Contents

Christmas traditions from Croatia............p. 5

Christmas traditions from Greece.............p. 18

Christmas traditions from Poland.............p. 36

Christmas traditions from Serbia..............p. 56

Christmas traditions from Turkey..............p 68

Christmas Traditions from Croatia

Christmas in Croatia

Christmas time in Croatia begins with Advent and it lasts for four weeks. You can see an Advent wreath in the center of every traditional household. Each Sunday before Christmas one candle is lit.

Every morning during Advent many people go on Down Mass.

Planting wheat grains

A popular tradition on Saint Lucia's Day is planting wheat grains. Putting it underneath the Christmas tree brings luck and wealth to the following year. The belief is that the taller the wheat grows, the more prosperous the coming year will be. 

Saint Nicholas Day

On Saint Nicholas Day we get candies in our boots. The night before children clean their little boots and put them on the windowsill. If you were naughty, Krampus will bring you a small wooden stick called šiba.

Preparing for Christmas

Days before Christmas we make Christmas cookies. 

Christmas Eve is fasting day and Croatians only eat fish. Later in the evening we decorate our Christmas tree and go to a church for 'midnight mass'. 

The nativity scene is placed under the Christmas tree and it symbolizes the event true to the original story - the birth of Jesus in a stable. 

On Christmas morning we open our presents that are waiting under the tree.

On Christmas Croats will prepare a roast accompanied by mlinci, thin flatbread pasta broken into small pieces. Fritule, makovnjača and orahovnjača are the most popular traditional Christmas desserts here.

Christmas Traditions from Greece

 Christmas tree

While the ''karavaki'' is traditional, most modern Greeks decorate Christmas trees, a custom introduced in the 19th century.

            Melomakarona and Kourabiedes

These traditional Christmas cookies are a staple.  Melomakarona are honey-soaked cookies with walnuts and kourabiedes are buttery almond cookies dusted with powdered sugar.

Christmas Meal

On Christmas Day, people in Greece 

eat meat. In the past, pork was more common, 

but nowadays a lot of people eat turkey stuffed with rice, chestnuts, herbs, spices and dried fruit.

Christopsomo (Christ Bread)

During Christmas families bake a special kind of bread called ''Christopsomo''. 

It is a sweet kind of bread decorated with a cross and other symbolic designs. 

New Year's Day - St. Basil's Day

New Year's Day is dedicated to St. Basil. Families cut the ''Vasilopita'', a special New Year's cake with a coin hidden inside. The person who finds the coin is believed to have good luck for the whole year.

               Kalanda (Christmas Carols)

Children go door -to-door singing traditional carols called ''kalanda'' on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and Epiphany Eve. They are often accompanied by small musical instruments like triangles, and they are awarded with treats and money.

                               Midnight Mass

Attending the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve is an important religious practice for many Greek people. Churches are beautifully decorated and the service is a central part of the celebration

Kallikantzaroi (The Greek Christmas Goblins)

The  Greek goblins are called "kallikantzaroi". Folklore says that these goblins spend most of the year underground sawing the World Tree that supports the Earth, but they come to the surface during Christmas and play tricks on people. The tricks they play are pretty much trying to ruin Christmas. People to ward them off burn incense or hang garlic. Parents tell the story of " kallikantzaroi " to their children to make them fall asleep. Some people dress up as ''Kallikantzaroi'' and walk around towns making noise and trying to scare passersby.

Feast of the Epiphany (6 January)

In Greek, it is referred to as ''Theophania'' and it commemorates the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. 

On this day, priests bless the water by immersing a cross into the sea, a river, a lake or any body of water, three times. Then, they throw the cross into the water and people dive in to retrieve it. The one who manages to catch the cross is considered to be blessed for the rest of the year.

Christmas Traditions from Poland

Advent and Preparations

In Poland, Christmas preparations start with Advent, the four weeks before Christmas. Many families have Advent calendars with little treats or messages for each day. 

People attend special early morning Masses called Roraty. These services are dedicated to the Virgin Mary and usually take place before dawn. Children often participate by carrying lanterns. 

Many families make an Advent wreath with four candles, one for each week of Advent. Each Sunday, a new candle is lit.

Decorating the Christmas tree 

In Poland, decorating the Christmas tree is a cherished tradition both at home and in schools. Families usually set up their Christmas trees a few days before Christmas Eve. The tree is decorated with a variety of shiny ornaments, sparkling lights, tinsel, and sometimes even candies. A bright star or angel is placed at the top of the tree to complete the decoration.

At school, students also enjoy decorating a Christmas tree together. They might create handmade ornaments in their art classes, adding a personal touch to the tree. It’s a fun and creative activity that brings everyone into the festive spirit!

Making Gingerbread 

Making gingerbread cookies, known as pierniczki, is another festive activity. Families gather in the kitchen to bake these delicious treats, filling the house with the sweet smell of spices. Gingerbread cookies come in various shapes like stars, hearts, and Christmas trees.

At school, students enjoy decorating the cookies with colorful icing and sprinkles.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, known as Wigilia, is the most important day of the Christmas season in Poland. The celebrations begin when the first star appears in the sky. This star, symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Wise Men to Jesus. Families wait patiently for the first star before starting their special Christmas Eve dinner.

The Christmas Eve dinner is a beautiful and meaningful event. The table is set with a white tablecloth, often with hay underneath to symbolize the manger where Jesus was born. An extra place setting is laid out for an unexpected guest or to remember family members who can't be there.

Before eating, families share a special wafer called opłatek. Each person breaks off a piece and shares it with others, wishing them peace, health, and happiness for the coming year.

The meal consists of 12 dishes, representing the 12 apostles. Some of the traditional foods include:

Pierogi - dumplings filled with cabbage,  or the mixture of potatoes, cottage cheese and onion.

