Eve dinner and Christmas lunch

An indispensable ritual for the feast of Christmas are the Eve dinner and the Christmas lunch, which represent times when the family gathers around the table to consume an abundant food. Both Eve dinner that Christmas lunch are tied to the special menus, the first dominated by fish, the second from the meat. Both menus are still completed by Christmas cakes that in Italy are different from place to place. The traditional sweets of Rionero in Vulture are the mostaccioli, made with flour, sugar, eggs and cooked wine


and cauz'ncidd, puff pastry stuffed with chestnut cake

Christmas sweets

Although every region in Italy has its own tradition of sweets for Christmas the panettone, with pandoro, are the most common in our country. There are several stories about the origins of panettone many of which have as a protagonist Toni, a cook at the court of Ludovico Sforza, ruler of Milan.

A Christmas poetry

This is a Christmas poem well-known in our school

E’ nato! Alleluia!
di Guido Gozzano

E’ nato il sovrano bambino,

è nato! Alleluia, alleluia!

La notte che già fu sì buia

risplende di un astro divino.

Orsù, cornamuse, più gaie

suonate! Squillate, campane!

Venite, pastori e massaie,

o genti vicine e lontane!

Non sete, non molli tappeti,

ma come nei libri hanno detto

da quattromill’anni i profeti,

un poco di paglia ha per letto.

Da quattromill’anni s’attese

a quest’ora su tutte le ore.

E’ nato, è nato il Signore!

E’ nato nel nostro paese.

Risplende d’un astro divino

la notte che già fu sì buia.

E’ nato il Sovrano Bambino,

è nato! Alleluia, alleluia!

Was born the sovereign child

was born! Alleluia, alleluia!

The night was so dark already

glows with a heavenly divine.

Ah, bagpipes, more gay

play! Ringing, bells!

Come, shepherds and housewives,

or people near and far!

Not thirsty, not soft carpets,

but as the books said

thousand years by the prophets,

has a little straw to bed.

From thousand years gave heed

at this time on all hours.

was born, was born the Lord!

Shines with a heavenly divine

already the night was so dark.

Was born the Sovereign Child.

The most famous italian carol is

Christmas music

Christmas is always celebrated with music and songs.
In Italy the bagpipers run through the streets of the town and from house to house playing with bagpipes popular Christmas songs, to wish health and happiness. One of the most old and traditional music is Tu scendi dalle stelle by Sant'Alfonso dei Liquori

The origins of the crib

Giotto Presepe di Greggio

The origins of the nativity are definitely Christian and go back to a tradition of the second century AD, to commemorate the birth of Jesus in the stable at Bethlehem, where it was believed that he was born. In the Gospel of Saint Luke it is said that Mary, having given birth, the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid him in a "Presepe", ie in a manger, which suggests a barn. In the Apocrypha it speaks of a cave and come out an ox and a donkey, placed next to the child to warm with their breath. The invention of the Crib it is instead attributed to St. Francis who in 1223 created the first living Nativity in Greccio .

Our drawing of The first living crib

The crib

Christmas celebrations begin traditionally, December 8 (Feast of Immaculate Conception) day
you start the preparation of the crib and ending the Epiphany, when the crib is undone.The most traditional symbol of Christmas in Italy is the crib. In our school every year we build different types of crib.

This is a crib made by pupils with special needs with cork

but that other crib was built by students of class IV in a stork's nest.

Winter traditions in Maramures, Romania

Festival of the habits and customs of Winter Marmatia is one of the most important events that hosting Sighet(town situated 70 km from Baia Mare), which aims to be, as stated in the first edition of the Carnival and festival county winter habits and customs of Maramures, my region, (27 -28 December)"an opportunity and a way to print the same time a new content and a sense of ancient traditions and customs, to harness and present everything Maramures most lasting and most authentic folk art forging generations of these wonderful people in the north of our country. This goal has been preserved to time, the festival has become "a habit, a sign of ground, evidence of creative power and permanence, but a sign of spiritual solidarity, unity and continuity of our entire Romanian land" managed to inform national and international public on the traditions, costumes and habits of winter (carols and games with masks) developed from Christmas to Epiphany.
The festival is done without interruption since 1969, around the date of December 27, the year 2008 is the 40th edition, in which I participated, too.
I made these photos.
Winter traditions in Maramures, Romania on PhotoPeach

From Monet to Rionero in Vulture

Many Italian and European artists depicted in their paintings the winter landscape. The students of class IV E have made a comparison between our country and that of some European artists with snow

A day with snow in Rionero in Vulture

Today is appeared the first snow in Rionero in Vulture. It's short-lived but has covered everything in white.
.

From the window of our school

Santa Claus in Greece

In Greece, Christmas Father comes on 31st January, at night.

New Year in Greece (7th Primary School of Agii Anargyri)

"Theofania" celebration on 6th January. The priest blesses the water.

