Calendar of the best Christmas markets in Europe. How to celebrate the new year in Europe When Christmas comes in Europe
In Europe, closer and more understandable to us than Asia, the New Year is celebrated on January 1st. This holiday here is like a continuation of the Christmas holiday, which is celebrated on December 25th. In Europe, the celebration of the New Year is influenced by the traditions of Christianity, the traditions of Ancient Rome and the pagan traditions of a particular people. Therefore, the celebration of the New Year, which is generally similar, is slightly different in different countries.
The Romans celebrated the New Year on March 1 until Julius Caesar introduced a new calendar and the New Year was celebrated on January 1. The month of January takes its name from the two-faced god Janus. God looks back at the past year and forward to the coming one. Caesar believed that this month would be the symbolic door of the year. In ancient Rome, during the celebration of the New Year, all the people feasted, the slaves drank along with the owners. The celebration was very impressive.
Subsequently, Christians began to celebrate Christmas on January 25, and on New Year's Day, the "circumcision of the Lord" just happened - on the eighth day after birth, when Jesus received his name. New Year in Europe is celebrated as if in continuation of the Christmas holidays.
In different countries of Europe, the traditions of celebrating the New Year are slightly different.
In England, the New Year is mostly done without gifts. Traditionally, the arrival of the New Year is announced by the main bell - Big Ben. It starts ringing even before midnight, but the ringing is muffled, as the bell is wrapped in a special blanket, but at exactly 12 o'clock the blanket is torn off and the bell rings at full power, announcing the arrival of the New Year. The doors of houses all over England open to let in the new year. It is believed that lovers, in order not to part next year, should kiss under the mistletoe branch.
Per Noel, the French Santa Claus, comes to the French children on New Year's Eve and puts a gift in a slipper for each of them. A bean was baked on New Year's pie, and whoever got a piece with a bean received the title of the bean king and everyone obeyed his orders on a festive night. On this holiday, the French eat and drink. The owner-winemaker must clink glasses with a barrel of wine so that next year there will be a good harvest.
In Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany and some other countries, January 31 is named after St. Sylvester, the Roman bishop who died on New Year's Eve in the 4th century AD. e. For a long time, people celebrated both the New Year and St. Sylvester's Day, which the Catholic Church did not like very much. And then came the 1000th year, when they expected the end of the world. It was said that the serpent Leviathan would crawl out of the sea and swallow the whole Earth, and now Saint Sylvester defeated the serpent in an invisible battle. Since then, the New Year is also called Sylvester. This holiday is celebrated with fireworks and festivities.
If you are celebrating the New Year in Italy, it is better not to go out. With the first strike of the bell, various objects will fly out of the windows - chairs, bedside tables, armchairs and other objects. So the Italians, getting rid of everything old, make room for the new.
The Spaniards celebrate the New Year under the chimes in the main square of Madrid. Thousands of people gather there, holding bags with twelve grapes in their hands. During the battle of the chimes, a grape is thrown into the mouth for each blow.
Having studied a foreign language in Kharkov, you can celebrate the New Year in any of the countries of Europe, and you will learn a lot of interesting things.
Since the majority of Catholics live in Europe, Catholic Christmas is strictly associated with the European traditions of celebrating this event. The date of Catholic Christmas falls on December 25 every year and is an important holiday for Catholics, the most important religious holiday during the year. But not everyone knows, from 24 to 25 or from 25 to 26 they celebrate it.
What is associated with Catholic Christmas? With Europe, which means that a picture is immediately drawn of a lot of lights, a huge Christmas tree, gingerbread and a fair on a large square in the city center and a quiet family dinner at the festive table in the evening, and then distribution of gifts under the Christmas tree. These are all important Christmas traditions that Catholics keep and pass on from generation to generation. Christmas is a family holiday. Different countries have their own traditions, how exactly it is celebrated, but, in general, everything remains unchanged. On the festive table should be.
The date is the same every year, just like in the Orthodox calendar. Catholics around the world celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25, and then all the holidays during the year that are associated with Christmas, one way or another, are considered based on this date. Since Christmas is celebrated on December 25, the holiday is celebrated on the night of 24 to 25.
Because of this difference in calendars, it can be said that Catholics are in a more advantageous position. They, like Orthodox believers, have a strict fast before Christmas, but it ends on December 25 with the onset of Christmas, which means that you can no longer limit yourself to food and entertainment. From the point of view of logic, of course, this is more correct. Believers who do not just celebrate holidays for the sake of a tick, but honor their traditions, can fast and then surrender to the abyss of New Year celebrations.
Legend of the Birth
Believing Christians have different calendars, but church books do not. Therefore, everything that is told about the birth of Jesus Christ on Catholic Christmas is also relevant for Orthodox Christmas. The only thing that can be noted is that during the year for Catholics this particular holiday is the most important - the birth of the body. As for the Orthodox, the most important church holiday is Easter - the birth of the soul.
