The Santa Lucia tradition doesn't have much to do with Christmas other than the fact that her feast day is on December 13 which is during the Christmas season. Of course the fire, in the form of the crown of candles, lighting the night in the middle of winter is another reference to Winter Solstice celebrations. In Sweden, they commemorate Santa Lucia on Santa Lucia Day, on December 13. That morning, the oldest daughter in the family comes into her parent's bedroom wearing a white dress, and a crown of candles on her head. She serves them coffee and special saffron buns. She also sings a special Santa Lucia song that goes:
Now the light is carried forth
proud on its crown
in every house and home
the song shall ring
Now the light is carried forth
proud on its crown
in every house and home
the song shall ring
On this Lucia Day
our circle of friendship is greeted
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
our circle of friendship is greeted
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Of course there was no such person as Santa Lucia which as evidenced by the fact that her name means "light". Whenever a character has a descriptive name like that, it's a dead give away that the character was entirely made up. Another example is Longinus, the Roman soldier who stuck his spear in Jesus' side. The name Longinus means "spear". Another example is Joseph of Arimethea who took Jesus' body to the tomb, as well as taking the Holy Grail to Glastonbury, England. The word Arimethea is derived from the Greek word for "tomb".
In 1816, E. T. A. Hoffman wrote a gothic fairy tale called "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". Later, Alexandre Dumas did a French version of the story called "Casse-Nioselle". When he revised the story, he made it mush less dark. Then this version was used as the basis of a ballet put on by the Kirov Ballet. They hired master choreographer Maximus Petipa to do the choreography. However, he became ill, and most of the work was actually done by his overworked downtrodden assistant Lev Ivonov. Then in 1890, they offered Peter Tchaikovsky the assignment of writing the music. He thought the original story was ill-suited to a ballet, but after reading this version, he reluctantly accepted. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893) was a homosexual Russian composer who wrote 8 operas, 3 ballets, 7 symphonies, 3 piano concertos, a violin concerto, symphonic poems, overtures, chamber music, keyboard music, choral music, and songs. His three ballets were Swan Lake (1877), Sleeping Beauty (1890), and Nutcracker (1892). He worked on Nutcracker for over two years while traveling a great deal, and working on other projects. He had to write it to fit choreography that had already been decided upon. The opening night was December 17, 1892. It was torn apart by critics, and Tchaikovsky himself was always dissatisfied with it. However, music historians now say it's beautifully written, and it remains the most popular ballet. For the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy, Tchaikovsky used a newly invented instrument called a celesta that had tuned metal plates and was played by a keyboard. The ballet is about a girl named Clare who receives a nutcracker as a gift from her godfather Drosselmeyer. She has a dream where she shrinks down, and the nutcracker and toy soldiers battle rats. The Nutcracker turns into a handsome prince, and they travel through a fantasy world.
"The Nutcracker" debuted on December 17, 1892, in the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, home of the Kirov Ballet. The original cast included ballet students. Although popular inside of Russia, "The Nutcracker" was not performed outside of Russia until 1934, when Nicholas Sergeyev staged it at the Sadler's Wells Theatre in England. By that time in Russia, after the Revolution, the Russian presentation had been restaged by V. Vainonen. Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo debuted a shortened version of "The Nutcracker" in the United States in 1940. The full-length ballet had to wait until the Kirov-trained George Balanchine created a new staging in 1954, which became the Nutcracker most American audiences came to know. The Balanchine production inspired many other versions throughout the world.