Greek New Year Customs (7th Primary School of Agii Anargyri)

Our New Year customs. "Vasilopitta" is a special pie we cut when the year changes.

Christmas carols in Greece (7th Primary school of Agii Anargyri)

On Christmas Eve, children sing the Christmas Carols. They go from door to door and wish good luck to the owners of the house. In return, they are given money and candies.

Christmas in Greece (7th Primary School of Agii Anargyri)

In Greece, we decorate a Christmas tree as in many parts of Europe. However, on some islands people decorate a ship.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM SPAIN

Merry Christmas to you all,

These days we are making a lot of crafts and activities to celebrate Christmas at school like carols and theatres.
On the next tuestay, the 22nd of December we are going to celebrate a Carol Festival at school.

This is our programme:

Infant Education:

Teathre: "The born of Jesus"
Carol: "Campana sobre campana"

Primary Education:

1st class:
Carol: Little Red Riding Hood goes to Belem.

2nd class:
Carol: "El constipado"
Poetry: "El Portal"


3rd class:
Carol: "Dime niño de quién eres"

4th class:
Estampas navideñas: Anuncio de los ángeles.

5th class:
Carol: "Merry Christmas"

6th class:
Carol: "Wonderland"
Carol: "Navidad Rock"

Mythical Christmas Goblins-Korinth-GREECE

The “Kallikantzari” are malicious goblins.

They live below the ground all year while they saw at the trunk of a huge tree on which rests the foundations of the world. Just when they have nearly sawn through the trunk which would make the earth collapse, they are lured to the surface by the Christmas celebrations.
They are above ground from the 25 December until the 6th of January (winter solstice). On the 6th January when all of Greece celebrates Epiphany the Priests blessings and the sprinkling of holy water around the house on this day banishes the Kallikantzari back to the underworld. During their absence from the underworld the tree has healed itself and they have to start sawing at the tree all over again and again and this is repeated every year.
During the 12 days they are on earth they are blamed for all kinds of mishaps around the house. I think this is just wonderful. There is someone else to blame during this time when housewives are usually under pressure to get everything prepared for the celebration, the house if full of children and visitors and things can get a bit hectic. So to have some goblin to blame for whatever goes wrong seems a wonderful idea. The Kallikantzari are only around at night, they disappear as soon as the first rays of sun appear, or so the story goes.
People may do all kinds of things to try and keep them away and keeping the fire going during this time is considered one of the main ways to stop them entering the house.
They are also leave bowls of sweets out because everyone knows that the Kallikantzari love sweets and this will keep them busy and hopefully stop those playing naughty tricks on the family. What do the Kallikantzari look like? Well descriptions of these creatures of the underworld vary from area to area but they are supposed to be smelly, hairy and have feet similar to goats.

"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2010!!!"

Team of Korinth

Experimental Gymnasium of Corinth.

Autumn in Romania

Toamna (Autumn) - TUDOR GHEORGHE

Chestnut Festival-Festival City Baia Mare

Chestnut Festival is the celebration of Baia Mare. This traditional event is held every year in late September.
Meeting Program is rich and diverse:
- Parade Festival organized by the Local Council and The Municipality of Baia Mare, Public Service of Urban Environment;
- "Salon d'Automne" - exhibition of traditional artists from Maramures;
- Expo Flora Maramures "- exhibition of flowers;
- "Chestnut Festival" - handball, soccer, cross country, drawing on asphalt, music, poetry;

17th NOVEMBER IN GREECE

THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS (GREECE)

GRAPE HARVEST IN GREECE

AUTUMN IN GREECE (7th Primary School of Agii Anargiri)

Information on Autumn in Greece.

Autumn balad

The autumn with its colors and its characteristics is generally associated with melancholy. It is a testament the song "Ballata di Autunno" by Joan Manuel Serrat and sung in Italy from Mina

EL OTOÑO: VIVALDI

MÚSICA EL OTOÑO: VIVALDI

Everywhere, everybody know this music! Enljoy it

Autumn in France

To celebrate the autumn first, we have chosen a poem : « Monsieur Automne ».
The author, Carl Norac is belgian but he lives in France, near our school.

Monsieur Automne,
J’ai rencontré Monsieur Automne
Il portait un costume d’homme
Dont les feuilles tombaient, tombaient
Quand il riait, quand il riait. Je connais bien Monsieur Automne
Son parfum de vent et de pomme
Une main froide, l’autre chauffée
Au dernier souvenir d’été. Monsieur Automne n’est pas triste
Hier je l’ai vu en artiste
Repeindre les bois en couleur,
Du brun d’écorce au rouge coeur.

Carl NORAC

He talk about place of autumn between summer and winter.

Then, we have collected autumn's material.
We have represented autumn with leaf and wood. We have painted the sheet in grey like the rain.
At the end, we have planted acorn. Now, we are waiting for our oak trees !!

By Cécile Bouteneigre