By Anna Maria Petrov
Christmas is just around the corner, and people are starting to plan where they will spend the holidays and when will be the right time to go shopping for presents.
Feelings of cheerfulness arise when we listen to Christmas songs on the radio, when we decorate the Christmas tree, hang the lights and garlands or just drink steamy hot chocolate. And the most important is our family’s long lasting traditions that they passed down to us and we will pass down to our kids someday.
Coming from a different country – Bulgaria – was not always easy and that is all due to the fact that when I and my family arrived to this new and unfamiliar land, there was some struggle. But eventually we adapted and to this day enjoy and really appreciate being a part of this country. During the holidays we bring our own traditions and share them with other people.
On Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, my family and I prepare a whole day to celebrate, and it all starts with me and mom preparing the different dishes. The two main dishes are the cabbage rolls and homemade bread, and each symbolizes the birth of Jesus Christ. Meaning that the bread, being made of wheat, symbolizes fertility and growth, and the cabbage rolls are a symbol of baby Jesus being wrapped in a baby blanket.
Also, inside the bread there is a quarter. Whoever gets it in one of the bread rolls will have good fortune for themselves and for their family, and the oldest family member must split the bread and pass it around. The same goes for having a full table of food, and that means that we will have a prosperous year. There is also some bean casserole and a variety of dried fruits because during winter in our country we don’t have any fresh fruits. We also have hard-shelled nuts which symbolize good health and strength.
After we prepare all the dishes, which need to be vegetarian because it’s the end of the religious lent, we set the table with the nuts and dried fruits. We get ready to go to church at night and we go again on Christmas morning, and after dinner we leave the dishes and food out and in that way we leave it for the Virgin Mary, so she can eat to replenish her energy. Another and last tradition my family follows is that when the clock strikes midnight we open our presents, which has always been my favorite part.
Besides decorating and waiting anxiously to open presents, the most important and precious thing that is close to my heart is family and tradition. During the holidays we should all share our traditions with either our family or friends.