At our December meeting we enjoyed a talk by Juyna Lewis telling us about Christmas customs around the world.
Juyna became interested in other customs when she hosted teachers who taught English in their own countries.
Julna told us the history of our celebrations. From Oliver Cromwell banning Christmas to Prince Albert introducing Christmas trees, then in 1840 we had Christmas crackers and in 1843 Christmas cards. It is widely thought that Father Christmas dressed in a red suit is the result of a Coca Cola advert in 1930s but is it?
Juyna related many examples of different customs. In Germany children polish their shoes and boots and leave them outside for sweets, whilst in Czechia they eat carp deep fried with a Russian salad. In Iceland Yule lads create havoc 13 days before Christmas. Whilst in the Basque country the Madonna wears black robe not blue.
Juyna finished her talk by showing us several nativity scenes from around the world.
Judy Leggett