to Latvia
From Paris
Prague
Rome
to the United States
the celebration of The Light and The Hope is beginning to manifest itself through the cultural traditions of our lives.
In the land of my father's birth, Feliz Navidad is always ushered in with a hearty batch of steaming hot, homemade tamales around the family table.
In various regions of Italy, Buon Natale is another good reason to take a nice large slab of panetonne
and lasagna
and to enjoy a reenactment of an important religious tradition such as a live presepe.
As with many European countries, France's numerous regions have distinct traditions that are appealing to the palate such as Les Treize Desserts and the luscious Fougasse
that have been part of the celebration of Joyeux Noël for centuries.
Each one of us brings something special to the table of celebration through our linguistic and cultural experiences. Let us sing the praises of the season with family and friends no matter what your faith
and celebrate the love that surpasses all things.
I leave you with this Youtube clip of one my favorite French Christmas carols. Look at the words provided, listen carefully and try to sing along! You'll be ringing in the holidays à la française in no time! Everybody now, un, deux, trois, begin:
Joyeux Noël tout le monde!
Feliz Navidad - Spanish
God Jul - Swedish
Kala Christougenna - Greek
Prettige Kerstfeest - Dutch
Buon Natale - Italian
Feliz Natal - Portuguese - Portugal
Boas Festas - Portuguese - Brazil
Mele Kalikimaka - Hawaiian
Kuwa na Krismasi njema - Swahili
Frohe Weihnachten - Germany
Priecigus Ziemassvetkus - Latvia
49 comments:
I will write you in an email but I wanted to share with you what a joy your post brings. Thank you for the lovely photos and warmth they bring to the season.
Love,
Elizabeth
Truly a delight!!! I'll be humming all day! Thank you, dear lady! Cathy
Such a beautiful post, Anita :)
Feliz Natal pour toi aussi :)
wow!! what wonderful images!! very very beautiful :) thank you for sharing!
Put up a little post just for you friend. It is in thanks for your grace, your inspiration, and your sweet words and friendship. Blessings.
Hola amiga Anita!!
what wonderful images!!
To me it puts happy to visit it.
Christmas time of traditions and memories.
Feliz navidad!!
Blessings.
Oh my GOSH! That song has played in my head for years. I learned it in French class, obviously, so many years ago but had forgotten what it was about and forgotten all the words except for the first few words… il est ne le divin enfant, something, something, musettes! That song has been rattling in my brain for years! Finally, mystery solved!
I love your photos they truly capture the season. We all need to travel to foreign countries to broaden our scope of the world.
My mother always made prime rib with Yorkshire pudding and my Godmother always brought Italian goodies to the table. Your pic of the Panettone makes my mouth water!
By the way, in Hawaii we say Mele Kalikimaka!
Love, Bonnie
What an enchanting post - thanks so much for creating it. It has put me right in the mood! Lovely photos and captions - and I love the new holiday look of your blog home!
What pretty images. I especially like the first one-Would love to see it in person!!
Your blog looks very warm and cosy too, I might add!! :)
Truely enchanting,,,,truely.
Love
Marcie
Such amazing photographs! This are exquisite. The carol of the bells is one of my favorite carols.
XO,
Sheila :-)
Sadly,I had not visited your blog in so long...last time was when Nancy has introduced you and your beautiful home and then I saw your beautiful theater that your husband and you created...I came back because I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the post about your visit with Ulla, and I find this absolutely beautiful post...You are so right, our different cultures bring so much to the celebration table...so beautifully said by you. Fe,iz Navidad, Bon Natale, Merry Christmas and I just don't know how to say it in German too :) But I wish it all to you..and I hope you get to have some delishes tamales :) Besos, Rose
Hi Anita,
Wow oh wow! love the photo's and the message. Your header is so lovely too.
This post made me want to jump on a plane and just go....
big hugs,
Barb
P.S. I have my ho ho ho on.
Hubby's work Christmas party is tonight so I am feeling the spirit.
I loved the very first photo. I kept going back to it over and over again while reading your post. There is something ethereal and dream like about it. It is hard to believe it is a real place here on earth.
A beautiful message my dear.
Hugs!
Nancy
I have been to Ulla's this week to visit you. I have also gone around the world with you in all these heavenly photo's. In the 70's I traveled to some of these places, to France, England, Denmark, Sweden and Germany, Russia and so on and so forth. Lovely memories for me. I'm with you, I plan to send you an email in the next day or so to play catch up. Have a happy care free weekend. You deserve it dearest.
I always enjoy your blog...it's like taking a short and very needed vacation and you forgot to say
Frohe Weihnachten! That's what we speak at my house...lol...seriously!
