Spain begins the Christmas season on Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. This is due to the Virgin Mary being the country’s patron saint. During this time, most homes are filled with mangers completed with carved figures.
The Spanish especially honour the cow for it is believed that when Mary gave birth to Jesus, the cow in the stable breathed on the Baby Jesus to keep Him warm.
In addition, Christmas Eve in Spain is known as Nochebuena or “the Good Night.” At this time families gather around the Nativity scenes in their homes to feast and rejoice.
Polish culture also incorporates Christ into Christmas. One of the most important symbols in Poland during Christmas is the Star of Bethlehem. It is the first star to appear on Christmas Eve and marks the end of the Advent fast and officially marks the start of the time of feasting. Once the star appears, Polish families will break and share a special rice wafer blessed by a priest called oplatki and share well-wishes with one another.
Also on Christmas Eve, Poles will usually set an extra place at the table to symbolize that Christ and the Holy Spirit are welcome in their home to share the meal. The meal traditionally consists of 12 courses to symbolize the 12 Apostles.
Then if you head west to Ireland, Christmas lasts from Christmas Eve to the feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6. On Dec. 24, candles are placed in the windows of homes as a guide for Joseph and Mary in case they are looking for shelter. After the meal is finished on Christmas Eve, bread and milk are left out and the door is left unlatched as a sign of hospitality.
From Dec. 16 to Christmas Eve, Filipinos go to Simbang Gabi, a novena of dawn Mass. In the Philippines, different provinces and schools re-enact the journey of Joseph and a pregnant Virgin Mary in search of lodging. This pageant is traditionally called Panunulúyan. Once it gets dark, the pageant starts and the actors playing Joseph and Mary go to pre-designated houses where the owners refuse them, stating that they have no room left. At this point, Mary and Joseph make their way over to the church in which a replica of the manger is set up, and here the birth of Jesus is celebrated.
In the Ukraine, Holy Supper is the central tradition on Christmas Eve. Normally, the table cloth has a few wisps of hay sewn into it or placed under it as a reminder of the manger in which Jesus was born. The Holy Supper may only commence when the first star is seen in the eastern evening sky. This star symbolizes the beginning of the trek of the Three Wise Men.
In Iraq, Christmas Eve is a time when families gather together and one of the children reads about the birth of Jesus while the rest of the family holds lit candles. After the reading is done, a bonfire of thorn bushes is lit and everyone proceeds to sing. If the thorn bushes burn to ashes, the next year shall be a lucky one. Another bonfire is lit on Christmas day in the churchyard.
The service is lead by a bishop carrying a figure of the Baby Jesus. Afterwards, he blesses one person with a touch, which symbolizes that the person has been touched with peace. That person passes the touch on until everyone present has felt the “touch of peace.”
But there is one Christmas tradition many Catholics still celebrate around the globe: midnight Mass as another way to keep Christ in Christmas.
(Swist, 16, is a student at Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School in Toronto.)