In 1897, a letter supposedly written by an 8 year old girl named Virginia O'Hanlen was sent to the New York Sun. It said, "I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, 'If you see it in the Sun, it's so'". The Editor of the New York Sun, named Francis Pharcellus Church, gave a famous long-winded answer that began, "Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they can see." This whole incident is referred to by Francis Church's line "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus". First of all, the letter was so obviously written by her father, I'm astonished some people don't know that. It's one of the most badly faked letters I've ever seen. The phrase "little friends" was used by adults to refer to their children's friends but never by children to refer to their own friends. Second of all, the response by the editor has got to be the most utterly bizarre ludicrous thing ever written. He says that just because you can't see something doesn't mean it's not there. Yeah well, if it can't be seen, meaning detected even indirectly in any way at all, then there is no reason to think it might exist. We think up explanations for what we observe. If something doesn't explain anything you observe, meaning it can't be detected in any way, then there is no reason to ever suggest it. There is no benefit to the theory. If you are open to the possibility of anything whatsoever, no matter what the evidence or lack thereof, you have to be open to the possibility that Santa Claus is real, or that faeries are dancing on your lawn. It's sheer insanity.
Before they had refrigeration or high speed transportation, the food people ate during the winter had to be preserved in some way. It could be smoked or salted meat, dried fruit, roots stored in root cellar, or preserved with alcohol. Fruitcake and gingerbread could both last a long time, and thus could be eaten in the winter. Also, both fruitcake and gingerbread were made with spices which had to be imported over great distances, and were thus very expensive. Therefore, you would only have it on special occasions such as Christmas. The first gingerbread houses were made in Germany, where bakers used lebkuchen, a dry gingerbread cake, to make gingerbread houses called Hexenhaeusle, which were supposed to represent the witch’s house from the story of Hansel and Gretel. In the 20th Century, the highly preserved nature of fruitcake, which was part of the original reason why it was eaten on Christmas, became the butt of jokes, when people were accustomed to less durable food.
A group of 12th Century French nuns handed out candy on St. Nicholas Day which people started saying was handed out by St. Nicholas himself. This started the practice of children receiving candy and small toys from St. Nicholas. This continued into the 19th Century when Christmas trees became common in Britain and America. The trees were initially small, and placed on a table top. The candy and small toys for the children were then hung on the Christmas tree itself. These trees with candy hanging on them were sometimes called "sugar trees". From our point of view, they didn't get very many gifts. The gifts were, by definition, small, since they were hung on tree. There were precious few gifts for adults. In the late 19th Century, gift giving at Christmas was very similar to gift giving on Easter today. In our world, on Easter, children get candy and small toys, clothes, and Easter-themed gifts. On Easter, kids get a tiny fraction of the number of gifts they receive at Christmas. On Easter, most adults don't get any gifts at all. This is the form that gift giving at Christmas took in the late 19th Century.
However, as time went on, the industrial revolution produced more and more manufactured toys. People gave their children more gifts, larger gifts, and it became more common for adults to receive gifts. The gifts became too large and numerous to hang on the tree, and so they were placed underneath the tree. As more people bought more toys, companies realized this could be a big money maker, and so they promoted the practice of giving gifts. There came about a powerful dynamic between customers and companies which caused gift giving to become a bigger and bigger thing, and ultimately caused Christmas itself to become a bigger and bigger thing. Stores promoted gift giving in their advertising. This caused people to buy more gifts. At the same, the more people bought gifts, the greater the motivation for stores to further promote Christmas shopping to tap into this lucrative potential market. The more stores promoted the practice of buying gifts, the more gifts people bought. The more gifts people bought, the more stores promoted the practice of buying gifts. This created a feedback mechanism that spun out of control.
In the process, Christmas itself became a bigger and bigger and bigger thing. Stores put up Christmas decorations to try to lure people into the store to do their Christmas shopping. As time went on, stores started putting up their decorations earlier and earlier, hoping people would start their Christmas shopping earlier, and ultimately end up buying more. City governments would put up decorations, and put on Christmas parades and other events, at least partly out of the hope that it would boost the local economy. Almost every aspect of the 20th Century Christmas you can think of is in some way tied in with a profit motive. The 20th Century Christmas was created and driven by commercialism. Eventually, Christmas became such a huge gigantic titanic thing, you can't put it into words. The 20th Century Christmas became far larger than the Victorian Christmas, the Roman Saturnalia, or any other holiday to ever existed anywhere in the world throughout all of human history.
