Page 60 - December_2015_Life_in_Naples_Magazine

the worldChristmas around
by Sandra Lee Buxton
followed by a solitary horseman caring a cross and sitting
J ust as those of us in Naples prepare to celebrate Christmas astride a solid black horse. The procession solemnly enters the
with friends, family and our own traditions so are others Church doors, and places an ancient effigy of the Holy Child
around the world. Not everyone has a beach but everyone in the church. Deep winding stairs lead to a grotto where
shares the reason for the Season. visitors find a silver star marking the site of the Holy Birth of
Jesus. Christian homes in Bethlehem are marked by a cross
Christmas as we know it today started in Victorian times around painted over the door and each home displays a homemade
the 1860’s. The most celebrated holiday in the world, our modern manger scene. A star is set up on a pole in the village square.
Christmas has evolved from religious traditions around the globe
blending together as the immigrants settled in America. CHRISTMAS
TRADITION
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ENGLAND: FROM
JAMESTOWN
An Englishman, John Horsley, helped popularize our tradition VIRGINIA:
of sending greeting cards around
1850 when he produced a few According to
cards with party scenes and wrote Captain John Smith’s
a brief note of cheer to his friends. old documents the first
Celtic people had long considered eggnog made in the U.S.
mistletoe to have magic power. was consumed in his
Celts hung mistletoe in their 1607 Jamestown settlement. Nog comes from the word grog,
homes in order to bring good which refers to any drink made with rum.
luck and ward off evil spirits.
Caroling also began in England UKRAINE “SROZHDESTVOM
with wandering musicians traveling KRISTOVYM”:

from town to town visiting castles and homes of the rich. In return Ukrainians prepare a
for their performance, the musicians hoped to receive a hot meal or traditional twelve course
money. meal. A family’s youngest
child watches through the
CHRISTMAS IN window for the evening star
BETHLEHEM: to appear, a signal that the
feast can begin.
The little town where
Jesus was born is the site of
the Church of the Nativity,
which is colorful with flags and
decorations every Christmas.
On Christmas Eve natives and
visitors alike crowd the church’s
doorways and stand on the roof
to watch for the dramatic annual
procession. Galloping horsemen
and police mounted on Arabian
horses lead the parade. They are

60 Life in Naples | December 2015