Auf Wiedersehen,
bunny
Dearest Anita...Priecigus Ziemassvetkus (Merry Christmas, Latvian)...how excited I feel to see that you have included Latvia here...my heritage!!! I have often heard of Riga (capital of Latvia) as being referred to as the Paris of the Baltics!!! Now I have to go back and look at your magnificent pics...Dzintra♥x
Oh Anita, how wonderful to see that up...I am so proud...Thank You for including Latvia...Dzintra♥x
Bonjour mon amie!
What a beautiful post! I love the light of Christmas and you have shown it in such an incredible fashion!!
We just found out about Russ' diagnosis on Thursday and he started his first treatment on Friday morning. We are so happy mon amie! It will take possibly 2 yrs of treatments & meds but eventually he will be back to normal. We thank God for all of this. The late stages of this is fatal but the early stages are curable. Thank you for your never ending prayers Anita! I am so thankful to have you as my friend.
Mille bisous, Sherry
Will email you with more.
I am still singing the French carol as I type this (I remember it from French class:). I also love all of the Christmas traditions that you have shared in this post. It reminds me of Thanksgiving this year which we spent with my m-in-l and her fiancee. She prepared the southern dishes that she is accostumed to at Thanksgiving such as cole slaw while her NY Italian fiancee made lasagna. I brought the crab cakes as part of our Lowcountry living and voila, we had quite the diverse Thanksgiving menu (in addition to the traditional turkey, stuffing, and potatoes). I think it's important to share our backgrounds during the Christmas season to remind each other that we all have something different to contribute yet we are all one in Christ.
Blessings,
Kim
Your post is so lovely! I am enjoying the music too!
Dear One, could you please email me at coastal.sisters@verizon.net because I have a quick question for you!
Love,
LuLu~*xoxo
Bonjour Anita! What beautiful photos you have posted here! So glad I stopped by - and now that delightful tune will be in my head all week! Hope you have a wonderful week teaching the beautiful French language to all those sweet children!
When I was a small child , we did not have a christmas tree or much gifts because we were very poor and just simple farm people but one thing my dad would always get for us was a Panetone.Seen your panetone picture gave me a goosebumps... ((((thank you))) for sharing it !*grin*
Last year my sister found a Brazilian store in Miami that sells the SAME panatone and she brought to us . She has plans to drive to our farm ,with her family , on Christmas day and guess what? she will be bringing one for us to eat and share our childhood memories!Yes!
Anita ... I meant to say before... I **love** the falling stars...*smiles*
What a beautiful tribute to a wonderful time of year! I love that you included so many religions and countries! A very special thanks for including both versions of Portuguese as most don't and that was truly lovely!!
Boas Festas para você também!
♥Sharon
So lovely...I so enjoy coming to visit...you always have a treat for the eyes and words to inspire. Thank you so so much. Sending you much love as you start a new week. Thank you for your encouraging words that you leave on my blog.
Hello dearest..thank you for sharing this ..Prettige Feestdagen!!(Happy Holidays):)
Anita, I know exactly what you mean-I too, want to start writing just for fun again instead of assigned writing, but, just think about it this way; it improves our technique. Having said that, I had an idea I've been mulling over in my head and todays post reflects that~
Stop by when you get a chance...Til then, we will continue to travel the world together ;)
Anita, Anita your blog is so beautiful! I love the falling stars. It's such a nice touch. Your post was fabulous ♥ The art work, the Christmas Carol's, and your writing. I had tears in my eyes as I read it. It was so beautiful. You are so right. We should celebrate our cultural and religious diversities. Thank you so much. You are an inspiration to us all ♥
Buone feste my dear Anita,
thank you for bringing the world together during this holiday season thru your gorgeous post. The pics you have chosen are so beautiful... I can truly feel the spirit of Christmas.
Love
Rita
Such a nice tour it was Anita.
You are the best teacher!!
I always enjoy your blog, you put so much work into it, and it shows.
I have to do mine in quick spurts, because it's always in between glue and glitter drying LOL.
Have a wonderful week,
Rosemary
Oh how beautiful! Gorgeous song. All the images are wonderful. Hope your season is wondrous! Twyla
Anita,this was soooo beautiful.I loved it.Thank you for sharing it all wth us.I wish you all the Joy in the world Dear Lady, for you and your hubby.
I want to wish you the merriest of Christmases and May God bless you, XXOO Marie Antionette
Just stopped back to enjoy these beautiful images and music. I hope you have a lovely day Anita. Whenever I see your comments, it makes my day.
Karen
Anita,
I see that you included German in your little tribute...thanks a bunch...Meine gute Freundin ( my good friend)
bunny
Bonjour Anita, ah bonsoir d'ici!
