It’s Christmas time again! No, 2012 hasn’t gone by that fast.
“Thirteen days after Western Christmas, on January 7th, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates its Christmas, in accordance with the old Julian calendar. It’s a day of both solemn ritual and joyous celebration.” [Quote Source: Russian Crafts].
I’ve mentioned in a previous post that my grandmother, although baptized Greek Catholic, and raised in that faith, had joined the Russian Orthodox church (St. Nicholas) as an adult. This was long after she arrived in America and settled in Pennsylvania.
As a result, we always had two Christmases in my family. Because it was more universal, our family would have a big celebration on December 25th, which included the secular traditions of a Christmas tree and Santa Claus, but also observe the January 7th Christmas with my grandmother. In later years, when my grandmother’s health was failing and she could not attend the services in person, she often listened to them on the radio (there was a church that did a broadcast). We would listen with her.
Observing the religious rituals meant we also got to enjoy the wonderful foods of the Vilija (Christmas Eve) supper twice as well. More mushroom soup, more bobalky, more pirohy, more everything….yum! My poor grandmother (and mother too) seemed to be cooking for four weeks straight! But those were very special times!
Luckily, I have a freezer, and a microwave, so today I will be heating up the remainder of the mushroom soup and pirohy I stashed away after December 24th, and will play my Slovak Christmas carols one more time. And I will remember my grandmother, and my Auntie–two of the most faithful people I have ever known–as I once again celebrate the true meaning of Christmas in my heart.
8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a (I)Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:8-12.
Whether one says Feliz Navidad or Froeliche Weihnachten or just “Merry Christmas”, spoken from faith and love the words have a universal meaning of hope for all. And that’s my prayer for my Catholic Gene colleagues, our readers, our brothers and sisters around the world, those we know as well as those we’ll never meet.
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among all with whom He is pleased.”
Part of my childhood was spent in Germany. I went to a German school for part of that time and we had a German nanny. I was immersed in the culture and language at an early age. And Christmas in Germany became one of my favorite times and some of my best memories.
We celebrated every year Sankt Nikolaus Tag. On the night of December 5, we would place our shoes outside the door. If we had been good that year, Sankt Nikolaus would leave chocolates, fruit, and other goodies in our shoes. If we had been bad, then we would find wood switches in our shoes the next morning. This was the commencement of the Christmas season which would last until Epiphanie (January 6). As Donna Pointkouski has written here, celebrations of this sort are Catholic traditions in Germany, especially in the southern regions such as Bavaria.
The story of Saint Nicholas’s generosity was the certain precursor to the now secularized story of Santa Claus. But today, some German Catholics object to the blurring of the distinction between the holy saint and the jolly elf who slides down chimneys (whom they call “Weihnachtsmann” ["Christmas Man"]). They’re waging a campaign to maintain the dignity of the historical St Nicholas by declaring Weihnachtsmann-free zones. Even the German version of CYO (Catholic Youth Organization), the Bund der Deutschen Katholischen Jugend (BDKJ) supports the campaign in some areas. See the website Weihnachtsmann-freie Zone at http://www.weihnachtsmannfreie-zone.de/.
Another Catholic tradition that I first became familiar with in Germany is the Advent Calendar. This is a calendar for counting down the days of Advent until Christmas. Frequently, the calendar has little doors to open for each date. There may be a religious message or gift, or a small toy, piece fruit, or candy associated with each opened door. I looked forward to each Advent in Germany to get a new Advent Calendar.
Other countries have embraced the idea of the Advent Calender. American Catholics see the Advent calendar as a way to be reminded daily of the need to prepare for the greatest liturgical event of the year.
As it turns out, the Advent Calendar in reality is neither of Catholic origin nor “traditional” (at least not in German historical terms). The idea dates from about 1850 and originated among German Lutherans!
German Christmas carols, however, are firmly grounded in Catholic tradition. My favorite German carol is this one:
At the German school I attended, we learned that the words were written by an Austrian priest, Father Josef Mohr in 1816. In 1818, Father Mohr asked Franz Joseph Gruber to coompose a melody for the song. Tradition holds that Father Mohr asked Gruber to compose the music for guitar because the piano in his church was not functioning. Some historians today find this story apocryphal. Whatever its origins, it has become a Christmas tradition worldwide. An Episcopalian bishop, John Freeman Young, wrote the widely used English translation in 1859.
The first Christmas song I learned in Germany has also become a classic. The traditional version consists of a melody of an old German folk song and words composed by Ernst Gebhardt Anschutz (1780-1861). Here’s Nat King Cole’s popular rendition:
Este noche es la primera noche de la novena de Las Posadas.”