In the 19th Century, Christmas trees were small, and placed on a table top. The candy and toys were hung directly onto the tree itself. The tree had no other decorations. As the gifts became larger, and more numerous, you could no longer hang them on the tree. Therefore, the gifts were placed under the tree. Girls might receive a china doll or a needlepoint set. Gifts for boys were usually military in nature. They might receive toy soldiers or a pop gun. Although we don't think of it today, in the 19th Century, horns and drums were considered military paraphernalia. Therefore these became stereotypical gifts for boys, much to the dismay of parents who may have otherwise hoped for a quiet Christmas morning. This is why the modern song "Santa Claus is coming to town" mentions "rooty-toot-toots and rummy-tum-tums".
When the gifts were taken off the tree, and instead placed underneath it, this created a new problem which is that the branches of the tree were now bare. Previously the gifts themselves were the decorations on the tree. When the gifts were instead placed under the tree, they needed new decorations to place on the tree itself. In the 1880's in eastern Germany, they started producing hand-blown glass ornaments. Frank Winfield Wolworth, who founded Wolworths stores, started importing them to the U.S. around that same time. They were all handmade, and thus very expensive. In 1939, a light bulb company called Corning Glass Factory in upstate New York modified their machines to produce Christmas balls. They were marketed under the name "Shiny Bright". They were much simpler than the handmade ones, but could be mass produced in enormous quantities, and were much cheaper. Soon everyone had glass Christmas balls on their tree. During World War II, Christmas balls had to be produced without any metal parts since the metal was needed for the war effort.
In the 19th Century, people put live candles on their Christmas trees. Of course, this was an obvious fire hazard. The trees were only kept lit for about 10 minutes, and they always had a bucket of water nearby. In 1879, Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb. One of the first uses of the light bulb was Christmas lights. Only three years after the light bulb was invented, in 1882, the vice president of Edison's company, Edward Johnson, had 80 electric lights added to the tree in his parlor. However, it wasn't until the 1920's, when most people got electricity, that electric lights on Christmas trees became common. Throughout the 20th Century, Christmas tree light bulbs still retained sort of a pointy shape to suggest the flame of a candle. In the 1940's, they got bubble lights which also suggested a flickering candle flame. Once, you have a long string of Christmas lights, there is no logical reason why it should be restricted to only Christmas trees. In the 1950's, people started putting these lights on the outside of their houses. As time went on, these outdoor light displays became more and more elaborate.
President Theodore Roosevelt thought that Christmas trees were a wasteful depletion of the trees in our nation's forests. Therefore, in 1901, he did not have a Christmas tree in the White House. His young son wanted a Christmas tree so badly, he bought his own tree, and hid it in the closet. When Teddy Roosevelt discovered this, he was so moved, he let the family have a Christmas tree after all. However, still concerned about the depletion of trees from forests, he started the first Christmas tree farms.
In the 19th Century, Christmas gifts were usually wrapped in white paper. In 1918, a small store owned by Joyce Hall, ran out of this white paper. He went to the warehouse, and got fancy paper that was intended as lining for envelopes. He tried selling that instead, and it sold out immediately. Cheaper printing techniques made it possible for elaborate gift wrap to be mass produced. In 1910, Joyce Hall started selling Christmas postcards, and later founded Hallmark.
Normally in store windows, they just showed the merchandise. Then in the 1870's, R. H. Macy thought up the idea of putting elaborate Christmas decorations in the windows to draw people into the store. He had mechanical Santas and other figures. In the 20th Century, it became common for stores to put up elaborate window displays during the Christmas season.
In 1924, Macy's held a parade called the Macy's Christmas Parade. Later, the name was changed to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. It’s frequently claimed that the employees spontaneously did it on their own but really it was organized by the company to encourage people to go to the store. They had floats, bands, clowns, and live animals from the Central Park Zoo. In 1927, the animals were replaced with a giant helium balloon version of Felix the Cat. From then on, they had giant helium filled balloons. In 1928, they released the balloons into the sky after the parade. When they reached the thin air of the upper atmosphere, they burst. In 1929, they were released with safety valves. They offered prizes for those who located them. The parade was suspended during World War II. Aside from that, it's been held every year on Thanksgiving.