Vraiment a beautiful post! I had to shut down the computer for a few days otherwise nothing would have happened up here. I am programmed that first we have to celebrate my daughters (16th) birthday and after that I can let the Christmas thoughts in my mind. So I will not wish you a Merry Christmas yet, not only because I am not in the mood, but because I hope to read something from you before December 25th.
I happened to see Ulla's post! You are such a marvellous lady and your surroundings are so beautiful too, what a lovely surprise to see you up there.
Well enjoy the most wonderful time of the year! Bisous, LiLi
Ma chère amie, you are most welcome up here, I consider your dream as a promise! You are always welcome and you may even take Nancy (and your husband and other relatives, but I don't mention them as it is obvious) with you! We wouldn't stop talking! I do wish you wisdom and good luck on your thesis, we always say that the last steps are the most difficult to take, and I think that is the case too with writing a thesis, but I just know that you will take that to a very good end. Don't forget that I have a photographic memory regarding your promise! Bonne chance!
Daudz paldies...many thank yous...Dear Anita, your light truly does shine...Have a lovely day, Dzintra♥x
Dearest...there are little birdies in your Christmas tree....as in mine..:))Loved the photo's..and how I would love to visit you..well,one never knows what the future brings..!
Bonjour Mon Amie!!!
Omg, you will not believe this, but in high school we had to learn Il est ne le divine enfant! I still remember it, well most of it!! lol
I promise NOT to sing it to you if we ever meet okay!!
I wanted to swing by to wish you a happy day!!!! Such a beautiful post as always dear! lots of love, deb
I checked..when this little birdie would fly to your house it would be a nine our flight..when it leaves at 10.20..dutch time..it would arive at 12.40..your time...something like that..;)
Your blog is truly a blessing.
Thanks for the world tour.
You really have the RIGHT Spirit. Thank You so much for creating Christmas for me!!! Music is awesome I could listen all day.
Many Blessings,
Erin
Hi dearest friend Anita,
had to stop by again to thank you for visiting and leaving your kind comment. I love reading your always encouraging words which make my posts worth posting ... thank you so much.
Lots of love
rita
Dear Anita...thank you for your very kind words...how lovely♥ Wishing you a beautiful weekend...in this lead up to the Christmas Season...Love, Dzintra♥x
Gorgeous post! I loved seeing different cities with their Christmas lights! And I now have the sudden urge to go to Latvia (it seems the further up North, the more likely I'd be able to see real reindeer ;-). I hope you're having a lovely holiday season!
Oh Anita.....that was just lovely....I loved seeing Christmas around the world. :-) And, seeing Merry Christmas is many languages too! ....although I can't speak in any other language....well.....does pig latin count? :-)
Is that your adorable little tree? That is FAB.U.LOUS....I love the big NOEL in the center too....yummy, just yummy....
I'm so sorry I haven't been by. Whew, things are a bit busy here. Time is flying by, isn't it? I've got lots to do yet. I make it every year in time, but this year is crazy. I don't have a single gift wrapped yet.....and still lots and lots to make.
How are you doing? Are you ready?
My birthday's in July and I actually just celebrated my day with one of my best friends....I hadn't seen her since JUNE.....oh my gosh....now, that's sad. Maybe 2010 will slow down a little bit.
Have a wonderful weekend sweetest chickie!
Hugs,
Spencer
Hello Anita
I am so glad I found your blog.. Your photos are absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing the wonderful Christmas carol. I love it..
Happy Holidays
Penny
Ahhhh.....you are So Darn Special!!! I'd have e-mailed you directly, but in the 'puter crash I've lost my direct addresses....still working on that with this little gal.....mostly everything is up and running, but still having trouble with the mail.
I'm sorry I've not been over more....this past week has been a horror! I have to go to the chiropractor three times a week.....50 miles round trip...and to the massage therapist twice a week.....it's really messing up my blogging, doggone it! But I think the kinks are getting worked out and that's a good thing. The chiropractor just happens to have about FIVE thrift stores close by....oh my goodness....that's getting me into trouble! My car was heaping yesterday....well, not HEAPING....but I did find lots of great stuff......I'm going to get around to showing it all one of these days. :-) In my "free" time.....YIKES! When does that ever happen?
Have a wonderful evening sweet chickie....and I'll be over to visit in the morning.....it's a really big day. I think I'll be sitting on the front porch waiting.....I'm getting a new vacuum....isn't that thrilling? I'm going to fire that little gal up and have me a good clean!
Huggies and lovies,
Spence
Your collection is amazing. It is such a very much beautiful and great city. Among all I like Rome photograph, it is fabulous and too much beautiful.
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