Christmas is coming so I decided to write a bit
about Scottish Christmas, which probably looks similar to English one. However,
Christmas in Scotland was not popular in the past as the Presbyterian Church
never put too much emphasis on Christmas. I would not say that Christmas in
Scotland has a lot to do with religion as unfortunately it seems to be more a commercial
holiday. However, you can still see people going to church on Christmas Eve or
Christmas Day.
Christmas decorations start as early as in late
October or early November. Shops are packed with Christmas stuff and the
Christmas fever infects the majority of the population. Edinburgh is even more
busier than during the Festival and it is extremely difficult to move around so
be prepared to slow down and walk as fast as the crowd lets you. It really
seems like people go crazy and they buy a lot of stuff. Do they really need it?
Probably not.
In Edinburgh the Christmas Market is opened
every year in November until early days of January. The Christmas Market,
located in the East Princes Street Gardens, gives an opportunity to try
different food like French crepes with nutella, gingerbread, cheese, sausages
or drink mulled wine. You can also buy Christmas decorations or gifts there.
What is more, it is a great place to have fun as the Market provides lots of
rides and attractions like the ice rink, a star flyer, a big wheel or a carousel.
This year apart from the German Christmas Market in the Princes Street Gardens,
there is also the Scottish Christmas Market located in St Andrew Square where
you can buy traditional Scottish food and drinks. The Edinburgh Christmas
Market attracts thousands of tourists and local people and is usually packed
with them, especially at the weekends or in the evenings.
Scots decorate their houses with Christmas
decorations like a Christmas tree, holly wreaths, mistletoe or Christmas
lights.
Christmas Day is a holiday in Scotland and you
can enjoy it with your family. If people are religious, they go to church to
celebrate the birth of Jesus. If not, they just open presents early in the
morning and later have traditional Christmas dinner. It may contain soup and a roast
turkey with roast potatoes and vegetables like roast parsnips, carrots or
Brussels sprouts. You can also find other kinds of food on the Scottish
Christmas table like salmon, cranberry sauce, bread sauce or chipolata
sausages.
Two the most popular Christmas desserts include
Christmas pudding served with Brandy sauce and mince pies. I tried both as I
thought it would be nice to try something from the culture I live in now and
both desserts landed in the bin. Honestly, I do not know how they can be tasty
as they were disgusting, but if I had to choose which one was eatable I would say
mince pies. We have got really fantastic, delicious and mouth-watering cakes in
Poland and after experiencing Polish bakery, there is no way I could call Christmas
pudding tasty.
Scots buy a lot of sweets which probably land
in the Christmas stockings. They also like German gingerbread or Stollen,
Italian cakes Panettone, Pandoro and Panforte as well as Florentine biscuits.
Another thing which is popular here is
different selection of cheese served together with crackers and good wine.
Scots buy a lot of alcohol like wine, champagne, whisky, gin, vodka or Irish
cream. It is believed that Polish people drink a lot of alcohol, but I would
not say we can afford as much alcohol as Scots can easily do so it is rather a
horrible stereotype but as we know it is hard to change them.
As a Christmas snack Scots would choose
different kinds of nuts.
During Christmas dinner Scots pull Christmas
Crackers inside which they can find a joke, a paper hat or a wee toy. It’s a
common picture to see people wearing those silly paper hats while sitting at
the Christmas table or during Christmas parties which are popular here.
On Boxing Day sales start here so it is
definitely a crazy shopping day when people buy lots of things and you do not
feel like it’s Christmas time anymore.
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| My Polish Christmas |
Is it possible to preserve Polish Christmas
traditions here in Scotland? Yes, it is as you can make Polish dishes which we
eat on Christmas Eve, share a holly wafer, sing carols or go to the Midnight
Mass. However, if you cannot go to Poland for Christmas and have to spend it without your family, it is really hard. What is more, there is something magic on Christmas Eve in Poland and you
cannot find it here. I simply loved this time in the afternoon when everything
slowed down and there was such a magic atmosphere and anticipation of starting
the dinner with your family which was always special and moving. I miss Polish
Christmas a lot!
My Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22762999@N00/
