Christmas in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom Christmas celebrations include the beautiful Christmas music, decorated Christmas Trees and hang up evergreen branches. The English gift giver is called Father Christmas and he wears a long red or green robe, and leaves presents in stockings on Christmas Eve. However, the gifts are not usually opened until the following afternoon.

• From the English we get a story to explain the custom of hanging stockings from the mantelpiece. Father Christmas once dropped some gold coins while coming down the chimney. The coins would have fallen through the ash grate and been lost if they hadn't landed in a stocking that had been hung out to dry. Since that time children have continued to hang out stockings in hopes of finding them filled with gifts.
  
  
• The custom of singing carols at Christmas is also of English origin. During the middle ages, groups of singers called "waits" would travel around from house to house singing ancient carols and spreading the holiday spirit. The word "carol" means "song of joy." Most of the popular old carols we sing today were written in the nineteenth century.
  


• The hanging of greens, such as holly and ivy, is a British winter tradition with origins far before the Christian era. Greenery was probably used to lift sagging winter spirits and remind the people that spring was not far away. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe
  is descended from ancient Druid rites. The decorating of Christmas trees, though primarily a German custom, has been widely popular in England since 1841 when Prince Albert had a Christmas tree set up in Windsor Castle f or his wife Queen Victoria, and their children.
  
  
• In the UK, the main Christmas Meal is usually eaten at lunchtime or early afternoon on Christmas Day. It was traditionally roast goose, although it's common to have turkey now, roast vegetables and 'all the trimmings' which means stuffing and sometimes bacon and sausages. (In Scotland, some people might even have Haggis instead of turkey!) Dessert is often Christmas Pudding. Mince pies and lots of chocolates are often eaten as well! The dinner table is decorated with a cracker for each person and sometimes flowers and candles.
  
  Here's a recipe for Christmas Pudding.
  
  Christmas puddings take two days to make. On the first day, you mix the ingredients. On the second day, you prepare the basins and steam the puddings.
  These Ingredients will make one 2lb / 900g pudding or two 1lb / 450g puddings
  Ingredients:
  Metric:
  200g Currants, washed
  200g Sultanas, washed
  200g Raisins, stoned and chopped
  100g Mixed Peel, chopped
  200g Breadcrumbs
  200g Demerara Sugar
  200g Shredded Suet
  The finely grated rind and juice of one Lemon
  100g Almonds
  200g Plain Flour
  1/4 teaspoon Salt
  1 level teaspoon ground Nutmeg
  1 level teaspoon ground Cinnamon
  1 level teaspoon Mixed Spice
  3 eggs
  275ml of old beer or stout
  Imperial / American:
  7oz Currants, washed
  7oz Sultanas, washed
  7oz Raisins, stoned and chopped
  3 1/2oz Mixed Peel, chopped
  7oz Breadcrumbs
  7oz Demerara Sugar
  7oz Shredded Suet
  The finely grated rind and juice of one Lemon
  3 1/2oz Almonds
  7oz Plain Flour
  1/4 teaspoon Salt
  1 level teaspoon ground Nutmeg
  1 level teaspoon ground Cinnamon
  1 level teaspoon Mixed Spice
  3 eggs
  1/2 pint of old beer or stout
  Method:
  Mix the currants, sultanas, raisins and peel together in a large basin. Stir in the breadcrumbs, sugar, suet and lemon rind. Blanch the almonds; to do this by pouring boiling water over the nuts and then leave them to stand for a few minutes. The skins will now come off easily. Chop the almonds fairly finely and add to the fruit.
  Sift the flour, salt and spices together. Beat the eggs and add the lemon juice and stout/beer to them. Add the flour and egg mixture to the other ingredients and mix all well together. Leave overnight.
  Next day, brush the basin with melted fat and fill with the pudding mixture. Cover the basin with greased greaseproof paper, pleated across the top, and tie firmly with string. Steam the large pudding for at least eight hours, or the smaller ones for six hours.
  When the pudding is cold, re-cover it with fresh greaseproof paper, and store it in a cool, dry place. On Christmas Day (or when you want to eat it!) re-heat the pudding exactly the same way, steaming for at least two hours.

Sources:

http://whychristmas.com/cultures/uk.shtml

http://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/worldxmas/uk.htm

http://www.christmas-day.org/christmas-in-uk.html

USA Christmas Tradition...

Traditional American Christmas dinner consists of roast turkey with vegetables and sauces, goose, duck or ham served with cranberry sauce and rich fruity Christmas pudding such as plum pudding with brandy sauce, pumpkin pie, mince pies, pastries are offered as desserts followed by chopped dried fruits and nuts. Americans visit family and friends and share gifts and greetings on Christmas. In some regions, Christmas Eve to Midnight Mass is the most important part of the festival season. Since it snows in many states on Christmas, dinner is usually set indoors. Holiday home décor in America generally include holly and mistletoe along with Christmas trees decorated with tinsel, baubles, popcorn strings, candy canes and electric lights.

Santa Claus Origins in the USA

The Dutch knew St. Nicholas as Sintaklaas. When they immigrated to United States in the 17th century, they took the traditions of St Nicholas with them. However, it was in 1809 that Washington Irving introduced St. Nicholas in his novel with his original description. He smoked a pipe and flew around the world in his wagon (with no reindeers) and gave presents to children every year. Sintaklaas became popular with the novel. It was in 1863, Santa Claus was born in US in his modern incarnation with a white beard, red suit, a big belly, pipe in his mouth and a sleigh to which reindeers are harnessed.

Sources:
http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/2442829/2/istockphoto_2442829-christmas-ornaments.jpg
http://www.worldofchristmas.net/christmas-world/usa.html
http://myspaceisugly.com/files/imagecache/preview_display/files/glitters/hktreegraphic.gif

USA Christmas... the video

Usa Christmas Kitty

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Usa Christmas Kitty

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christmas tradition on the usa

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Halloween in U.S.A

Halloween tradition on U.S.A

In medieval times, one popular All Souls' Day practice was to make "soul cakes," simple bread desserts with a currant topping. In a custom called "souling," children would go door-to-door begging for the cakes, much like modern trick-or-treaters. For every cake a child collected, he or she would have to say a prayer for the dead relatives of the person who gave the cake. These prayers would help the relatives find their way out of purgatory and into heaven. The children even sang a soul cake song along the lines of the modern "Trick-or-treat, trick-or-treat, give me something good to eat." One version of the song went:

A soul cake!
A soul cake!
Have mercy on all Christian souls, for
A soul cake!

Today, for children, dressing up and trick-or-treating door-to-door is still the main event. Most households in the United States participate. Many adults dress up themselves, to go out with their children or to attend costume parties and contests.
Halloween continues to be extremely popular with kids of all ages; 85 to 90 percent of U.S. children go trick-or-treating or engage in other Halloween festivities every year, and many adults also join in on the fun.

on: http://people.howstuffworks.com/halloween7.htm
Picture:http://www.flickr.com/photos