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And through them, we have an opportunity to explore the rich and varied heritage of Christmases past. We all contribute to making our Shropshire Christmases the diverse celebration of culture that they really are.
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Lucia’s Day, Borodin to Día de las Velitas, from Kiahk to sochelnik. Repeat that for every family in Oswestry, for every family in Shropshire, for every family in Britain, with relatives and family connections across the globe, from Hong Kong to Oman, Patagonia to Orkney, Birmingham to Bombay – and you end up with a Christmas that’s a patchwork quilt of influences, customs, traditions and inheritances, from Yule to St. Whatever these little family traditions and customs might be, they are echoes of different kinds of Christmases – Christmas in America, Christmas in Germany, Christmas in 1969, Christmas during the war – and when we repeat them, and make them part of the way we “do” Christmas, we are preserving bits of other cultures and other times. Maybe it’s a figurine left by a great-grandparent, maybe it’s just the tradition of going to visit the Aunts in Dorset on Boxing Day maybe it’s a certain set of German Christmas carols that always get sung, or a particular American recipe for egg-nog that you always mix maybe you always buy tins of Celebrations, not Roses – maybe you always have Christmas dinner, not Christmas lunch maybe you only put red ribbons and fairy lights on the tree, not tinsel and baubles. When it comes to Christmas, just about everyone has something “old” associated with what they do or how they decorate their house. I think we have to look to “heritage” rather than “history” or “archaeology” to help explain this one – and to the way in which ordinary people – like us – relate to the past. How does this happen? How do we end up with bits of Saturnalia embedded into Christmas, despite the fact that the Romans and their religions haven’t been seen in Britain for almost two thousand years? Take something as “traditional” as a Shropshire Christmas, and you will find within it echoes of Celtic, Roman, mediaeval and eastern European winter festivals and celebrations. The heritage of Oswestry, of the Borderlands, of Shropshire, of England, of Britain, of Europe is the result of the bringing together of customs, history and traditions from thousands of different peoples across thousands of years.
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In certain areas of France, the traditional Christmas dinner involves thirteen – yes, thirteen – desserts! And that’s after the huge main meal! The desserts represent Christ and the 12 apostles at the Last Supper, and usually include fruits, nuts and sweets such as dried figs, hazelnuts or walnuts, almonds and dried grapes or a cake called Pompe à l’huile.Christmas Heritage – Week 28 of the Oswestry Heritage ComicsĮverywhere is a melting pot – and everywhere has always been a melting pot. Children will leave their shoes out overnight, and in the morning check to see whether they’ve been filled with sweets for good behaviour, or twigs for bad behaviour! Many places also have parades for la fête de Saint Nicolas, with decorated floats showing the arrival of Saint Nicolas and his evil companion le Père Fouettard. On the 6th of December, France celebrates St Nicholas’ Day.
#Dia de las velitas full
The world is full of weird and wonderful traditions for the festive season – we’ve listed just a few of our favourites here.