#wintermas

avatar
(Edited)

Different cultures around the world have various ways of brightening the cold, dark times of winter depending on the folklore or prevailing religions of the culture. I have really been charmed lately by some of the Christmas Markets that are seen in many villages and towns in Europe where ornaments and food can be found, among other things. I have never lived in an area that had such markets, but they look fascinating, and I appreciate @qwerrie and others here sharing their experiences with them!

The Dutch holiday of Sinterklaas took place this past weekend, along with the corresponding honoring of Saint Nicholas which is thought by many to be the role-model for the modern-day Santa Claus. To show the variety of celebrations around the world during this season, here is a list that I compiled for this year:

05. Sinterklaas (Dutch, Christianity)
06. St. Nicholas Day (Western Christianity)
08. Bodhi Day (Buddhist)
10. Hanukkah begins (Jewish)
19. St. Nikolaus Day (Orthodox Christianity)
21. World Peace Day (secular)
21. Yalda (Mithraism)
21. Yule (Paganism, Wicca)
21. Winter Solstice (secular, Humanist, Pagan)
21. Pancha Ganapati begins (Hindu)
23. Festivus (secular)
24. Christmas Eve (Christianity)
25. Christmas (Christianity)
26. Boxing Day (secular)
26. Kwanzaa begins (secular, African-American)
31. New Years' Eve (secular, Western World)

This list is proof that there are many "reasons for the season" despite what anyone else tries to narrowly insist from their own personal beliefs.

Several years ago, I devised a hashtag in an attempt to span all of these various traditions. I introduced it here on the blockchain a couple of years ago and have been thrilled to see many people using it! So, I give you the tag:

#wintermas

I invite everyone to use it on your posts that relate to the holidays of winter, the traditions you observe, activities you enjoy during winter, etc. Topics can range from winter sports you enjoy to how your family celebrated when you were a child to favorite recipes for festive dishes!

Anyone who wants to search for posts can do so via PEAKD or HIVE.BLOG and see a list of all recent posts using that #wintermas tag.

...regardless of what or how you celebrate...

May your #wintermas be bright and joyful

 😊


         



07-Dec-2020



0
0
0.000
18 comments
avatar

What a lovely idea with the hashtag!

By the way, there is one more St. Nikolaus day that Orthodox Christians celebrate on Dec 19th 😇

0
0
0.000
avatar

intresting. I love tags. will remember this one, thanks for alert and invitation!

0
0
0.000
avatar

This post has received a 100.00% upvote from @fambalam! Join thealliance community to get whitelisted for delegation to this community service.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Do you not have winter Christmas markets across the pond? Or is that just not in your city?

I love them, used to go every year and the vibe was so nice. Granted many of the stalls are the ones you normally see, but when you throw a, bit of tinsel across your stall, add in a few additional Christmas ones,and one that sells mull wine, you have a perfect Christmas Market.

Sadly don't think we will be seeing any this year. Saw in the news yesterday, one opened in Nottingham over the weekend and it was so packed, people weren't wearing mask they had to shut it down the next day

0
0
0.000
avatar

There are no Christmas Markets here unless one lives in one of the very biggest of cities ~or~ in an area settled primarily by German immigrants. I don't remember even hearing about Christmas Markets anywhere until the past few years. We're deprived here, across the pond. 😂

0
0
0.000
avatar

Manchester Christmas Market is a big part of my festive turnover - I supply most of the coffee and hot chocolate for the stalls each year. So having it cancelled this year has been a big chunk out of my already decimated sales caused by Covid.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Congratulations @thekittygirl! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You got more than 15500 replies. Your next target is to reach 16000 replies.

You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Do not miss the last post from @hivebuzz:

Saint-Nicolas challenge for well-behaved girls and boys
HiveFest⁵ badges available in the HiveBuzz shop
The new HiveFest⁵ Attendee badge is waiting for you
0
0
0.000
avatar

Philadelphia has a Christmas Market, too, which I have wanted to get to for years, but have yet to be able to.

I love the idea of #wintermas! I think people around the world have devised ways to keep up spirits during the darkest days of the year.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for continuing to make Hive awesome.

0
0
0.000