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Happy Christmas everybody

Artist: Mimisrol

As you may have seen I allready uploaded this in pieces for every advent.
And I will just copy the explenation if the of the christmas traditions.
[u]
Advent[/u]
It comes frome latin  adventus meaning arrival. It refers to the 4 sundays before christmas. Where on each sunday one candel would be light on a advent wreath in preperation for chritsmas. Witch atleast in my family was allways a time to come to gether share some hot drinks and cookies or cake.
Advent is also the kinda offical beginning of the christmastime.
I wont get any chritsmas sweets before this even if the are in stores 2-3 months sooner.

And one of the first "poems" every small child learns here is probably the following

Advent, Advent,
ein Lichtlein brennt.
Erst eins, dann zwei,
dann drei, dann vier,
dann steht das Christkind vor der Tür.

Advent, Advent,
a little light is burning.
First one, then two,
then three, then four,
then the Christ Child will be at the door.

Where the christ child was a idear of Luther since he was against the veneration of saints like st. nicolas but had nothing against children getting presents. In germany I think the christ child is only a replacemant of santa clause in some familys in bavaria or so.

[u]Nikolaus [/u]
The tradition to put some little gifts in the boots of children. In Memory of Saint Nicholas of Myra (the OG Samta Clause) who is said to have gifted money to 3 daughters of a poor man to save them frome prostetution.
I still like(d) to put some sweets in the boots of my flatmates
[u]
Christmas marked[/u]
In germany they are markets that usually open in the advent time. There one can buy Gingerbread, roasted almonds, candied apples (or other fruit), Baumstriezel (a type of sweet bread), hot cocoa (with rum/amaretto), and of course my beloved mulled wine (or Feuerzangenbowle). Or can buy crafted stuff like Incense smokers, incense cones, hats, Christmas tree decorations, tinsel, candles, Herrnhut stars.

sadly with the advent of the Internet there is less and less actual stuff to buy and more and more food... and I think its overall shrinking :(

[u]The Mistletoe/ Kiss under the Mistletoe[/u]
Not mutch to say I have the feeling thats even a bigger thing in America then here....atleast when the american shows I watched are to be trusted.