Our Little Christmas

I guess our little Christmas started with a visit from some good friends. They were galavanting off to Italy for their holidays. The wee man got to open his first Christmas present and we are now firm Lego fans!

Christmas Eve mummy decided to bake some gingerbread cookies. I got the recipe from wee mans peppa pig Christmas magazine of all places. He had so much fun doing helping out that it might be a new Christmas tradition. Actually it was very much a family effort. Never mind that I discovered rather belatedly that we did not have any ginger! I did have Christmas themed cookie cutters though! They tasted very yummy if I don't say so myself.

As hubby is Italian we like to eat fish on Christmas Eve. He was in the kitchen all evening and turned out a wonderful meal for mummy!

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Christmas morning there was no delay in opening the presents. Once the wee man got the hang of it there was no stopping him. Thankfully he still does not get the whole Santa thing except that he goes Ho Ho Ho. 

We went to Church on Christmas morning so we left the cooking till the wee man had a nap. We decided to wait till after wee man's nap to have a family Christmas tea which turned out really great. It was nice to be sat at the table together tucking in!

It really was a happy and merry Christmas. We were small in numbers but our hearts were full.

Celebrating traditions

On December 13th Italians celebrate the feast of Santa Lucia. I have heard of it before as my hubby usually still recieves sweets, part of the festivities for the children, from his parents, packaged in a box from Italy. This year was actually our first year to be in Italy for the feast day. Santa Lucia usually arrives on a donkey where she brings gifts to children who have been good and coal to those that have been bad. We were all obviously good this year and got lots of sweets...

Even the bean was not forgotten and he isn't even born yet...but then again mummy gets to eat it. He also got a cute little present as well. Of course hubby was particularly enamoured with it.

 It gets me thinking though being part of a family which celebrates different traditions and even the same traditions in different ways. I guess depending on which grandparent he is visiting at the time will depend on what he gets to experience. The exciting thought though is that we get to create little special tradtions all of our own.

THE STORY

As legend states in the city of Syracuse, on the island of Sicily, a child by the name of Lucia was born in the year 283 to a wealthy Sicilian family. As she grew older she choose to live her life like that of St. Agatha, who was a revered saint in a nearby town. With that she vowed to remain a virgin and give her possessions to the poor and needy.

Lucia, which means light, lived during the time where Christians were persecuted for their belief in God. This didn't prevent her from bringing food to the many Christians who hid in underground tunnels. To find her way she would wear a wreath with candles while carrying a tray of food. As custom would have it a suitor was chosen for her to wed, but marriage was not in her plans especially to a pagan. It was this same pagan who told authorities that Lucia was a Christian. Once they heard this they ruled that Lucia should be sent to a brothel, but this is where her will and belief in God took over. When it came time to take her she became impossible to move. Once this happened they opted to burn her at the stake, but the blazing fire did not harm her. Finally, she was struck down by the sword to the throat on December 13, 304.

Long after her death there was a great famine that spread throughout the land. In 1582 the prayers of the people of Syracuse were answered when a boat appeared in the harbor, on December 13, filled with grains. Instead of making flour from the grain they decided to boil it and eat it.

Like most saints, there is always more than one legend surrounding their life. Another legend states that she was blinded as a result of her faith, but God restored her sight. She was later persecuted for her belief in Christianity. No matter which legend you believe in, Lucia was a brave, caring and special woman whose popularity spread throughout the land. She is portrayed in many paintings holding a plate that has a pair of eyes on it. This is why she is the patron saint of the blind.

Easter reflections

One of the great things about travelling is experiences different cultures and the way that they do things, sometimes differently and sometimes surprisingly the same.

My memories of Easter at home in Jamaica are mainly around religious traditions. As a family we would abstain every Friday and not eat any meat. I remember not complaining too much as that usually meant we would have a special delivery of veggie pizza that night to look forward to. The penultimate was Good Friday which was usually the dreaded day of sitting at home and not being able to do anything! I remember as a little girl at prep school making our Easter bonnets for our Easter parade...'I've an Easter bonnet with all the frills upon it....' singing and parading in front of the older children at the school. There was definitely a feeling of importance there being on show. I don't remember Easter eggs or eggs hunts.

When I arrived to the UK I found that they even sold cards to help you celebrate the event. The stores would start advertising the sales of their Easter eggs from early in the year once they got Christmas and the New Year out of the way! Cadbury cream eggs...I must say they are a sticky favourite with me. You mean the Easter bunny actually exists and they have Easter egg hunts. I remember celebrating my first Easter at work with the children, putting on my bunny ears and tail, heading out in the garden and hiding the eggs for the children to hunt and collect in their baskets...if they don't eat them first!

Then there is Italy, Buona Pasqua, with our celebrations on Easter Sunday as usual centred around food. I love this place and I love Pannetonne! Of course they really go to town with their Easter eggs here and it's amazing some of the special things that you find inside. Hubby will always have a special place in his heart for kinder eggs and being able to build his special toy!

And now I have just experienced my first Easter in New Zealand. Waking up early on Easter Sunday and heading to church and with a special Italian twist as our Easter egg that afternoon travelled all the way from there. I find myself again at work with the children hiding the eggs and watching their excited faces as they venture on the hunt.

However you celebrate, however you do it, Happy Easter!