At Christmas about when the baby Jesus was born. It happened in a manger in the city of Bethlehem, the mother of Jesus was the Virgin Mary, his earthly father was Joseph. Shepherds were the first to pray to the Messiah. They received information about his coming to earth directly from heaven. Further, this information began to spread rapidly around the world.
At the time when Jesus Christ was born, Herod the Great was in power. He recognized no authority on earth other than his own. Therefore, when the news of the birth of the mission, God on earth, reached him, he ordered that all babies under the age of two be killed. Mary and Joseph had to wander for a long time and hide the child in order to survive. But, they were under the auspices of God and followed all his precepts.
Services in the church
The day before, on Christmas Eve, believers must go to church. There is not only worship, but also Christmas songs are sung and performances are even staged on the theme of the coming of the shepherds to Jesus.
As a rule, each church or inside the church has a biblical scene from Bethlehem, made from improvised materials. This is an important tradition of the holiday, which does not change from year to year. As for the gala lunch or dinner, it takes place already on Christmas itself. The family gathers around the table. There should not be many dishes, but the traditional one is usually roasted poultry, rice pudding for dessert.
In Europe and other countries where he lives
In fact, the month and date of the birth of Jesus are unknown, but in the first third of the 4th century, the Western Christian Church determined Christmas on December 25: firstly, nine months from the Annunciation, and secondly, there were too many pagan Roman holidays in December. Today, the Roman Catholic Church and most Protestants celebrate Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar - December 25, but some Eastern Christian churches (Russian, Jerusalem, Serbian, Georgian, Athos, and also Eastern Catholic) celebrate according to the Julian calendar, that is, January 7. So the date is one, but the calendars are different. However, today, during the general interpenetration of cultures, the Christmas mood reigns on the planet throughout December. Candles are placed on the windows, snowflakes are painted on the glass, Christmas markets supply gingerbread and roasted chestnuts to the table, you can always buy cute souvenirs and look at an elegant Christmas tree, and small gifts await children in stockings or shoes in the morning. We invite you to take a look at our selection. In some photos you will not see snow, but the festive illumination and the Christmas tree will certainly be there. Bulgaria. In the communist era, religious holidays were banned, so a secular holiday “next door” appeared, so modern Bulgarians celebrate two Christmas days at once: December 25 and 26 Poland. Many Christmas traditions in Poland have survived the centuries: an extra plate for an unexpected guest, bundles of straw under the table, and other Hungary. Advent is the waiting time for Christmas. Most children receive calendars at this time with small gifts or sweets - for each day before the Danish holiday. Jul is the Danish word for "Christmas", meaning "turn" or "wheel". We are talking about the turning of the Sun, because this holiday is celebrated immediately after the winter solstice in Switzerland. On December 1, the period of pre-Christmas Advent begins. Initially, it was a time of repentance and spiritual cleansing, but now it is just a holiday for everyone, especially children. Iceland. The Christmas mood comes to the island early. Already on December 12, children's shoes are placed on the windowsill in anticipation of gifts. Icelandic children are lucky - not only Santa Claus will bring gifts, but also 13 Christmas creatures, half-humans, half-trolls Spain. Navidad in Spain is a continuous marathon of celebrations starting the week before Christmas and lasting 12 days of Vatican City. December brought together about 14 religious holidays that are honored by all Italians in Italy. In every house, as well as on the streets and squares, nativity scenes Germany are exhibited. Families gather at the laid tables in anticipation of Santa (Weihnachtsmann). And at the same time they themselves exchange gifts - this custom is called Bescherung Estonia. On Christmas Day, Christmas grandfather Austria comes to Estonian children with gifts. On the evening of December 24, the Austrians celebrate the Holy Evening - der Heilige Abend. Kids are not allowed to the Christmas tree, because at this time the baby Christ decorates it! Czech Republic. For good luck, Czechs put a carp scale under each plate, sometimes they add a small coin to it. It happens that the scale is hidden in a wallet and carried with them all year round by the Netherlands. Dutch kids on December 25, standing on the embankment in the harbor, are waiting for a long time for the ship, on which the analogue of Santa Claus (Kerstman) with gifts from France will arrive. The ancestors of the French, the Gauls, celebrated Saturnalia in December - the beginning of the new year. Subsequently, the pagan holiday was replaced by Christmas in England. Here, on Christmas Eve, candles are lit in the window of almost every house, welcoming passers-by. That is why the night before Christmas is called in England the "night of candles" Latvia. The rite of dragging logs is still actively observed even in Riga, and in small Latvian villages it can be seen everywhere. The essence of the ritual is to drag a log around your house, symbolizing the failures and sorrows of the outgoing year, and then burn it. Norway. Norwegian Christmas gnome (Julenissen) lives with pets in the yard. In order to appease the dwarf, who, when full, is a nice guy, they cook Christmas porridge (julegroet) Portugal for him. Winter holidays in Portugal begin with Saint Martin's Day - November 11th. In fact, the holiday lasts for three whole days, during which the weather is almost always sunny and warm, for which the Portuguese call them "the summer of St. Martin" Belgium. On Christmas Eve, Saint Nicholas appears in Belgium. This is a stately old man with a gray beard, dressed in a red cassock, on his shoulders - a white episcopal robe, on his head - a high red mitre, in his hands - a golden staff of Finland. Before Christmas, at sunset, families go to church, although most Finns prefer to watch the service on TV. The Christmas service usually starts at 5 pm. On this day people visit cemeteries and light candles on the graves of relatives and friends.
