19th of DecemberNo. 24

CREATIVE OCCUPATION with children

CHRISTMAS in 10 dierent countries

BOOKCROSSING & Library

NEW workshops

STEREOTYPESRead about:

ΚΕΝΤΡΟ ΝΕΩΝ ΚΑΛΑΜΑΤΑΣLink

2

When you are young, you are dreaming to change the world. At that time, you hear all these “experienced” and “wise” people, trying to con-vince you that this is just a dream, which you’ll start forgetting as grow-ing older.

Ten years later, I am growing older, and now, more than ever, I am certain for one thing. Everyone of us, is capable to change the world. Everyone can do the change in his small or more extended social environment. It is more than enough to spend a bit of your free time, to oer something to a person near you. Something which will oer him/her a smile, a better day, a new information, a learning experience, a more confident future… it can be whatever. A small change, which will be a step closer to “chang-ing the worlding the world”. It is like I can hear some of you, saying… these are just big words with no meaning…

I can only invite you to the Youth Centre of Kalamata, to meet the local and international volunteers, who are changing our world, day by day. Maybe it is better instead of the philosophical analysis to bring a simple example. One of these examples is the Greek sign language. More than 30 people have the opportunity to learn sign language, because 2 amazing ladies are oering 2 hours of their time per week (and even more to pre-pare the lesson) to teach them voluntarily. I am sure that those 30 people, when they will meet a deaf person, will be able to have a chat people, when they will meet a deaf person, will be able to have a chat with him/her, or even help him/her participate in a conversation or follow some news… Can you imagine, how happy, this interaction, can make some people? How more rich we will all become if we can achieve, equal-ity and integration, for every single person in our local societies.

INTRO

Filaretos Vourkos

3

INTRO

4

The Youth Center is developing all the time and it proposes a lot of activi-ties. Since last week you can join four new workshops: Danish, Polish, English (advanced) and ‘Do it yourself’. Danish and English are man-aged by one volunteer, Thomas, who is from Denmark and speaks both

languages perfectly. At the beginning he was a little bit disappointed that nobody came for his first Danish lesson, but nowadays he has a lot of stu-dents so this language becomes more and more popular in our center ;) The Polish lessons are run by Kasia from Poland. At first she thought that nobody would be interested in the language, but she was pleasantly sur-prised that the Greek people attended her lesson. ‘Do it yourself’ is con-ducted by the local volunteer, Athanasia. She always knows how to make something from nothing; earrings of Lego blocks or rings from a key-

board. She has a lot of great ideas and you can really learn a lot from her. To learn more about her workshop, we suggest that you read her article

on page 11.

You can join the Danish workshop on Mondays from 19:00 to 20:00. Eng-lish takes place the same day at 20:00 until 21:00. Our Polish teacher in-vites you for her lessons on Wednesdays from 17:00 until 18:00. Athana-

sia has her workshop on Tuesdays from 19.30 until 21:00.

From January, the Youth Center of Kalamata plans to open a photography workshop and host movie nights. We will write more about this in the next

newsletter. So, follow the updates about the K.A.NE. and join us!

NEW WORKSHOPS

6 Who are we?8 Library11 BookCrossing10 Lithuanian volunteer Rasa11 Local volunteer Athanasija12 Creative occupation with children1414 Local volunteer Sergio16 Stereotypes18 Christmas in 10 countries27 Credits

CONTENT

5

VOLUME 23

I’m Tonia and I was born in Austria, but in fact I’m half Greek. So I speak a bit Greek. I’m the newest volunteer in the Youth Centre and it is a pleasure for me to participate in all the dierent workshops. At the moment I’m thinking about creating some workshops by myself. I like to play guitar and I like theater. I’m looking forward to meet every-

body!

Γεια! Με λενε Λίνα, I’m 20 years old and from the north of Germany, close to Hamburg. I also live(d) closer to the sea, we have the North and the Baltic Sea, but the water at home is not that close… so Ka-lamata wins! My project is ‘Environmental Farming’. I work at the farm and in the projects of Mirto, Fifa and her friends - which is the best thing that could happen!

Hola! My name is Gabriela, I'm 19 years old and I'm from Canary Island in Spain. Before coming to Kalamata I finished my high school and began to study psychology. Four years ago I finished my studies and I startedstarted dancing ballet and Latin rhythms. I also worked in dierent amateur dance companies. In my EVS I am a Spanish teacher and I do dance and theater for chil-dren. I hope I can have fun learning the Greek culture and that of my fellow volunteers and meet people!

