Donald Duck and his friends extend their Christmas wishes).

Kalle Anka (pronounced kah-lay ahn-kah) gets its name from the star of the show's animated short, a 1944 cartoon called "Clown of the Jungle," in which Donald Duck is tormented by a demented Aracuan Bird during a luckless ornithological expedition.
The show's cultural significance is VERY important! There is no taping or DVR Kalle Anka for later viewing, and   no eating or dinner preparation is allowed while watching Kalle Anka. Every member of the family is expected to sit quietly together and watch a program that generations of Swedes have been watching for fifty years. Most families plan their entire Christmas around Kalle Anka, from the Smörgåsbord at lunch to the post-Kalle visit from Jultomten. It has been said that "At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, you can't to do anything else, because Sweden is closed." Each time the network has attempted to cancel or alter the show, public complaints have been swift and fierce.

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After the show, the tree that has been decorated with strings of the country flag, or white lights that resemble  the  bonfires that lit
the  dark  winter nights might be the center of family activity. Everyone joins hands and they circle the tree while singing  “Nu är det jul igen, nu är det jul igen!”and other favorites until everyone stops singing and starts walking towards the table. It’s time for the Christmas smorgasbord.

The traditional Scandinavian kitchen offers a wide variety of cold and warm traditional Christmas dishes. The cuisine varies slightly between the three countries  It is expected that you should go around seven times to get food at a proper smorgasbord ,because of the wide range of cold and hot food, fish, meat and desserts that is served. Some of the fish dishes that might be included are herring & lutefisk. The herring is pickled and comes in many variations, tasting of garlic, tomato or mustard. Other dishes include lutefisk, as well as meatballs, ham, duck, sausages and rice pudding. And of course there is an abundance of salads and garnish to go with it.

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Soon, there’s a knock on the door and Swedish youngsters happily allow the jultomten to join the festivities. In Norway, he’s the
 julenissen, in Denmark, he’s known as the julemanden. He’s believed to be a cross between the garden gnome and the Greek Saint Nichlas whose generosity became the inspiration for today’s American Santa Claus. Julenisse is a kind of cross between Father Christmas and a nisse. The most characteristic features of Norway's answer to Santa Claus are his red stocking cap and long white beard. The Julenisse wears knee breeches, hand-knitted stockings, a Norwegian sweater and a homespun jacket. On top he wears a heavy fur coat — it can get cold in Norway in the winter.

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Exactly where he lives is also disputed. Some say the North Pole is his real home, but in Scandinavia it is almost common knowledge that he lives in Rovaniemi, Finland, or if you ask a Dane, they might say he is from Greenland.
Santa (the Jultomte) delivers his presents in person and never flying through the air on a sleigh pulled by magical reindeer but sometimes on a sled pulled by a goat.

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  December 25th finds churchgoers enjoying a Christmas service and a quiet day with their

family.
    In Sweden, December 26th is a day of socializing. Children’s parties are held in the afternoon, while adults parties are held later in the evening and animals are given extra food.

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 In this season of games and merriment, there is little mention of children's bedtimes. In this time of long, cold, dark winter nights, the lights of Christmas and the songs of  celebration happily mark the Twenty Days of Christmas, ending January 13th, St. Knut’s Day.

        Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul 

(Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas)

Is Everybody Happy?

" 'Tis the season to be jolly.."

Stores have been crowded with shoppers hurrying through the crowded aisles as they try to find that advertised item that is on sale for only a short time. It began feverishly on Thanksgiving Day, continuing on Black Friday and now, the newest Cyber Monday!  People with "the means" are happily  planning on their future gift sharing, if not for their own 'material needs' at the present time.

Thanksgiving Day was quietly spent with friends and relatives, perhaps attending church services after which they traveled to warm and cozy gatherings at home.

  Major holidays are enjoyed by most people in comfort and joy, while others are not so fortunate. Military personnel have only memories as they spent lonely hours away from their loved ones. 

Homeless individuals have no home in which to go.

 Soup kitchens,

volunteers in church basements and social institutions open their doors, inviting these often cold and lonely individuals to share a hot meal and perhaps a place to sleep for the cold winter evening. The holiday spirit is shared for a short time.

Winter must be a very hard season for the homeless. Thankfully, the "more fortunate" tend to open their hearts during the winter season while perhaps thinking that 'They can take care of themselves in the spring and summer'.

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Exchange students coming from the Scandinavian area  to experience US schools all comment on special attention given to the effect of the long,dark Scandinavian winter nights. It is typical for foreigners to be nervous about facing the dark winters in Norway. 