My Catholic family moved to New Mexico a little more than 50 years ago. New Mexico had not yet been a state 50 years at the time. Thanks to my parents’ emphasis on learning and culture, and aided by the mandatory Spanish classes in Albuquerque’s public school system, we soon became familiar with the cultural practices of the Land of Enchantment. From food to music to dress, we became as completely “Mexican” or “New Mexican” as we possibly could.My favorite traditions were the Christmas ones. The people in New Mexico honored a Mexican tradition called Las Posadas. Brought originally to Mexico from Spain, this is a nine day event celebrated from December 16 to December 24 (“Buena Noche“). Every night, there is a live dramatization of Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging in Bethlehem. A couple portraying Mary and Joseph go from house to house for shelter and are turned away, until finally they are admitted. There are songs that go with this dramatization–some of which I remember to this day. The songs are sung by los peregrinos, begging for shelter, and are answered by los hosteleros. At the place where they are finally admitted, there is a great party. One feature of the party usually is la pinata for the children. A pinata is a papier-mache effigy on a string, dangled above the ground. It is filled with candies, fruits, nuts and other goodies. A child who is blindfolded (con los ojos cubiertos) holds a stick (en los manos un baston) and swings at the pinata to break it (ya se romper la pinata). An adult usually controls the movement of the pinata by the string. The other children sing cantos para romper la pinata(songs for breaking the pinata).This pageant is repeated every night for each of the nine nights, with different families playing the Holy Family, other pilgrims, and the innkeepers. A different house hosts the party each of the nine nights. In some Catholic countries whose cultures derive from Spain, the pageant involves carrying statues of the holy family instead of live participants. Some form of Las Posadas is celebrated in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, the Philippines and Cuba.
Here are some of the songs I recall from Las Posadas in Albuquerque:
Los peregrinos:
En el nombre del cielo os pido posada pues no puede andar mi esposa amada.
In the name of Heaven I beg you for lodging, for she cannot walk, my beloved wife.
Los hosteleros:
Aquí no es mesón, sigan adelante. Yo no debo abrir, no sea algún tunante.
This is not an inn so keep going. I cannot open; you may be a rogue.
Los peregrinos:
No seas inhumano, tennos caridad, que el Dios de los cielos te lo premiará.
Don’t be inhuman; Have mercy on us.The God of the heavens will reward you for it.
Los hosteleros:
Ya se pueden iry no molestar porque si me enfadoos voy a apalear.
You can go on now and don’t bother us, because if I become annoyed I’ll give you a thrashing.
Los peregrinos:
Venimos rendidosdesde Nazarét, yo soy carpintero de nombre José.
We are worn out coming from Nazareth. I am a carpenter, Joseph by name.
Los hosteleros:
No me importa el nombre, déjenme dormir, pues que yo les digo que no hemos de abrir.
I don’t care about your name: Let me sleep, because I already told you we shall not open up.
Los peregrinos:
Posada te pide, amado casero, por sólo una noche la Reina del Cielo.
I’m asking you for lodging dear man of the house Just for one night for the Queen of Heaven.
Los hosteleros:
Pues si es una reina quien lo solicita, ¿cómo es que de noche anda tan solita?
Well, if it’s a queen who solicits it, why is it at night that she travels so alone?
Los peregrinos:
Mi esposa es María, es Reina del Cielo y madre va a serdel Divino Verbo.
My wife is Mary. She’s the Queen of Heaven and she’s going to be the mother of the Divine Word.
Los hosteleros:
¿Eres tú José? ¿Tu esposa es María? Entren, peregrinos, no los conocía.
Are you Joseph? Your wife is Mary? Enter, pilgrims; I did not recognize you.
Los peregrinos:
Dios pague, señores, vuestra caridad, y que os colme el cielo de felicidad.
May God pay, gentle folks, your charity, and thus heaven heap happiness upon you.
¡Dichosa la casa que alberga este día a la Viren pura.la hermosa María!
Blessed is the house that shelters this day the pure Virgin, the beautiful Mary.
Todos: [Everybody sing!]
Entren, Santos Peregrinos, reciban este rincón, que aunque es pobre la morada, os la doy de corazón.
Enter, holy pilgrims, receive this corner, for though this dwelling is poor, I offer it with all my heart.
Oh, peregrina madre, oh, bellísima María. Yo te ofrezco el alma mía para que tengáis posada.
Oh, graced pilgrim, oh, most beautiful Mary. I offer you my soul so you may have lodging.
Humildes peregrinos Jesús, María y José, el alma doy por ellos,mi corazón también.
Humble pilgrims, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give my soul for them and my heart as well.
Cantemos con alegría todos al considerarque Jesús, José y Maríanos vinieron a honrar.
Let us sing with joy, all bearing in mind that Jesus, Joseph and Mary honor us by having come.
The video below gives an idea of what the music sounds like:
And then on the way to the great party, the throng might sing:
Marchemos cantando Let us march singing marchemos cantando Let us march singing con gozo y fervor With joy and fervor para ir saludando To go greet las glorias de Dios! the Glories of God!
One version of the pinata song is this:
Andale, nino,
No pierdas el tino,
Mide la distancia
Que hay en el camino
Dale, dale, dale,
No pierdas el tino,
porque si lo pierdes
pierdes el camino
No quiero oro
No quiero plata
yo lo que quiero
es romper la piñata
Echen confites
y canelones
pa’ los muchachos
que son muy tragones.
La piñata tiene caca, tiene caca, tiene caca, cacahuates de a montón
Hit, boy! Don’t lose your aim, Measure the distance That’s on the way.
Hit, hit, hit,
Don’t lose your aim,
Because if you lose it,
You lose the way.
I don’t want gold
I don’t want silver
What I want is
To break the piñata
Throw candies
And mints
For the kids
Who are very greedy
The piñata has pee,
Pee,
Pee…
Peanuts by the ton!
For more information on Las Posadas, see the following links:
Personal Note: I cannot think of Las Posadas without remembering two very special teachers who brought different cultures into our classrooms long before it was fashionable (or on the other hand, mandatory) to do so: my fourth grade teacher, Theodora Erikson Cooper (1907-2006) and my fifth grade teacher, Nathalie A. Harshman (1907-2001). May God bless their souls forever and ever.