Geia, I'm Hien from Toulouse, in the south of France. I like photography, discovering and watching beautiful landscapes for hours, doing movies or series marathons, reading a ton of books (mostly fantasy), playing games (geek powa!) and loafing aroundaround with my friends. I will work here for one year (still 10 months now) on a new website, blog and technologies, stu like that. I will continue the French lessons of Va-nessa and start a photography group and maybe I will make some Photoshop lessons later in the year, so if there are people who are interested,

be prepared!

Γεια σας! My name is Thomas Andersen, I am 23 years old and I come from Denmark. As an EVS vol-unteer I work with Hien on the KANE website, the evs-greece.com website while also being in charge of our Facebook. Currently I am usually at the Youth Center from 10-16, but in the future I am hoping

to be involved in some of the workshops and other projects as well.

Hi :) I’m Farhana, I’m 21 years old and I’m from The Netherlands. I miss my country (and no... not because of the drugs ;), but I began to miss it less and less when I really started living here. Greece is very nice :) And I like working here too! I work at the Youth Center with Kasia, Gaby and Rasa, wherewhere we make sure that the Center keeps rolling. Besides this, I teach ‘Dutch’ every Tuesday and right aer this, I also perform lessons ‘Practise English Conversation’ with a small group of people. Besides this I try to join some workshops from other people, which is super nice! Maybe see you there :)

WHO ARE WE?6

Kalimera! My name is Kateryna. I am 21 years old and I am from Ukraine. I work with children with autism in Therapeutical Horse Riding Center. I really enjoy my work. I truly feel honored to do my EVS in this place. It gives you an opportunity to learn Greek culture, language, to help community, to communicate with local people and, of course, toto enjoy unforgettable moments with other volun-teers. Filakia :)

I’m Gulce, I was born in Turkey and I spent 25 years in Turkey. Maybe that’s why I’m Turkish. I work at KEKYKAmeA for 5 months and I’m going to work there 7 more months. In KEKYKAmeA I’m taking part in theatre, singing, chess, cooking, dancing and ceramic courses. I’m also helping with the transporation of the παιδιά. όλα καλά!

Hi, my name is Rasa. I came from Lithuania and now I'm doing my EVS in Kalamata. I have three workshops and all these activities are related to arts. I have theatre, flamenco and creative occupation lessons atat the Youth Centre. I really like my work and also I'm very happy that I have the opportu-nity to start a new workshop (flamenco) with a local volun-teer Chrisa. I think art is very important for each persons development and thats why I chose these activities to work in the Youth Centre. Take care and

see you at the lessons! :)

My name is Samuel and Im from Spain, Im 25 years old and I decided to come to Kalamata to do this project because it is great idea to share new experi-ences. The situation in Spain is also very complicated now, for me this is a great new start and a way to enrich myself.myself.

I’m Michal Šipek and I’m from Czech Republic. I’m 31 years old and I work at the Horse Riding therapy Center with Kateryna. I lead the horses, prepare them for therapy and clean their body and hooves. I enjoy it a lot. I’ll be

here in Kalamata for one year.

I’m Kasia and I’m from Poland. I am 25 years old and I have finished my studies in French literature. I’m here in Greece for 9 months to work as a volunteer in the youth center in Ka-lamata. I would like to meet the local people and work with them in some workshops and create events together. I think that with this workwork I can broaden my horizons and be more open-minded. I’m sure that I’ll really enjoy my stay here!

7

WHO ARE WE?

As you know, in our Youth Center you can find a lot of workshops. Everybody can find something interesting: language lessons, dance, theatre, yoga, etc. However our center evolves every day and we are going to start another project; a library. Our library is not very big, but everybody can find something curious and borrow books for free. We currently have almost 300 titles! Most of the books are in Greek, but you can also get some of the books in foreign languages liin foreign languages like; English, French, Italian and German. It is a good opportunity for you to start reading in another lan-guage, a language which you’re might be learning at our Center. For the volunteers, it is a possibility to be introduced to written Greek. There are some very famous authors like Agatha Christie, Terry Pratchett and some Greek writers like Μακρόπουλος Μιχάλης or Μουδατσάκις Τηλέµαχος.