For the majority of residents of the CIS countries that were once part of the USSR - the "immense" homeland of our parents, Catholic Christmas is not such a special holiday as for residents of Europe and both Americas. A much more significant holiday for us is the New Year.
By tradition, celebrating this holiday with the family, getting out on the main spruce of the city to listen to New Year's songs from the loudspeaker, look at the magnificence of the night fireworks, just join the general festive mood that embraces the entire population of the country these few days, we don’t even we are thinking about how to somehow change or diversify the tradition of celebrating the New Year that has developed over the years. And there is nothing surprising or reprehensible in this.
Any holiday is good because we expect it all year round, even the lack of novelty here has its advantages. Each of us, remembering the New Year, certainly associates it with Olivier salad, tangerines, a Christmas tree decorated with bright toys and lights.
The program is expected, predictable and not suitable for everyone. In recent years, it has become fashionable to visit Europe for the New Year holidays. But so far, very few of our compatriots decide to take such a “risky” step, in their opinion, as spending 3-5 days traveling around Europe.
For some, this is due to the above-described tradition of family celebration of the New Year, for others - with the well-established misconception that holidays in Europe during the New Year holidays are much more expensive.
In this article, we will try to dispel, at least partially, these misconceptions.
When is Christmas celebrated in Europe?
For European countries, traditionally a more significant holiday is Christmas, which is celebrated on December 25 (Catholic countries). The beginning of the new year is not such a significant event for the inhabitants of Europe.
They are preparing for Christmas: this is the recognized turkey with lingonberry sauce, without which not a single festive table can do, and gifts in stockings hung on the mantelpiece that children find on the morning of December 26, and many other little things that are little understood by us, but, of great importance in the Western tradition of celebrating Christmas.
Many travel companies have already realized the growing popularity of this tourism destination, and offer their customers the opportunity to extend the New Year holidays by visiting Europe on Christmas Eve. It was during this period, starting from the 20th, that all of Western Europe is embraced by the same emotions, the same mood that we are used to, on New Year's Eve.
Anyone who chooses this way to relax before the New Year will not regret it. Europe on Christmas Eve is an unforgettable sight: the old quarters of the capitals are decorated with countless garlands.
Photo of a Christmas market in Europe
The squares of historical buildings, known all over the world, will remain in your memory for a long time, and Christmas discounts will delight you and help you save on great gifts for your family and friends, and you yourself can surprise your friends with a “new thing” from Europe for “ridiculous” money.
And many tour companies offer all this for an amount in the range of 400-500 euros, including travel, accommodation in hotels in European capitals and breakfasts.
Video of Christmas in Germany
December is coming and with it date of celebration of catholic christmas. This event has many different rituals and traditions. Catholics from all over the world rejoice at the arrival of Christmas and celebrate it with special significance. In 2016 it will be celebrated December 25. However, this celebration is celebrated annually on the same day.
Decorations in the house for Catholic Christmas.
What date is Christmas celebrated in 2016?
Which countries will celebrate this holiday? At present, Catholicism dominates in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Ireland, Belgium, Austria. The Catholic religion prevails among believers in Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, although there are many Protestants in the last three.
Catholicism also dominates in Malta and in other small states of Europe - Monaco, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Andorra. IN Switzerland Catholics make up 52% of believers, 51% in the territory of the former Germany(very few in the GDR). Among believers English Catholics 7%, among Scots 15%.
It will help you to understand this issue in more detail. a map of Europe, indicating the predominant religion in each country.
Christmas in Ireland.
As you can see from the map above, Ireland is predominantly Catholic. To be more precise, the main religion in the country is Latin Rite Catholicism.
Therefore, the holiday of Catholic Christmas is celebrated in the country on December 25 on a large scale. Of course, all of Ireland takes a day off. At this time, restaurants, cafes, bars, nightclubs, government departments, 99% of shops and private businesses are closed.
Perhaps the only public place you can go to is a church - midnight mass is a long-standing Christmas tradition in Ireland. In addition, now some 4- and 5-star hotels invite you to spend this holiday within their walls - guests are offered a festive dinner, spa visits and a variety of entertainment.
is a quiet family holiday (although it is inevitably preceded by drunken and noisy corporate parties and other parties). Before Christmas, the Irish decorate their homes with holly wreaths (holly), and mistletoe (mistletoe) is also present in decorations.
Many people buy a Christmas tree, and families with children decorate their homes with miniature mangers with figurines of the baby Christ and the Virgin Mary, flashing snowmen, deer, Santa Clauses, and more.
