On Christmas Eve - the night before Christmas Day - some people go from one house to another singing Christmas carols. People often give them money, usually for a charity, or invite them to cake or cookies or a warm drink. 
People may watch or participate in a Nativity Play.
Or they may enjoy mummerings. 
Some people have a big dinner. The most typical dishes are goose or turkey, ham and pudding.
Another thing people do is pull open crackers. A cracker looks a bit like a polvoron, but you don´t eat it. It has a small gift and a joke or riddle inside and it makes a noise when it bursts open. Two people pull it apart. The one who has the longest end gets the gift. 
Christians go to church, to Midnight Mass or Services. 
The Christmas tree became popular in England in the 19th century because of Prince Albert, who was German but married Queen Victoria.
Holly and mistletoe are also used as Christmas decorations.
If you stand under mistletoe, anyone can kiss you.
Later children put milk and cookies near the Christmas tree for St. Nicholas, who is also Father Christmas. If they have a garden, they put water there for his reindeer. St. Nick has six reindeer. Their names are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.
Also famous is Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer who first appeared in a story colouring book and a song. Rudolph leads the other reindeer when they pull Santa´s sleigh on foggy nights.
Rudolph has a daughter called Twinkletoes, who first appeared in another song.
The elves help Santa make toys in the North Pole but they don´t travel with him in his sleigh on Christmas Eve.
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Hi! How could yo translate the practice of mummering in Spanish? thank you!
ReplyDeleteHacer una pantomima is the way to translate mummering, I think. Mummers are actores en una pantomima.
ReplyDelete