The library is on the second floor. To borrow a book or to ask questions about for example the authors, you can go to the info point. Our volunteers (Kasia, Gabi, Rasa, Farhana and Tonia) will (with a smile ;) introduce you to the world of literature. You can also check the list of the books on the Internet. So… check it out!

LIBRARY8

9

The Youth center is also starting another project associated with books. It is BookCrossing, the release of books or circulation of books. This means, transferring books freely by leaving them in specially marked places for anyone to take, read and leave again in the same or another BookCrossing location.

Books can also be le in random places liBooks can also be le in random places like the tram, street, school, etc. Books can also be le in cafés, restaurants and shops. Usually the book is accompanied by relevant information, such as; Hi, I am a book, if you want, take me with you. In addition the book contains a brief note about BookCrossing. The people culti-vating the idea, explain that the books do not like to be trapped at home on the shelves. They want to circulate from hand to hand and be read.and be read.

The idea was born in 2001 in the United States. Very quickly em-braced, it expanded throughout the world. In 2009 more than 5.600.000 released books were circulating around the globe. Anyone who wishes to participate in this event should register on BookCrossing.com. Members can watch which books are le and where they are in the world. The Youth Center would like to promote this concept in Kalamata and encourage people to join in on it actively. on it actively. We already have a few books registered on BookCrossing.com. So just come to the Youth Center, take a book, read it and leave it somewhere so that someone else can enjoy the read ;)

BOOKCROSSING

I work in the Youth Centre as an assistant to the theatre director, a teacher of Flamenco dance and Creative Occupation with children.

Currently we are working on a performance with the theatre group which Currently we are working on a performance with the theatre group which will take place in April, in Kalamata. The play called “Ξυπνα Βασιλη” (“Wake up, Vasili!”) is about the life of the Greek people in the 60’s. Back then there were a lot of changes in Greece which also aected each person individually. The main character, Vasilis, le his mother and sister back in their village and travelled to the big city. He started to publish books. How-ever, these changes did not make any changes to his personality. He still was a conservative man, trying to win the lottery, although without luck. was a conservative man, trying to win the lottery, although without luck. Sometimes he could not understand his friend Manos who was a communist and wanted some changes in Greece. One day Vasilis mother and Sister Dina came to town. Dina fell in love with Manos. The servant who was working in the oce with Vasilis unsuccess-fully tried to get together with Vasilis. And suddenly, Manos won the lottery and married Dina. All these changes and failures trying to win the lottery and to have a better life influenced Vasilis a lot. He became crazy. Vasilis started to think that he was a rooster and started chuckling in the public. He could not control himself so his relatives took him to a madhouse.The story is a tragedy and comedy at the same time. I really liThe story is a tragedy and comedy at the same time. I really like this story and I invite everyone to come and watch it in April!

Besides theatre I have Flamenco and Creative Occupation lessons. I do not have a favourite workshop, beacause I like everything I do in the Youth Centre.

Until now I have lived in Kalamata for two months. I really liUntil now I have lived in Kalamata for two months. I really like Greece (I have had an opportunity to travel a little bit). I am very happy that I decided to volunteer in Greece for a long term and I dont think I will regret it :)

RASA10

Hello everybody!!!

MyMy name is Athanasia and I am 31 years old. I live in the beautiful city of Ka-lamata. When I finished my studies I went to Spain as an EVS volunteer so I know the EVS program very well. I started to work in the KANE organization 5 years ago. I think that the Youth Center is incredibly useful for the society of Ka-lamata, not only for the young, but also for the little less young, like me… Hehehe…

I work as a volunteer here and I am doing many interesting things. First of all, I am learning Spanish with volunteer Gabi from Las Canarias and I am also par-ticipating in the workshop of creative writing with local volunteer Villy. Apart from this I also participate in the creative workshop for children collaborating with 5 other volunteers: Soteria and Panagiota from Greece, Katarzyna from Poland, Gabi from Spain and Rasa from Lithuania. Last but not least, I started a new creative workshop for people who want to express their imagination through creativity. It is based on the construction of various objects of our evethrough creativity. It is based on the construction of various objects of our eve-ryday lives.

