Smell of Christmas in the air...

With the Christmas air just sparkling around the corner, it seems that Warsaw is wrapping the streets in the beautiful holiday spirit. The decorations are being hung all over the city, in different shapes and forms, from smaller replicas of green Christmas trees to white umbrellas covered in hundreds of lights.

One, particularly nice sight is in front of the “University of Warsaw”, here all the illumination pillars have been dressed with the magic of the my favorite season, winter. They all wear a big umbrella on top and although the decorations are not lighted up, one can still sense the peace and the holiday spirit.

For me, it smells like Christmas, it takes me to the wonderful place, called inner soul and it makes me think about my friends, family, all my dear and loved ones. I think that this is the secret that Christmas holds, because in no other period of the year do we buy more gifts, consider and reconsider our own actions and reflect over the past, dreaming in the same time about a brighter future, one in which we promise to do better. Of course, you should think about things like these more often, but while we are living life, the always crowded, agitated, full of action, predicted events and unpredicted ones, we may lose track of the values that we cherish.

The Holidays besides being a great occasion to party, enjoy the fruits of life after the hard work, are meant to make us think about the other persons. I, here, I do not refer to our close ones, I mean the people that maybe do not have the same opportunities as we do, the needy, the ones in pain. Did you know that they made a study and they proved that Christmas is the period of time when people do more charity work, thus helping other people (the second event that has a similar effect on humans is Easter). So not only do the Holidays makes us more happy, but as the papers, studies and documentation prove, they have a great impact over humanity, as a whole.

Last week, or the week before, I do not remember correctly, my polish friend, Kasia told me that Christmas in Warsaw is one of the best periods of the year. The amount of decorations that the City Hall is going to use to dress up the entire city will be enormous, thus quite impressive for the foreign eyes. She told me that the most proper thing to do after the decorations will be placed and they will be functioning, is to take a long walk, even if it is killing cold outside, from the University of Warsaw till the Old City, the ancient part of the town to see the marvelous spectacle. She promised me a true festival of lights, an amazing moment, I hope her predictions will come true.

I asked her when all the lights are going to be on and she told me, something about the date of 6th of December. Just a few weeks from now everything will be unfolded :D. I can’t wait!

Since, I am at the point of talking about Christmas I must emphasis on how much I miss my friends. This is the first time in my 21 year old life :D, that I will not be home. It is a bit hard, because I think about how much fun they are going to have, about the crazy things that they will do…I would go home for Christmas, but I did not find any affordable tickets, yet. Well, either I will be here or there, I comfort myself with the thought that I know that they will miss me as much as I miss them. I am sure that this time spent apart will make our get together even more prefect than perfect :)).

I am excited to see how everything will go in Warsaw, to see if they have some special traditions that they perform during winter. In Romania, we have a lot of these. There is this great custom, called “a colinda” which means to carol. We have three different days in which children come knocking at our doors, bringing the message of the birth of Jesus, the message about the coming of the New Year and, last, but not least, the message through which they wish us happiness and wealth. Thess special carols are named in Romanian: “Colindă”, ”Semănat” and ”Urat”.

The first one, is done on the 24th of December and the kids come with a handmade star in their hands (it could also be a star made from wood, paper or any other material, it is the famous star that guided the three magus / wizards to the place were baby Jesus was being born, Bethlehem) and sing special songs to spread the news of Jesus’s birth.

“Uratul” is the next carol done by the Romanian children. It happens during the Night of the Next Year, meaning the last night of the year, (for example the last night of 2012). This is an even more spectacular event, because kids dress themselves in special costumes, some chose to represent animals, like the bears, the goats or the lambs, while others chose to use the national, ancient robes made from wool, in or hemp. It is a real treat on the eyes. They are all playing small roles because in this way, dressed as "messengers", they tell to everybody that the New Year is coming. Some dress as demons or other uglier creatures because by caroling at your door they scare away all of the negative spirits, thus making sure that your “year to come” will be bright and calm.

The third caroling habit, “Semanatul” is done in the first day of the New Year. This time we do not use costumes, but we use the fruits of nature. The children come to sing at our doors and while there are praising the Year that has arrived they throw rise. The customs says that if a house has a lot of rise coming from the caroling kids, it will thrive. There are other legends that also specify that if your first caroler is a boy, then your luck will be greater.

For all this display, the kids that go out to carol their neighbors are awarded money, food and drinks. The particular events that I have shortly described, here, are not the only ones that we do, but they are the most prominent.

In almost all the cities from Romania we make a big gathering, usually in front of the City Hall. The spectacle that you can see is unique. Groups of carolers joined under the same “flag” perform traditional dances and present national costumes for the delight of the public.

In my town, this is the moment that truly allows me to see the entire population of the city. Everyone is present, that’s why this is also the time of the year when you acknowledge how many police men your city has :)).

Moreover, it is a tradition to visit your friends during this period and to be visited by them and by other members of the family. The legends come into scene once more, the house that receives the most guests will be a home full of harmony and laughter. People give a lot of thought to Christmas and the following Winter Holidays. In Romania, we prepare the traditional meals (an example among others, is “sarmale” – a kind of dumplings made with meat, carrots, onion and other stuff that are wrapped in cabbage ) and bring to the table our special drinks (homemade wine, a kind of vodka, only more strong that anything you will ever find in the stores – “țuica” and all sorts of juices and crazy mixtures).

Did I mention that on the 27th of December I will be turning 22? As you can see the winter period has a strong grip over me and for good reasons, it is the holiday I enjoy the most.

What about this year? What does it have in store for me? Does Warsaw have such habits? Will I discover particular traditions and customs? It remains to be seen…

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