How old are our Christmas traditions?

Theatrical representation: "O Boi e o Burro"

The four traditions listed below have been with us for as long as we remember, how old are they? and why do we still keep them?

1. The Nativity

The representation of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, the humble yet sublime scene of Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus in the stable with the animals, the shepherds and the star was always a central ornament at the home of our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.

Just after our wedding, we bought our own set of the nativity, that we still use until today. No other tradition has brought Christ to our Christmas more than this one!

2. Christmas Eve

Reading the account of the nativity in the scriptures and theatrical representations of the nativity is a key part of Christmas Eve.

Fish is the traditional meal of Christmas Eve. As far as I can tell this is a tradition that comes from the XVI century. The exact reasons for this tradition are unknown, in my perspective however it is connected to Jesus, He called his disciples fishers of men, and many of his teachings involved the sea, fish, and fisherman. (Matthew 7:10, Matthew 17:27, Luke 11:11, Luke 24:42, John 21:10-13).

3. Christmas Day

Lamb is the meal for Christmas day, for sure this selection has to do with the symbolic choice to remember Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God.

4. Giving is more than gifts

On Christmas Eve every family member places one of their shoes next to the nativity and or the Christmas tree, the gifts that appear on the shoe on the morning of Christmas Day remind us that like those presents, the birth of Jesus Christ is a gift for us from a loving Heavenly Father.

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So, how old are these four traditions in our family? some of them very old, hundreds of years, and why we still keep them? because they are simple and help us remember Jesus Christ.

Comments

Something worth reflecting once more

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It is simple and delicious

Today mom cooked a classic "Torta" for " Family Home Evening ", a recipe that for a century puts smiles in faces of those that taste it, a cake that her mother did always for the children. It is simple & delicious! Ingredients: 150g or 1 1/3 All purpose flour 300g or 1 1/3 Sugar 6 Eggs Tsp of baking powder Preheat over to 350º F. Beat egg whites until stiff. Blend egg yolks with sugar and add to it the white eggs, flour and the baking powder. Mix all ingredients. Pour into a 9" x 13" greased cake pan. Bake for approximately 40 minutes until the wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Immediately loosen cake from edge of pan; invert on towel generously sprinkled with sugar. Spread on top strawberry jam or other jam of your choice. While still hot carefully role cake and towel from narrow end. Let it cool from 15 minutes and remove the towel. Enjoy it and have you also a happy "Family Home Evening"

Dèjá vu

Today as Filomena and I were walking in downtown Frankfurt we saw a Mercedes Benz of the same color and and style of the Mercedes Benz that my father-in-law bought in 1969 in the factory of Stuttgart, Germany . He traveled from Luanda, Angola in Africa to Germany to buy it as he was a fan of German cars because of their quality and reliability. As an Engineer himself he had a taste for quality and durability. This car has an history that is worth telling. In 1975 when the civil war of Angola forced thousands Portuguese families to return to Portugal, my father in law was not an exception, he sent his family first to Portugal for safety reasons and stayed longer to protect the interests of the customers of the bank he worked with, then the Banco de Fomento e Exterior and now part of the Banco BPI. Prior to his departure he gave is Mercedes Benz to a dear friend from the old days of primary school to help him take his mother to South Africa to receive needed and urgen...

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