As a conclusion I want to add that every year the number of participants and volunteers in the Youth Center increases. More and more are taking part in the center and that is something that pleases me very much, not only because this is very beneficial for my town, but also because the young people begin to widen their horizons. For this reason, the city authorities should help as much as pos-sible with keeping the Youth Center running!

ATHANASIJA11

Creative occupation with children is the only workshop we oer for the Creative occupation with children is the only workshop we oer for the kids. We have around 16 children; 6 boys and 10 girls of dierent ages; from 5 to 10 years old. Our local volunteers; Athanasia, Panagiota and Sotiria and international volunteers; Kasia, Rasa and Gaby are respon-sible for controlling this sizeable crowd ;) Sometimes it is quite dicult because the kids are of dierent ages and they are very active, but the girls have some tricks to tame them. During this workshop the kids are painting, making figures of plasticine (a kind of clay made from salt), painting, making figures of plasticine (a kind of clay made from salt), playing a lot of games and practice singing.

CREATIVE OCCUPATION12

The girls want to develop their imagination and widen their horizons. The girls want to develop their imagination and widen their horizons. The youngsters spend the time the most creatively as it is possible. In December the kids are going to prepare some Christmas decorations and we hope that we will be able to use some of them for the Youth Center. We believe that the kids enjoy this workshop and have fun. We would like to present to you some pictures of their dierent master-pieces.

13

CREATIVE OCCUPATION

How did you get to know about the Youth Center? Why did you decide to go there?Hello, my name is Sergio and I am living in Kalamata. I have Hello, my name is Sergio and I am living in Kalamata. I have been studying in another town called Lamia and there was a Youth Center, but there was not as many workshops as there are here. When I arrived in Kalamata I was interested to find some-thing like that. I got to know about the Youth Center from a friend who told me that in Kalamata there exists this kind of organiza-tion. I wanted to start Spanish lessons, but at the beginning there was not a Spanish teacher because Gabi came aer and I there was not a Spanish teacher because Gabi came aer and I decided to join another workshop.

Which workshops are you attending? Which one is your fa-vourite and why?First I attended sign language, but unfortunately I had to work a lot and I couldn’t attend this workshop. However I love dancing and I found something for me later. The tango, latin- and the tra-ditional Greek dance workshops are perfect for me and I’m at-tending these workshops every week with pleasure. Which one is my favorite? Hmmm… I think it is the tango lessons because it is a passionate dance and I am very romantic so it is perfect for me

SERGIO14

SERGIOYou are also the mentor of one of the foreign volunteers. How do you feel in this new role?I really wanted to be a mentor of a foreign volunteeI really wanted to be a mentor of a foreign volunteer, because I know how it is to be a foreign person in another country, when you do not know anyone because I am from originally Armenia and in the beginning it was very dicult for me to find happiness in Greece. I am a mentor of the Polish volunteer and I am very proud of this because I can help her in case she has a problem, she wants to speak English or just for go for a cup of coee.

Do you think that the Do you think that the Youth Center is important in the life of Kalamata or are there so many other cultural centers which propose more things to do and our center does not add anything new? I think that the I think that the Youth Center is very important for Kalamata, be-cause it oers a lot of workshops for the people. They can develop their hobbies for free and they can meet other people who share the same passions as themselves. The local municipality should help financing the Center so they can buy other products which would make it possible to prepare dierent and new workshops. This center is also important because it allows the possibility to integrate the local people with the international volunteers, share integrate the local people with the international volunteers, share ideas and speak English and Greek.

15

We are from ten dierent countries: Spain, Holland, Turkey, Poland, France, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Denmark and Germany and we decided to check what the Greek people think about our countries, which image they have about our countries and which stereotypes. We decided to go in the street and interview the local people. It was dicult because a lot of them, didn’t speak English or they didn’t want to. However sometimes our smile was so con-vincing that we found four people who agreed to speak with us: Ley Psychogiou from book-shop, the saleswoman from the shoe shop, Kirkos from the Indian shop and Leonidas from the bookstore. bookstore.

Firstly we asked about France. They told us that French people don’t speak English. They don’t spend a lot of money, they are uptight and when they come to the shop they don’t say even say “good morning” or “good bye”. So in general, they are not very popular. Kirkos added that they are snob and anxious. They run a lot without reason. But they are elegant and they have a big history with a lot of famous poets and painters.

