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LiberalEsto

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64. Estonians celebrate on Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day

Sun Dec 16, 2012, 10:44 PM

Dec 2012

Christmas begins at the sighting of the first star on the evening of the 24th of December.

Estonian Lutherans go to Christmas Eve services around 4 or 5 pm, then go home for their traditional dinner. Jõuluvana, whose name literally means Old Yule, leaves presents at homes while the families are in church. The majority of people in Estonia are non-religious. Many of their holiday traditions come from the old pagan celebration of Jõulud, a festival from the same origins as Yule.

The traditional Christmas Eve dinner usually includes roast pork, roasted potatoes, rye bread, sauerkraut, lingonberry jam and verivorst, blood sausage made with blood and barley stuffed into pig intestines. I was 12 when I found out what verivorst was. Gaak. Couldn't bring myself to touch it after that.

Every Dec. 24 - for more than 350 years - the president of Estonia declares the Christmas Peace, a tradition begun by Queen Kristina of Sweden in the 17th century.

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Xmas trivia - let's have some fun! [View all] LiberalLoner Dec 2012 OP

More.... LiberalLoner Dec 2012 #1

98% of Xmas trees grown in US are grown on farms LiberalLoner Dec 2012 #2

100% are grown rateyes Dec 2012 #32

Odin is the reason Santa Claus enters houses through chimneys. geardaddy Dec 2012 #3

Cool, thank you! LiberalLoner Dec 2012 #4

In Caracas, Venezuela.... Little Star Dec 2012 #5

Oh it does sound like fun! what a lovely tradition! LiberalLoner Dec 2012 #7

My Norwegian friends make rice pudding to put out at night by the barn at Christmas for the trolls. freshwest Dec 2012 #6

What a delightful post, thank you so much! BTW I had a Swedish grandpa. He was a real character! LiberalLoner Dec 2012 #8

Oh yes, the stories I could tell. He ran off to sea as a youngster and became a merchant marine. freshwest Dec 2012 #11

freshwest Diclotican Dec 2012 #37

As a small child, one of the first tv shows I remember was "I Remember Mama." maddiemom Dec 2012 #45

maddiemom Diclotican Dec 2012 #47

Thank you, Diclotican. maddiemom Dec 2012 #58

OK sakabatou Dec 2012 #9

LED Xmas lights have a lifespan of 100,000 hours. Anyone here old enough to remember the LiberalLoner Dec 2012 #10

I'm old enough to remember the big bulbs. geardaddy Dec 2012 #13

I'm old enough too. Except... Little Star Dec 2012 #15

In my house, it was me. rateyes Dec 2012 #33

I am old enough to remember the big bulbs Curmudgeoness Dec 2012 #35

Yes! maddiemom Dec 2012 #46

Old enough? LWolf Dec 2012 #65

The "traditional" portrait of the American Santa Claus was created by artist Haddon Sundblom Recovered Repug Dec 2012 #12

Hmm. Thomas Nast's depiction of Santa Claus pre-dates that by Aristus Dec 2012 #20

And that was likely based on Clement Moore's description Art_from_Ark Dec 2012 #21

Exactly. Nast was creating a visual image to go with the description. Aristus Dec 2012 #22

I understand Art_from_Ark Dec 2012 #23

I found that fact on a trivia site some time ago. Recovered Repug Dec 2012 #24

Britain's Father Christmas, and Japan's "Faza Kurisumasu" are essentially identical Aristus Dec 2012 #55

Scroll down to the electric bulbs below.... that is from 1903 which already predates Coke's version crazy homeless guy Dec 2012 #62

St. Nicolaus (Santa Claus) geardaddy Dec 2012 #14

He was the Bishop of Turkey ashling Dec 2012 #56

Cool. Thanks! geardaddy Dec 2012 #66

Family traditions. Scruffy Rumbler Dec 2012 #16

What lovely Memories Scruffy Rumbler! Howler Dec 2012 #41

Ho, Ho, Ho! Scruffy Rumbler Dec 2012 #48

The name Kris Kringle is a variation of the German rurallib Dec 2012 #17

In some Northern European countries Krampus takes care of the bad kiddies. nolabear Dec 2012 #18

I attended First Grade in Germany back in the 1950s aint_no_life_nowhere Dec 2012 #70

The first American made-for-TV Christmas cartoon Art_from_Ark Dec 2012 #19

And it still makes me cry. nt Still Blue in PDX Dec 2012 #36

There's NOTHING fun about Xmas, okay??? Bake Dec 2012 #25

Honey, meta makes you mean libodem Dec 2012 #26

I only went in there ONE TIME, I swear! Bake Dec 2012 #27

First electric tree lighting set - 1903/04, GE NRaleighLiberal Dec 2012 #28

MUCH safer than the candles that pre-date them! annabanana Dec 2012 #31

My grandmother told me she remembers those when she was a child, sounds dangerous to me Rhiannon12866 Dec 2012 #49

Necco wafers! progressoid Dec 2012 #51

I'm pretty sure they're still around, though I haven't seen them recently, either. Rhiannon12866 Dec 2012 #54

I have a roll of chocolate necco wafers truegrit44 Dec 2012 #57

Oooh, all choclate. progressoid Dec 2012 #60

Here in Santa Cruz, we have a local Dollar Tree store that still sells vintage candy. bobalew Dec 2012 #67

Krampus and the kiddies locks Dec 2012 #29

Some folks say ... Myrina Dec 2012 #30

Ah, ya beat me to that one! pink-o Dec 2012 #34

In Cajun Louisiana Papa Noel arrives by pirogue and everyone builds bonfires along the rivers. nolabear Dec 2012 #38

OOOOO NolaBear!! Howler Dec 2012 #40

What a wonderful thread LiberalLoner!!! Howler Dec 2012 #39

My favorite Xmas tale -- David Sedaris' "Six to Eight Black Men" Arugula Latte Dec 2012 #42

oh yes! Kali Dec 2012 #50

We listen to that every year! progressoid Dec 2012 #52

We often do, too. Arugula Latte Dec 2012 #53

I actually had a recipe for what they called a Christmas boar's head. Cleita Dec 2012 #43

The cost of all the gifts mentioned in THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS if bought in 2012 diabeticman Dec 2012 #44

Thanks for posting that! LeftofObama Dec 2012 #59

Saturday, December 18, 1954, "Babes in Toyland" live broadcast on NBC Glorfindel Dec 2012 #61

We had exciting Xmases as kids. a la izquierda Dec 2012 #63

Estonians celebrate on Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day LiberalEsto Dec 2012 #64

The Puritans in Massachusetts Bay Colony banned Christmas for about twenty years Jeff In Milwaukee Dec 2012 #68

Bwah[-HAH, send this to O'LOOFAH!1 Do it NOW!1 n/t UTUSN Dec 2012 #69