The other major parade, which takes place at the end of the Christmas season, is the Rose Parade on New Year’s in Pasadena, California. The first Tournament of Roses parade was staged in 1890 by members of Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club, former residents of the East and Midwest eager to showcase their new home's mild winter weather. More than 2,000 people turned out on New Year's Day to watch a parade of flower-covered carriages, followed by foot races, polo matches and tugs-of-war on the town lot. The abundance of flowers prompted Professor Holder to suggest "Tournament of Roses" as a suitable name for the festival. During the next few years, the festival expanded to include marching bands and motorized floats. The games on the town lot, which was re-named Tournament Park in 1900, included ostrich races, bronco busting demonstrations and a race between a camel and an elephant. In 1895, the Tournament of Roses Association was formed to take charge of the festival, which had grown too large for the Valley Hunt Club to handle.
In the late 19th Century, in Brocken, Massachusetts, there was a small general store owned by a man named James Edgar. As a publicity stunt, he frequently dressed up as famous people. He dressed up as all the Civil War generals. He dressed up as clowns and Uncle Sam. In December 1890, he decided to dress up as Santa Claus. He could not have imagined the reaction. It set off a sensation. Children flocked to his store. People traveled from all over the surrounding area just to see him. Other stores were quick to pounce on this potential money maker. It soon became customary for stores to have a man dressed up as Santa Claus.
Other stores came up with other ways of drawing customers into their store. In 1939, Montgomery Wards decided to give away a promotional gift to their customers to encourage them to go their stores. They decided on a children's book. In 1939, Robert L. May wrote a children's book called "Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer". Anyone who bought something at Montgomery Wards would receive it as a free gift. They could not have imagined the reaction. The story became immensely popular. Rudolf became the second most popular Christmas character, second only to Santa Claus himself. In 1949, Johnny Marks wrote the song "Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer" which is one of the most popular Christmas songs. Clement C. Moore invented the names of the reindeer, and one was named "Donder" which was German for "thunder". Another one was named "Blitzen" which was German for "lightning". However, the song by Johnny Marks has the name "Donner" instead of "Donder". Over time, "Donder" changed into "Donner".
Of course, "Rudolf" was not the only famous Christmas song written in the 20th Century. "Frosty the Snowman" was written by Steve Nelson and Walter E. Rollins in 1950. "The Christmas Song" is the official title of the Christmas song that begins "Chestnuts roasting over an open fire". The words were written by Robert Wells, and the music was written by Mel Torme, in 1945. They wrote it in a sweltering July for the purpose of cooling off. "Winter Wonderland" was written in 1934, with words by Richard B. Smith, and music by Felix Bernard. "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" is usually attributed to Wilf Carter who was a cowboy singer who went by the name Montana Slim. "Sleigh Ride" was written in 1948, with words by Mitchell Parish, and music by Leroy Anderson. "White Christmas" was written by Irving Berlin in 1942, for the movie "Holiday Inn". The first verse is usually left off today. The words to "Do you hear what I hear?" were written by Noel Regney, and the music was by Gloria Shayne. "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" was written in 1934, with words by Haven Gillespie, and music by J. Fred Coots. The words to "Here Comes Santa Claus" were written by Gene Autry when he was in a parade, and kids started shouting "Here Comes Santa Claus" because they thought he was Santa Claus. "Let it Snow" was written in 1945, with words by Sammy Cahn, and music by Jule Styne. "Silver Bells" was written in 1950 by Jay Livingstone and Ray Evans.
