Winter Festivals Part II: Three Kings Day

January 7th, 2012
Rosca de Reyes for Three Kings day

Rosca de Reyes is a traditional sweet bread made for Three Kings Day

Our next stop in Explorica’s three-part winter festival series is for Three Kings Day, which is also known as Epiphany. Three Kings Day is a Christian festival that is celebrated twelve days after the birth of Jesus when the three kings are said to have first set eyes on the newborn baby. But if you couldn’t make the Three Kings Day celebrations scheduled for January 6th in Western Europe and the United States, then you’ll have a second chance on January 19th if you head over to Russia. Confused? Well, this is because Christians in Western Europe and the USA adhere to the Gregorian calendar where the birth of Jesus is celebrated on December 25th. Whereas Eastern Orthodox Christians, such as those in Russia, follow the Julian calendar where Jesus’ birthday is January 7th. And it’s not just the day of the Three Kings that is different around the world. Countries celebrate differently, too. In France, people bake little treats called King cake that will break your teeth if you’re not careful. (There’s a porcelain king baked right inside!) And in Puerto Rico, before children go to bed at night on January 5th, they leave a box of hay under their beds to feed the kings’ camels that are said to pass by in the night. In return for this good gesture, children hope to find gifts from the kings when they wake in the morning. Lastly, in Greece people enact an ancient tradition called The Blessing of the Waters where a priest throws a cross as far as he can into a harbor ready for young men to brave the cold and swim out to retrieve it for good luck. The people do for fortune!

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Winter Festivals Around the World

January 6th, 2012

Snow on Branches


Brrr… Winter can get mighty cold in some places. And if that makes you think about hunkering down, historically, it’s been the perfect time for a party! As early as 9000 B.C. people have celebrated the year’s harvest with fingers (tightly) crossed that it’d be enough to keep the community fed through barren January to April. And since 46 B.C., since Julius Caesar put the shortest day of the year—winter solstice—on the calendar, winter festivities have wrapped in the passing of the old and the rebirth of the new. Of course, some celebrations live beyond those days of yore. Let’s take a brisk tour of three very different winter festivals around the world in this three-part winterval series on Kwanzaa, Three Kings Day and Fastnacht.

Kwanzaa

Our first stop is in the United States for Kwanzaa, a festival held annually between December 26 and January 1 to commemorate African American heritage. It’s based on an old African harvest tradition. And, in fact, the word Kwanzaa itself is Swahili meaning “first fruits.” But the Kwanzaa that we know today is a relatively new celebration, created by a Californian Black Studies professor named Maulana Karenga in 1966. It was designed to include seven key principles—self-determination, unity, creativity, purpose, cooperative economics, faith and collective responsibility—that are central to African American family values and culture. On each day of Kwanzaa, the family gathers together to talk about one of these seven principles. And traditionally, the youngest person at the festival will light one of seven candles on the kinara (a candle holder) while the discussion takes place. By day seven, all seven candles will be burning brightly. And families mix in lots of other objects into the week-long celebration. Some of these include a mat called a mkeka which is placed underneath the kinara, two ears of corn called muhindi to represent community, a communal cup that symbolizes unity and a flag in the red, green and black colors of Africa. The festival peaks on December 31st when revelers enjoy an authentic African or African-American feast called Karamu. This might be black-eyed peas and collard greens (representing good luck and money in the coming year) or traditional gumbo—a blend of West African, Spanish and French style cooking that was first served in Louisiana in the 18th century. With over 18 million people said to celebrate Kwanzaa in the 21st century, that’s a whole lot of Kwanzaa family fun!

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New Year’s with the Scots

December 31st, 2011

Scots take great pride in their New Year’s celebration, so much so that they have their own name for it, Hogmanay. (Say that ten times fast!) While the origin of the word is somewhat obscure, it can be traced back to either a French, Norse or Gaelic roots. How’s that for a toss up? What is known, however, is that the Scots aren’t shy about making some noise during the festivities. That’s probably because for about 400 years, from the end of the 17th century to the 1950′s, Christmas holiday was celebrated quietly, if at all. Scotland upheld St. Columba’s monastic tradition—that every day is God’s day and no one day is more important than another. Since Christmas was just another ordinary day, most people began to let loose during the turning of the New Year—a seemingly more acceptable reason to celebrate. Ironically, the spreading of good will didn’t always appear merry to outsiders. It used to begin with a lump of coal. The brownish-black carbonic stuff is still given as a gesture of warmth and good luck for the coming year, part of a custom called “first footing.” Why the name? The first person to step their foot across the threshold of a friend or neighbor’s home brings gifts to begin the New Year with good fortune.