Above the Arctic Circle, there is a period of time when the sun doesn’t make it over the horizon. When the sun doesn’t appear for 24 hours, it's called a Polar Night. The higher above the Arctic Circle, the more Polar Nights there are. Tromsø  is  217 miles above the Arctic Circle and has 60 Polar Nights in a row and this lack of sunlight has a depressing effect.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year.  Symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping energy and causing people to feel moody.

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Norwegians have a " solution" to offset this winter problem. Mothers give their children a daily spoonful of  fish oil, commonly called "Cod Liver Oil" which serves as a replacement for missing vitamins and helps the body to replace the  effects of  sunlight. Cod liver oil contains lot of good omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A and vitamin D. Even though Norwegians eat a lot of fish products, it is normal for children and adults to have a spoonful of cod liver oil every day of the year, especially in the long winter season.

Cod liver oil was traditionally manufactured by filling a wooden barrel with fresh cod livers and seawater and allowing the mixture to ferment for up to a year before removing the oil. Modern cod liver oil is made by cooking the whole cod  fish during the manufacture of fish meal.

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For the people who are trying to sleep at night and rise in the morning light , time becomes confusing. Melatonin can be  taken in the

evening as the standard treatment for delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD) and where circadian rhythms are not biologically synchronized  to the winter cycle. Polar nights and days blur and sleep cycles become confusing.Melatonin is found in many plants including rice, corn, tomato, grape and other edible fruits.The primary function is regulation of day-night cycles function as the synchronizer of the biological clock, melatonin interacts with the immune system.

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Many people believe that suicide rates peak during the winter months.This seems to make sense  given the existence of seasonal affective disorder and the tendency to associate depression with winter. Harsh weather increases the prevalence of diseases such as pneumonia and hypothermia due to minimal amount of sunlight in the winter time.   

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The Saturday before our Thanksgiving Day is designated National Survivors of Suicide Day by the United States Congress as a day when friends and family of those who have died by suicide can join together for healing and support. Finland held candlelit vigils  to commemorate its citizens who have taken their own lives.

An average of two people a day commit suicide in Finland, and campaigners insist it is time for a suicide prevention strategy to be put in place.

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The Finnish Central Association for Mental Health organized the annual event in 1992, at which candlelit vigils were held all over the country.  
The association is urging more action to take place to fight the scourge of suicide, estimating that up to 20,000 people try to commit suicide in Finland each year.The Finnish Central Association for Mental Health has organized the annual vigils to draw people’s attention to suicide and how we can prevent it. Suicide levels are highest among the retired, unemployed, impoverished, divorced, the childless, urbanites, empty- nesters, and other people who live alone. As the weather becomes cold, and nights become longer, attention is focused on those in need .  When the weather warms, we tend to forget, and our benevolent spirit seems to ebb during the remainder of the year.

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Although the dreary days of winter are depressing at times, I was surprised to learn that the idea that "suicide is more common during the winter holidays" is actually a myth, generally reinforced by media coverage associating suicide with the holiday season.
The National Center for Health Statistics found that suicides drop during the winter months, and peak during spring and early summer.Industrialized countries including Finland, Sweden have provided enough information to show that  suicidal tendencies are effected by the season, but this 'seasonal variation in suicide incidents' could be explained by the increase of sunshine in summer months and  high temperatures!

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 Most suicides take place in the spring because “everything begins to awake; activity is resumed, relations spring up, interchanges increase". In other words, it’s also human interactions, and not only the environment that caused higher incidence of suicide in spring or summer “The vast majority of people don’t commit suicide because they want to kill themselves, but as a way to end the torment of not being able to cope with a problem.”
 

While our holiday spirits causes us to be more caring, the actions of  the bell-ringers at the mall are quite often avoided. It is easy to believe they are collecting funds to be given to the homeless at the present time. However,  these funds may be   needed later,  as the needs and  risk of depression increases for the less fortunate.

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The long winter nights can be a source of exercise and activity.

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In Norway, darkness is just a way of life. People in warmer countries think that when it is dark you have to stay indoors, but this is impractical when you only have an hour of light each day. Darkness in Norway is also playtime, just the same as if it was light. After school, it is dark but the kids play in the snow. They go sledding, build snowmen and have

snowball fights in their front yards, down the street and in the parks. Kids  walk to school in the darkness and walk home in the darkness.

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Norwegians love fire. Any chance they get they will light up a candle. It is normal to see many candles on tables and windowsills.   Christmas lights are lit at the beginning of the dark season,just before Advent, and stay on until mid-January. In the dark season. Norwegians place hanging lamps in the windows to mimic the sun.

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Winter in Scandinavia is a magical time. If you enjoy winter sports, visit Scandinavia and Finland. This is the perfect time of the year for winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, or sledding.                       Have fun in the snow!

 May the joy of Christmas be with us now and not forgotten as time goes on.