Sunday, November 20, 2011

'Tis the Season - Christmas Stories From Around the World


“Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”
~ Author unknown, attributed to a 7-year-old named Bobby

The Christmas holiday is just around the corner and it's time to add some fun, facts and mirth to your day, and stories to your repertoire!

A bit of  background on the man in the red suit; he is known by a variety of names around the world. Whether you call him Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus or Sinterklaas, may you feel the magic he brings to the season and surrounded by those you love.

  • In Holland, Santa Claus is known as Sinterklaas tradition.
  • In Spain, every year Santa Claus comes by steamboat.
  • In the United States Santa Claus is described as a plump, cheerful, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, red trousers and white-cuffed, and a black leather belt and boots (picture of himself rarely has a beard with no mustache)
  • Santa Claus as we know him in the United States and Canada became popular in the 19th century.
  • In the UK and Europe, he is usually called Father Christmas.
  • The real Santa Claus, also known as St. Nicholas was born in Turkey and was buried in the city of Bari, Southern Italy.
  • It is said he was born at Patara in Lycia, a province of Asia Minor and was known for his extraordinary devoutness, passion and many astonishing miracles. He died at Myra, and was buried in his cathedral.
    The above details came from the following website:
    http://www.legendsbreakfast.com/the-history-of-santa-claus-and-christmas


STORIES

A Gift from St. Nicholas – United States
http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/08/a_gift_from_saint_nicholas.html

A Small Fish Story – Ireland
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/small-fish-story/

The Baker’s Dozen – United States

The Cat of the Dovrefell - Norway
Christmas in Legend and Story
http://www.rickwalton.com/folktale/holid091.htm
The Christmas Fairy of Strasburg – Germany
http://www.rickwalton.com/folktale/holid092.htm

Elijah the Prophet and St. Nicolas – Russia
http://www.talesunlimited.com/fulltext_test.aspx?taleid=2049

The Icon’s Warm Bread – Greece
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/icons-warm-bread/

The Silver Pine Cones – BohemiaMy  blog post from 2009 with the story and a few complementary crafts.
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2009/12/silver-cones-christmas-tale.html
My Merry Christmas.com“Christmas has ancient roots in many societies. The passage of time has perpetuated tales of legend surrounding the very icons we treasure these days during the season.” Enjoy 15 legends associated with the holiday.
http://mymerrychristmas.com/2005/christmaslegends.php

World of Christmas
Twenty-two tales to delight and share with your audiences. The site also offers information on Christmas symbols and superstitions and a plethora of all things Christmas piled high under their tree.

Storybug.net – More Christmas links I have collected through the years. http://www.storybug.net/links/holidays.html#christmas

CRAFTS

Storybug.net - My blogs post from November 2010 Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and more.

CURRICULUM

School Daze, School Daze II – You will find curriculum resources for the upcoming holiday celebration here. http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/10/school-daze-school-daze-ii.html

MUSIC

The Hymns and Carols of Christmas -The site offers downloadable midi files, some sheet music and also highlights the poetry of the Christmas season.  http://tinyurl.com/ygmnjv


SOMETHING EXTRA

Legends of the Christmas Tree – “…many beautiful connections to ancient traditions. Egyptian and Roman customs, early Christian practices and Victorian nostalgia are all combined in our modern Christmas tree.”  http://ezinearticles.com/?Legends-of-the-Christmas-Tree&id=5841

Karen Chace 2011 ©
This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.