If coal is good luck in Scotland, fire is an even “brighter” prospect. That’s the case when sparks fly in Stonehaven, located along the country’s northeast coast. In this region, the streets fill with men swinging 20-pound fireballs from 5-foot polls. The fireballs signify the power of the sun and hurling its flames across the towns is meant to purify the neighborhoods of evil spirits. Think of it as a “surefire” way to start a clean slate every year!

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New Year’s in Australia

December 30th, 2011

The land down under does it up for the New Year. From small town celebrations to worldwide fanfare, let’s take a peak at how Australia rings it in. First, there are some simple things. Where a Waterford Crystal ball sliding down a pole is part of a North American countdown, the Aussie’s count up—making noise with the 12 rings of a church bell. (Maybe one for every passing month?) The sound brings thousands to their feet to cheer, hug, kiss and play various instruments. The bell strikes are the first of a wave of musical merrymaking marking the turning of the year.

Following the Gregorian calendar, Aussies celebrate the New Year on January 1st. But why stop there? Not only does the celebration continue until January 6th, the festivities are such good time that Australia ushers in masses of travelers expressly for the holiday hoopla. Maybe because Australians have the privilege of hosting one of the first New Year’s celebrations in the world due to its geographical location (and a little thing called time zones.) For this reason, the spectacular Midnight Fireworks—hailed as one of the best pyrotechnic shows on earth—is broadcast all over the world and viewed by up to 1 billion strong. And since the light show made by exploding gunpowder originated in 7th century China, it’s no wonder Australia has a strong Chinese influence. Festivities ignite again all over Australia for Chinese New Year as many communities put on lively parades and parties for up to 15 days of celebrations. As if it’s not enough to be the first host and offer the best light show, to top it off, Australian New Year celebrations have the pleasure of warm weather. Locals create their own kind of light show, building fantastic bonfires along the beaches. Beautiful Bondi Beach, a stop on our Sydney tour, is a magnet for surfers around the season. Talk about kicking in the New Year with a splash!

 

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Out with the old, in with the New Year!

December 28th, 2011

THREE…TWO…ONE! Happy New Year! Felice Anno Nuovo! Bliadhna mhath ur! While New Year celebrations in many parts of the world consist of fireworks, ball dropping and bar hopping, some countries ring in the New Year with pretty interesting traditions that date back hundreds, even thousands of years. This week, Explorica takes a look at some unique customs in Italy, the land down under and the lively Gaelic country of Scotland.

New Years, Italian Style

When in Italy, food is sure to be on the brain – and in the belly. It’s not surprising that “La Fiesta di San Silvestro,” New Years Eve in Italy, is full of feasting with friends and family. And what meal wouldn’t be complete without stuffed pig’s trotter? The guests of honor for the New Years feast include lentils, which symbolize money and good fortune, cotechino, or spiced sausage and zampone, stuffed pigs trotter (the foot of the pig – yum!). The pork options symbolize richness in life and health for the year to come. There’s no room at this table for evil spirits, so, to ward off any demons one Italian tradition involves lighting a fire on New Year’s Eve. Once the evil spirits have been scared away plenty of room is left for good things to enter the home for the New Year. This Christian custom is also tied to the tale of the Virgin Mary entering homes to warm her newborn son.

In some parts of Italy, one custom still practiced has people throwing old things out their windows as a gesture of readiness for the New Year. Things range from old clothing to even furniture. Don’t forget your hard hats! No protective gear is needed for the dazzling fireworks and music festivals that line the countryside. One particular celebration in St. Mark’s Square (which you’ll see on our tour of Venice), has helped put Venice on the map as one of the most romantic cities in the world. Here, Italians and travelers celebrate with a lively celebration full of music, fireworks and, of course, a giant group kiss at midnight. This kiss, a relatively new tradition, has helped seal Venice’s romantic reputation. In 2009 the event drew a record breaking 70,000 people. If you’re as superstitious as some Italians, don’t forget to wear your red underwear on New Years. It’s known to bring great luck for the New Year. Ciao Bella!

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