Another invention of Thomas Edison that was rapidly employed for the purpose of Christmas was the motion picture. In 1903, a movie was made about Santa Claus. Since then, hundreds of Christmas movies have been made. There have been some very strange ones, such as Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964). Holiday Inn (1942) directed by Mark Sandrich is a song and dance movie with Fred Astaire. The Bells of Saint Mary (1945) directed by Leo McCarey is about a rivalry between a priest and nun at a Catholic school. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) directed by Frank Capra is about an angel who helps a despairing man see the positive impact he has had on the community. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) directed by George Seaton is about when the real Santa Claus shows up. People say he's insane but he goes to court to prove he's the real Santa Claus. It starred Natalie Wood as a little girl. There were remakes in 1973 and 1994. There were versions of the Christmas Carol made in 1917, 1938, 1951, 1954, 1972, 1984, and 1995. There were versions of Heidi made in 1937, 1952, 1965, 1968, and 1993. A few modern Christmas movies are Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), National Lampoon Christmas Vacation (1989), Prancer (1989), Home Alone (1990), The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), The Santa Clause (1994), Jingle All the Way (1996), and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).
When television became common in the 1950's, that medium was also quickly utilized for Christmas. People such as Bing Crosby, Perry Cuomo, and Andy Williams had Christmas music specials. Television series had Christmas episodes. There were many Christmas specials that were aired every year, and became perennial favorites. Examples include Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), Frosty the Snowman (1969), The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), The Story of the First Christmas Snow (1975), The Little Drummer Boy (1968), The Little Drummer Boy Book II (1976), The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey Nestor (1977), Pinocchio's Christmas (1980), A Smoky Mountain Christmas (1986), A Wish for Wings That Work (1991), and Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (1991). Many specials were made by Rankin & Bass.
Just as there is tremendous variation throughout European folklore concerning Saint Nicholas and other characters who leave gifts, there is also great variation of other Christmas traditions throughout the world. I've already discussed Christmas traditions in England and the United States. In Ireland, they celebrate St. Stephan Day on December 26. Young men in extravagant dress, sometimes wearing masks, parade noisily through the streets in the Wren Boys' Procession. They carry a long pole on top of which is attached a holly bush. The bush supposedly contains a captured wren, for whose sake the young men beg for money. The money is then donated to charity. In Scotland, they celebrate Christmas rather somberly, and reserve their merriment for New Year's Eve which is called Hogmanay. The word derives from a type of oat cake traditionally given to children on New Year's Eve. The first person to set foot in a residence on New Year's Day is thought to profoundly affect the fortunes of the inhabitants. Generally, strangers are thought to bring good luck. Depending on the area, it may be thought better to have a dark haired or fair haired person set foot in the house. This tradition is called "first footing". In Wales, caroling is particularly popular. It is called "eisteddfodde" and is often accompanied by a harp. In some rural areas, a villager is chosen to be the "Mari Hwyd". This person travels around the town draped in white, and carrying a long pole with a horse's skull on the end. Anyone touched by the skull is officially "bitten" and must pay a fine. Another Welsh custom is to leave your doors and windows unlocked on Christmas Eve, in case Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary were to show up needing a room for the night, they'd be able to get in.
In France, around Christmas, nearly every home has a nativity scene or crèche which serves as the focus of the Christmas celebration. The crèche is often peopled with little clay figures called "santons" or "little saints". An extensive tradition has evolved around these little figures which are made by craftsmen in southern France throughout the year. In addition to the usual Holy Family, shepherds, Magi, and angels, the craftsmen also produce figures in the form of local dignitaries and other characters. Although the practice of the Yule log has faded,, the French make a traditional Yule-log shaped cake called "buche de Nol" or "Christmas log". The cake, along with other food in great abundance, is served at the grand feast of the season which is called "le rveillion". This is a very late dinner eaten after midnight mass on Christmas Eve. What is eaten varies by region. In Alsace, goose is the main course. In Burgundy, it is turkey with chestnuts. The Parisians feast on oysters and pat de foie gras. In the Netherlands, farmers blow long horns at sunset throughout the Christmas season.
