Food and Ornaments

[ellestra]

I came back home from my Thanksgiving with American family. Well, it was American-Japanese family actually. This means that I did have the turkey and tried pumpkin pie for the first time (vegetable pie - sic!) but I also had some Japanese food. It involved a lot of soy. And I learned I don't like tofu. I liked the soup  we had today but I forgot

Comments

[lizardbeth_j]

While I'm sure other americans also like to get their Christmas things out by New Year's, I can tell you that it's very definitely part of a Japanese-descended tradition, which has nothing to do with Christmas or Christianity. It's a separate tradition which is the importance of 'old things' being removed from the house and preparing for the new. Especially trees - my husband is horrified at the idea a dying tree could be left inside the house on New Year's day, though he'll let some decorations remain, reluctantly. It goes with other things we have to do like eat special food for good luck and wear new pajamas on New Year's Eve.

[ellestra]

It's exactly opposite in Poland. We decorate the trees (at homes - shopping malls are different thing) just before Christmas. We used to do it on weekend before Christmas but sometimes when we were very busy it's be a day before. Then we would keep it at least till Three Kings (6th of January). However, if it's not a dying spruce, it would often stay till the end of January. Traditionally, Christmas trees may be kept up until the 2nd of February - the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple(Candlemas)celebration.