Everything has finally came to an end and it is holiday time. It was Christmas on 24th of December in Denmark. I don't know why but in Denmark Christmas is celebrated a day earlier than many other countries. In our last week at school we had a Christmas dinner with friends from English class. It was really enjoyable in fact because it is not celebrated in Turkey and we are not familiar with all those things taking place during Christmas. Besides eating traditions for Christmas, we have learned a lot about other Christmas traditions such as giftgiving.
It has been a month since they started playing Christmas songs on the streets in the town. I am not sure that it is a Christmas tradition but it is really nice especially when you have a lot of snow. So, we had a "white Christmas" in Denmark which seems to be quite important for many people. Also, the trees in the town has been decorated with lights and almost every shop has a Christmas tree decorated with lights. However, Christmas was also a little bit challenging for us. Everyone left for the family visit for Christmas Eve and we were alone during the holiday. We also didn't know that shops would be closed on Christmas Eve and the day after. Therfore, we were quite lucky to learn it in the morning just before going for a trip to Malmö, Sweden although it was a little disappointing. It was still fun to stay in Vordingborg with our fellow Turkish friends. Now that it is almost New Years Eve, we are planning to go to Copenhagen and have fun on New Years Eve with friends. And this time we are sure that everywhere will be open :)
What about Christmas or Christmas Day? As far as I learned from Danish friends Christmas or Christmas Day is the holiday to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. The day is known to be the actual birthday of Jesus and in most of the countries it is celebrated on the 25th of December. It is one day earlier in Denmark. Decorating Christmas Trees, sending and receiving Christmas cards, family gathering on Christmas Eve, gift giving and believing in legendary gift bringing figures - Santa Claus and/or Father Christmas- can summarize the Christmas in short. I am glad that I had the chance to observe all of these myself in a Christmas celebrating country. Merry Christmas to everyone... :)
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