MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

Christmas in Slovakia Christmas is the holiday that people look forward to in every country. It is the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Among the many Christmas symbols are evergreen trees, candles, stars, angels, bells, wreaths, holy and mistletoe but each country has different customs and traditions. In Slovakia, four weeks before Christmas Advent begins. We decorate our houses with a Christmas wreath and candles. Everybody runs from the shop to the shop and look for some presents. We also send Christmas cards to our friends and relatives. Mothers make some sweets, usually vanilla rolls and Christmas cake.

On Christmas Eve, in the morning, we decorate a Christmas tree with electric lights, little things made of straw, glass balls and some sweets and we put some presents under the tree. We don´t eat anything all day, but the Christmas Dinner is very rich. We start the dinner with special Christmas waffles, honey and nuts, then we eat garlic with bread. The traditional Christmas soup is sauerkraut – soup with sausages and mushrooms and we finish the dinner with fried carp and potatoe salad. During the dinner we drink some wine, brandy or Coca Cola. After the dinner we unwrap the presents and we listen to Christmas Carols and we are all happy. Then we watch TV and at midnight we go to Midnight Mass. On Christmas Day we are usually at home and we go to church again or we visit our relatives. We do the same on the second Christmas Day.

Some people go skiing to the mountains, were they can celebrate Christmas and New Year´s Eve and New Year´s Day. Christmas in Britain is a little different from the Christmas in Slovakia. British homes are decorated with ivy, holy, mistletoe, eletric lights and a Christmas wreath on the door. Christmas trees are decorated on Christmas Eve but they don´t celebrate Christmas Eve. Christmas carols can be heard everywhere. Families decorate their houses inside and outside, too. They have a Christmas tree decorated in the living room. The President of the United States of America switches on the Christmas tree in the Rockefeller Center and after that people switch on other trees in the states. People like having a lot of presents under the tree.

They sing carols and Santa Claus comes on Christmas Day and the children open their boxes with their presents and adults exchange presents, too. Christmas in the United States of Amerika isn´t a familly day. Families invite friends, they serve the traditional Christmas dinner – roast turkey and often give parties. On Boxing Day many shops are open although people don´t work. Just after Christmas big sales begin and large shops sell off their stock at low prices.

Christmas customs and traditions At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. There are certain customs that symbolise family bonds, prosperity and health. At Christmas Even's dinner an axe is put under the table as a symbol of health. Sometimes straw is put on the floor because Jesus was born on straw. Money is placed under the tabblecloth to prevent the house from poverty. Another tradition is bahing of cakes in form of animals. They were made from honey dough and they weren't eaten to prevent domestic animals from dying.

WAFERS Wafers are typical food of middle ages. They symbolise the body of Jesus Christ and they are eaten with honey and garlic. Honey represents affluence and love. Garlic is eaten as prevention from demons and vampires. Until the second half of the 19th century these wafers were baked by teachers. Eating of wafers has been preserved up to now.

Cabbage soap Kapustnica is a traditional Christmas soup, which mainly consists of homemade sour cabbage. Ingredients: - Pork ribs - Smoked joint of Pork - 1 smoked sausage - 100g of dried mushrooms - Sour cabbage - Potatoes (4-5) - Oxo cubes (x2) - Onions (x2) Begin by cooking the pork ribs and the joint of smoked pork, together with the sausage, in a pot with 4 liters of water. After 10 minutes, when the water is boiling, add the dry mushrooms and let it cook until the meat is halftender.

Then add the sour cabbage and its juices to the pot and cook it again for about an hour. Half way through the hour, add 2 whole onions, a meat and a vegetable oxo cube and 1dcl of white wine. Make some 'zaprazka', which is prepared from oil, pepper, paprika and water, and then thickened with flour. When the hour is up, add the whole, peeled potatoes and 'zaprazka', and stir. Then, let it cook for a further five minutes, adding more spices according to taste. When the cooking is finished serve it together with thick noodles, in a soup bowl.

NEW YEAR New Year is an event when people develop for advent new year.This time are all lives very nice and friendly .Shops are very crowded of people, because they buy something, what they need for new year's day. Silvester day begins with festivity dinner . For supper usually is cabbage soup ,schnitzels with boiled potatoes , potatoes salad or carp. For sentinemnt is alcohol and childern have lemonade, coca cola..... After dinner people wait for a midnight, when they smash fireworks.

WE WISH YOU MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM SLOVAKIA