In Germany, the Christmas season begins on the first Sunday of Advent known simply as "Advent". The Advent wreath originated with the German Lutherans. Today, Advent wreaths are popular throughout Germany and Austria. The Advent calendar, an elaborate calendar with windows used to count down the days until Christmas, also originated in Germany. The Christmas tree owes its widespread popularity to Germany. In 1880, glassmakers in Thuringia discovered how to make blown glass balls and bells which became the decorations used to trim Christmas trees all over the world. In many German cities, special festive markets with decorated booths and stalls are set up weeks before Christmas. The most famous of these is Christmas Market in Nuremberg which has a history of more than 400 years, and is attended by people from many countries. Only items related to Christmas may be sold there. The festival lasts for three weeks from early December until Christmas. In Germany, the highpoint of the Christmas season is the midnight mass on Christmas Eve, which is celebrated by both Catholics and Protestants. German cooks begin baking honey and almond cookies called "Dauergebach", and gingerbread called "Pfefferkuchen" as early as July. They are still edible at Christmas. Other Christmas treats include "Springerle" which are little hard cakes with designs on top, and chocolate pretzels called "Brezel". For some reason, the Germans make things called "prune people" which are dolls where the head is a walnut, the body is a fig, and the arms and legs are raisons or prunes. A more impressive example of German folk art are these wooden things called "pyramids" that contain little wooden figures such as a nativity scene. Hot air rising from candles turn a propeller on top, which make the figures and scenes spin around.
In Austria and Bavaria, groups of children called "Star Singers" go caroling door to door on the Epiphany, January 6. Three of them are dressed up as the Three Kings, and one of them carries a long pole with a giant star hanging off the end of it. They sing a special Three Kings song. You're supposed to give them candy. Today, they sometimes collect money for charity.
In Spain, Christmas is a deeply religious holiday. The country's patron saint is the Virgin Mary, and the Christmas season officially begins on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is celebrated each year in front of the great Gothic cathedral in Seville with a ceremony called "Los Seises" or the "dance of six". Oddly, the elaborate ritual dance performed by not six but ten elaborately costumed boys. It is a series of precise movements and gestures that is supposed to be incredibly beautiful. There are people in the audience who are literally moved to tears. Christmas Eve is known as "Nochebuena" or "The Good Night". It is a time for family members to gather together to rejoice and feast around the nativity scenes that are present in nearly every home. A traditional Christmas treat is "turron", a kind of almond candy. December 28 is the Feast of the Holy Innocents. Young boys in rural villages light bonfires. In each village, one of the young boys acts as the mayor, and orders the townspeople to perform civic chores, such as sweeping the streets. Refusal to comply results in fines which are used to help pay for the celebration. Also in Spain, at midnight on New Year's Eve, you are supposed to eat exactly twelve grapes as the clock strikes twelve.
In Portugal, Christmas is celebrated similar to how it is in Spain. In addition, the Portuguese have a feast called "consoada" in the early morning hours of Christmas Day. They set extra places at the table for "alminhas a penar" or "the souls of the dead". In some areas, crumbs are left on the hearth for these souls, a custom that derives from the ancient practice of entrusting seeds to the dead in hopes that they will provide a good harvest.
Throughout Russia and Eastern Europe, people go on a long fast ending on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. In Russia, Christmas Eve dinner is meatless, and includes a special porridge called "kutya". In Poland, the "Wigilia" is a 24 hour fast beginning on Christmas Eve, and ending in a huge Christmas feast. The feast consists of 12 courses, one for each of the 12 Apostles. The dinner is officially meatless. However, they did not consider fish or other seafood to be meat, so they are allowed. The table is always set with an empty chair and empty place setting either for departed relatives or the Holy Ghost. Straw is sometimes placed under the table cloth in remembrance of the manger. In honor of the Star of Bethlehem, the meal can not begin until the first star appears in the sky that night. In Poland, a star is a very common symbol for Christmas.
