Catholic Christmas
Description:
Although Christmas, as in most Christian countries, is the most important holiday of the year in Canada, it has lost its original extremely religious character for a very long time. From about the mid-1870s, first for Anglophones and the upper and middle classes, and then for the rest of society, Christmas began to gradually become a secular holiday. Moving most festive activities from church to home and onto the streets has led to a new tradition of celebrating Christmas as a family holiday with its inherent amount of joyful fun. Since the same time, people have a wonderful tradition of congratulating each other with colorful Christmas cards.
Christmas tree - so called in Canada festively decorated Christmas tree or pine, which is nowadays probably the most important and most beloved attribute of a cheerful winter holiday, was not always in the past as an integral part of it. The earliest pioneers to come to Canada from Europe were of English, Scottish and Irish descent. Their traditions of celebrating Christmas were markedly different from those now accepted. They did not install decorated trees in their homes, as this was not a tradition in their countries. Christmas trees arrived in Canada with immigrants from Pennsylvania, who themselves were originally from Germany - a country that gave rise to a beautiful ceremony in the Middle Ages. Over time, the German tradition of decorating houses with Christmas trees was adopted by immigrants from other countries and very quickly began to take root everywhere in Canada.
Once a long time ago, it was customary to install a Christmas tree in the house only on Christmas Eve - the day before Christmas. Now, due to the commercialization of all areas of life and life, Christmas trees, first in most stores and then in many Canadian homes, began to be installed sometimes a few weeks before the holiday. They dress up with decorations representing Christmas: stars, angels, Santa Claus, deer, snowflakes, balls with appropriate symbols. Garlands or candles are considered a necessary decoration: the Christmas tree should burn and shimmer with lights.
Under the decorated tree, beautifully packaged gifts are folded in advance. And that's the funny thing about Christmas - presents can't be unwrapped until morning. It is considered fake, and children sometimes believe it seriously, that gifts are brought by Santa Claus at night. After midnight lunch, he goes down the chimney and lays out presents under the Christmas tree. Then he climbs through the chimney back out and flies to the next house in his sled, pulled by nine reindeer racing them straight through the air. With the deconstruction of the tree and the opening of all gifts traditionally begins Christmas Day.
Christmas in Canada is a favorite holiday, preparations for which begin in November, when shop windows are already trying to lure gift buyers with sparkling Christmas decorations, the branches of street trees are decorated with cheerful lights, ice palaces grow in the squares, and traditional Christmas wreaths hang on the doors of houses. No one is left unattended at Christmas: even those who live far away receive gifts or greetings in the mail. And when the long-awaited guest finally comes to the house, he is really welcome.