Barszcz - beetroot soup served with small dumplings called uszka (filled with mushrooms).

Fried Carp - a main dish often served with lemon and parsley.

Makowiec - a sweet poppy seed roll for dessert.

During the Christmas supper, we often drink kompot, a sweet fruit drink made from dried fruits like apples, plums, and apricots.

Wearing fun and colorful Christmas jumpers is a popular tradition. We love showing off our festive sweaters with snowmen, reindeer, and other holiday designs.

After dinner, we sing Christmas carols and sometimes go to Midnight Mass, called Pasterka, to celebrate Jesus's birth. 

In Poland, there is a special and magical belief that on Christmas Eve, at midnight, animals can speak! This tradition comes from the old legend. People believe this happens because animals were at the birth of Jesus. This magical moment is thought to happen only for a short time, right at midnight.

After the special Christmas Eve celebration, Christmas Day is a time for relaxation and family. People open presents, enjoy delicious leftovers from the Wigilia dinner, and spend time together. Many families also visit extended family and friends, exchanging well wishes and gifts. It's a day filled with joy, love, and the warmth of being with loved ones.  

St. Stephen's Day, celebrated on December 26th continues the festive spirit with family gatherings.

New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve, called Sylwester in Poland, is a festive time filled with parties, fireworks, and celebrations. People gather with family and friends to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new one. There are usually big parties with music, dancing, and delicious food. At midnight, the sky lights up with fireworks, and everyone cheers and wishes each other a happy new year. Some people also have traditions like making new year's resolutions or jumping off a chair at midnight to symbolize jumping into the new year.

Epiphany

Epiphany, known as Trzech Króli (Three Kings' Day) in Poland, is celebrated on January 6th. This day marks the visit of the Three Wise Men to baby Jesus. In Poland, it’s a public holiday, and many people participate in special church services. One unique tradition is the blessing of chalk at church. Families take the blessed chalk home and write the initials of the Three Wise Men (K+M+B) along with the year above their doorways. This tradition is believed to bring blessings and protection to the home for the coming year. In many towns and cities, there are colorful processions and parades to celebrate Epiphany, with people dressed as the Wise Men and other biblical figures.

Christmas Traditions from Serbia

Christmas is one of the holiest days of the year for Serbian Orthodox Christians who follow the Julian calendar. It is preceded by 40 days of fasting during Advent to prepare for the birth of Christ.

And even though the Feast of St. Nicholas (when children receive presents from the kindly saint) falls on Dec. 19, and which happens to be many families' slava, or patron saint's day, there is no dispensation from the fast.

No meat, dairy or eggs are consumed, continuing through Christmas Eve night—badnje vece—on Jan. 6. 

Years ago, on Christmas Eve morning (badnji dan) in Serbia, fathers would take their eldest son to the forest to chop down an oak tree branch, which would become their badnjak or Yule Log. Today, many Serbians buy their badnjak. Straw is placed throughout the home to signify Christ's humble birth. Walnuts and wheat are strewn in the four corners of the dining room with a prayer for health and prosperity.

The meatless Christmas Eve supper, depending on the family and the region, might consist of fish, tuna salad, prebranac (a layered bean and onion dish), meatless sarma (stuffed cabbage), nuts in the shell, fresh and dried fruits, and cookies made without dairy and eggs.

Mir Boziji! Hristos se Rodi! is the greeting on Christmas Day, Jan. 7, which means "Peace of God! Christ is Born!." The response is Voistinu Hristos se Rodi! ("Indeed, He is born!").

Prayers and hymn singing precede the breaking of a bread known as česnica, which takes center stage on the Christmas table. 

The word česnica is derived from the Serbian word čest, meaning "share." And that is how the bread is eaten—at a communal table where it is rotated three times counterclockwise before each person tears off a piece. In some homes, the host tears off a piece for every person present and one extra piece for the polozajnik (poh-loh-ZHAY-nik) or First Guest.

This ceremonial round bread varies by region and might be a simple peasant bread, a sweet bread, or even something akin to pogacha. What seems to remain constant is that a silver coin is baked inside, which will bring luck to the one who finds it. 

Hristos se rodi!

Vaistinu se rodi!

At schools, students learn about the importance of Christmas, listen to Christmas stories and draw and color scenes related to Christmas.

Celebrating the departure of the old and the beginning of the new year is one of the most glamorous events of the year for Serbs. They say goodbye to the old and celebrate the New Year, hoping that it will bring them more happiness and beautiful moments. But it’s also an ancient religious, social and cultural pattern in almost all parts of the world.

And now I will solve the mystery with all New Year’s tree — Christmas tree thing. In most parts of the world, people decorate a tree on Christmas Eve and call it a Christmas tree. However, in Serbia, we “make our tree pretty” on New Year’s Eve, so the traditional name for it is New Year’s tree.

Many people and all the kids just love to decorate the whole house and the New Year Tree the best they can, since it’s the tradition that everybody does with lots of dedication and love.

Charity New Year's fair 

Our school traditionally takes part in a Charity New Year's fair which is organized every year in December. Students do crafts and make New Year's decorations. Our teachers make cupcakes and cookies. Students bring their toys and books to sell. They make New Year's cards. All the money we gather goes to charity. 

Decorating our classrooms

One of the New Year's activities our students enjoy most is decorating our school and trimming the Christmas tree ( in Serbia, New Year's tree).  

More customs related to New Year

On the New Year's eve, families gather around a big meal usually containing pork, Russian salad and cake. The whole family is cheerful, they have fun and celebrate in joy. People buy presents and put them under the tree. On the first day of a new year, family members exchange gifts and spend time togethe

Christmas Traditions from Turkey