In Mexico, the word for crèche is "nacimiento". The crèche includes uniquely Mexican elements such as a rooster that crowed to announce the birth of the Christ Child, fish in the river, and the Devil trying to tempt the shepherds from their journey. On the Epiphany, Jan 6, they have a special ring-shaped bread called "rosca". Baked into it are little plastic figures of the Christ Child. If you get one in your piece of bread, you are declared Godparent to the Christ Child. It is the responsibility of the Godparents to host a party on Feb 2, when Jesus was baptized. The nacimento is kept up until then.
In Mexico, they have a series of nine processions called “Posadas”. They do it every night for nine days from December 16 to December 24. They were invented by San Ignacio de Loyola to teach the Indians the story of the Nativity. These are detailed reenactments of the journey of Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The procession includes Mary riding a donkey, Jopseph, shepherds, angels, the three kings, etc. The participants are called "peregrinos". Sometimes, all of the participants are children. Sometimes, there is an audience participation aspect as they knock on the doors of houses, and ask if there is room at the inn. You are supposed to say no. At the end of the procession on the last day, they arrive at a preselected location, perhaps a live nativity scene, and the peregrinos break into two groups, the pilgrims and innkeepers. In a ritualized exchange, the pilgrims ask repeatedly to spend the night, and finally the innkeepers relent and let them stay. This is followed by a huge party. Part of the reason for luminaries is to light the way for Mary and Joseph.
Since you see a piñata every time you go in a Mexican restaurant, you forget they were originally for Christmas. The piñata was invented in China. Then sailors brought it Italy. From there it went to Spain. They brought it to Mexico where it became more popular than anywhere else. It’s a hanging cardboard thing filled with candy. Children are blindfolded, and try to hit it with a stick. The traditional shape of the piñata is a sphere with seven conical points which represent the seven deadly sins. Breaking the piñata represents defeating these sins, and resisting their temptation.
There is no country in the world more obsessed with Christmas than the United States. In New York City, holiday shoppers stop to watch skaters on the ice beneath the tree at Rockefeller Center while others gaze in awe at the magnificent Neapolitan Baroque figures on the Angel Tree at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In Texas, you can join a Tex-Mex "posada" in San Antonio or travel 70 miles north to Fredericksburg for a German-style Christmas Market. The South has a long Christmas tradition going back to the first English Christmas at Jamestown. Today in New Orleans, thousands of carolers gather each year in Jackson Square for a huge community sing while bonfires are lit all along the Mississippi River. In Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, an enchanted forest of 43 international trees and three crèches decorated by the city's cultural community groups is on display through January 7. Appropriate ethnic food is served in the cafeteria and various ethnic groups present folk dances and story hours throughout the season. In Washington, D. C., the focal point of the season is the lighting of the National Tree on the Ellipse. A large tree represents the nation with smaller trees representing each state. While the Kennedy Center presents a wide-variety of Christmas programs, and a very popular event is the "Messiah" sing-in at the concert hall. Boston is also famous for its annual Christmas presentation of "Messiah" by the Handel-Haydn Society as well as the caroling festivities on Beacon Hill. The "Nation's Christmas Tree" in California's Kings Canyon National Park is the site of a special annual celebration. Carolers sing at the base of the 267-foot sequoia each year and the size of the group depends on the depth of the heavy snows in the park. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, founded by Moravian missionaries on Christmas Eve, 1741 starts off the season with a huge Christmas Market. The holiday decorations in most buildings in the city consist of a single candle in each window. A giant lighted star can be seen on top of South Mountain and is visible for twenty miles. St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in the U. S., has the entire historic area draped in white lights. There is a city ordinance which prevents anyone from displaying outdoor Christmas lights that are not white. The one exception is a colorfully decorated tree in the town square that is set up under the white lights hung in ancient live oak trees. Thousands of people flock to Hollywood, California for the annual Parade of Stars while others converge on Balboa Park in San Diego for Christmas concerts on the what is supposedly world's largest outdoor pipe organ. In Salt Lake City, the great classical music of Christmas is presented by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir while a small choir in St. Joseph's Church in Washington, New Jersey sings "Silent Night" while bathed in the light of an antique stained glass window depicting the Nativity.