Celebrating Old Christmas

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Do any of you celebrate Old Christmas? We do. I celebrate every holiday I have coming! Whether I was born into it or married into it.Makes no difference to me.

Hey,I'm very proud of my "mongrel" heritage, as one woman once so kindly put it when I explained my family tree.Best dogs I've had have ALL been mongrels.

Some people here still remember Old Christmas.It is January 6th,by the Julian calander.I don't know their traditions.

We celebrate Orthodox Christmas.No,not Jewish Orthodox as some have asked me before.My inlaws paternal side is serbian.

We have wonderful traditions that go with it.I have to call my Mom in law and find out the rest,But I know a few.

Jan 6 is Christmas eve and you do not eat meat.But you roast a pig on a stick,at my in laws,this was in front of a fireplace that my father in law had specially designed.It was a wide & shallow rumford design that really threw the heat into the room. Sitting in that room was like being on the beach,felt like you should be wearing a swimsuit and sunglasses.

The roaster is a person of high esteem at these affairs.The technique is passed downed thru the family. My husband is one.I was so impressed,after my first serbian Christmas,I married him.

Then at 12:01 AM you pig out.Sorry for the pun.Most is kept for the next day,but you do get to eat some then.Delicious,the fat is cooked off,and the meat is very tender and flavorful.

On Christmas day,straw is put under the table,to represent the manger.The kids have a total ball with this,of course.We have a nice feast of traditional dishes brought by the different relatives.Only one present is given,my mom in law gives a silver dollar to each of the children.

It is a day of family and togetherness and steeped in 1000 years of tradition.It is not comercialized. We have a grand time and I always miss not being there.

Do you remember relatives that celebrated Christmas from the old calender?

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), December 29, 2000

Answers

No, but it sounds like you had a wonderful time! I'm interested in the reference to the Rumford fireplace, as I *really, really* want to build one -- we have a collection of cast iron dutch ovens and legged kettles, and I'd like to be able to use them year round, but don't want a traditional heat-wasting fireplace!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), December 30, 2000.

We celebrate December 25, with CHristmas eve dinner similar to the one you described - I'm Polish so there's a lot of traditional stuff there. We do try to celebrate Christmas for 12 days, as it should be, thus January 6, the Epiphany, the kids get a small gift and we have a special "Three Kings" cake. Only after this day do we take down the Christmas decorations.

-- Christina (introibo2000@yahoo.com), December 30, 2000.

This would be the proverbial "12th day of Christmas", would it not? It's also my sister's birthday - can't wait to tell her!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), January 01, 2001.

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