When I was a kid and was forced to go to church, they would have four advent candles that would be lit on the last four Sundays before Christmas. First just one candle, then two all the way to four. I stopped going to church a long time ago but I still keep the advent candle tradition going at home. I'll be lighting two candles today.
0 Replies
izzythepush
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Sun 6 Dec, 2015 04:12 am
@saab,
This thread is a celebration of your Christmas, not a pissing contest about what country's Christmas is better. That's why I downvoted the offending post. If he wants to talk about how great Christmas is in Finland he can start his own thread. Similarly if I wanted to bang on about how great a British Christmas is I'd start my own.
This year we spend Christmas at home, but the lasst five we have been in UK and I did enjoy Christmas very much there. I usually do not go to the midnight mass, but there I did. It is so beautiful in your cathedrals.
Imagen to go to midnight mass in Westminster Abbey and get the most noicy hickup - doing all kind of things to stop it.
Then one of the ministers came running with a glas of water.
How embarrasing.
At least it happened before the service.
Now it slowly gets to be my Swedish UK Christmasses
It happens a lot, the pubs empty, people who never normally go to church are full of the Christmas spirit, 40% by volume, and decide to give Midnight Mass a go.
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OregonFlyBy
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Sun 6 Dec, 2015 07:24 am
@izzythepush,
Ooh…did I cause some controversy here?! I didn’t mean to. I just didn’t know, that you are so easily offended. Then I better leave this forum for good, before I make same mistake twice. So, merry christmas everybody here on a2k and goodbye for good.
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saab
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Sun 6 Dec, 2015 07:59 am
Mumintrollen is written by the Finnish author Tove Janson and first written in
Swedish. I have always liked them, but do not connect them with Christmas.
But they are welcome
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Miller
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Sun 6 Dec, 2015 08:38 am
@izzythepush,
izzythepush wrote:
This thread is a not a pissing contest about what country's Christmas is better. That's why I downvoted the offending post.
Oh the power of that "DOWN VOTE" that's driving many,many members away. The best thing Craven can do on the NEW A2K is remove the up & down buttons and give the few remaining members some rest from those silly buttons. It's time to grow up, already!
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Miller
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Sun 6 Dec, 2015 08:45 am
A few weeks ago, a Condo on the 50th floor of a high rise building in Chicago was totally destroyed by fire in the Unit. The fire was caused by candles, that had been left unattended and being on the 50th floor with several windows open, the candle flames were easily and rapidly spread through out the Unit.
Condo units in this building usually run from about $2 million upwards.
If you're going to light candles ( Swedish or not) better watch them or don't even light them. Moreover, get enough fire insurance...
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ehBeth
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Sun 6 Dec, 2015 11:36 am
@saab,
I always enjoy seeing the traditions from different countries, whether Sweden, Finland, Germany ...
I'll admit I'm biased (in my interests) toward countries that touch the Baltic and/or have cold winters, but all of the holiday traditions fascinate me.
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panzade
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Sun 6 Dec, 2015 11:52 am
Wonderful thread.
When I was a child in Argentina I had never seen snow and there was no Santa Claus, just the three wise men.
Then we moved to the US and Christmas through the Sixties was thrilling to me. Christmas Carols and Rudolph. We even had a neighbor that made glogg for us as well as eggnog.
Now, alas I dislike Christmas and am even wary of the Salvation Army and their bell ringers.
There have Julbasaren (Christmas markets) at the Svenska kyrkan (Swedish churches) in Frankfurt/Main, Hamburg, Berlin, Munich ... all actually already last weekend.
I think I loved Christmas in Evanston, the years my family first got a clue for being in trouble, but what I saw was religion all the time.
I've great childhood memories of midnight masses at St. Nicholas on Ridge Avenue.
I was there many years later and a good pal of way back then showed me around, the church, to me, cattywaypus, posting out the good moves. I didn't know what to say.
Sort of like being in Rome and seeing a cathedral made into a conference center in Chicago.
...