Secondly, we asked about Poland. Most of them claimed that Polish people are friendly and nice. A lot of them work here in the Greek houses and look aer the old people. They are very polite and honest. According to the saleswoman, they buy a lot of shoes ;) Leonidas told that they have high education and love art. In addition they are open and they have beautiful women. Ley a rmed that they work all day in Greece, but they send the money to Poland. They say that in Poland the situation is better, but they prefer staying in Greece. They have white skin and red cheeks ;) Perhaps because from drinking alcohol, because Kirkos told us that they drink a lot of vodka. He added that the young that they drink a lot of vodka. He added that the young Polish want to progress, but between them there is a big hole between poor and rich.

Thirdly we inquired about Turkey. Kirkos said that it is the country of two religions and on the one hand we have traditional Muslims and on the second hand the people very liberal, the women in very short skirts. It is a country of contradiction where we meet European and Asian culture. He claimed that they want to be known and famous in the world because they have a strong nation. According to Leonidas, they are friendly and nice, look aer about the tourists who come there because it is cheap. However, they don’t progress and don’t spend a lot of money for education and for schools. The saleswomen from the shoe shop told us that Greek people generally don’t liGreek people generally don’t like Turkish people because of history. In general their relation-ships are not very close.

Our fourth country was Spain. Generally Greek said that the Spanish people are very nice and two nations like each other. They have a lot of things common with Greek for example they are impulsive and passionate and they have the some financial problems like in Greece, so that the reason that they don’t come to our host country very oen. But Kirkos inserted that their politicians are better and they care more about their citizens. He added that Spain is attached to corrida and it has a big industry and agriculture. This country is very positive and attracts a lot of tourists who want to learn Spanish which becomes very popular language.

STEREOTYPES16

We posed also the question about Farhana’s country, the Netherlands. Everybody claimed that Dutch people are open-minded, free and smile. According to the saleswoman, they are very good people, buy a lot of shoes, say “hello” and like talking with local habitants. Leon-dias added they it is a small country which has very liberal law and dierent way of the life style. Everybody is close to each other and especially, they have good footballers and of course it is a country of bicycles. Kirkos appended that they are very advanced of technology and even it is not a big country, they know how to earn money from sex industry ;) They are well organized and by the ancient colonies, the Dutch are known in the whole world.well organized and by the ancient colonies, the Dutch are known in the whole world.

The other countries are not very known by Greek and they couldn’t say a lot about them. We present only few opinions of Kirkos and Leonidas.

According to Kirkos, Ukraine is destroyed by communism. Before they were isolated but nowadays they are more open. They are poor but they are proud of their country and of their history. Leonidas accorded Ukraine to Russia and he claimed that they are similar to Polish people because of tradition and cold weather. They are very nice and have the high level of education and obviously beautiful Slavic women ;)

The both men told us that in Lithuania, there is very famous basThe both men told us that in Lithuania, there is very famous basketball team. Before Lithua-nians were according to Russia but nowadays they are free and they made a big step to im-prove their life, especially in society, culture, studies and technology (free Internet).

For our respondents Denmark is very nice country. They have a lot of social assistances for everyone. Kirkos and Leonidas added that the Danish are good example to follow by another countries in technology, recycling and solar energy. Ley told that they like Germans and they are very strict. However Leonidas said also that they are cold and racist for Muslim people.

Czech Republic is famous from the best women, beeCzech Republic is famous from the best women, beer, Franz Ka a, atmosphere in Prague and fairy tales. The Czech people keep their tradition, history. They are proud of their old building and castles however they are not the power of economy.

Our last country was Germany. For Leonidas, Germany is the country of progress and good Our last country was Germany. For Leonidas, Germany is the country of progress and good economy. They are very motivated and they know how to achieve their aim because they are well-organized like machines. They are cold people but their industry is very developed and their cars are very good quality. Kirkos agreed with him and added that the Germans have a lot of money so they can travel a lot and they can buy the houses in another countries. He claimed that they should be more human because they are hard, not very sensible and in generally they don’t speak a lot.

Summing up our interview, we can get to know a lot about our countries and how another Summing up our interview, we can get to know a lot about our countries and how another nations see us. Sometimes it is funny for us, sometimes very sad. For the Greek people…. If you want really see how we are, come to the Youth Center and we can show you that some-times you are in mistake and we can try to break the stereotype ;)

STEREOTYPES17

Czech Republic (Michal)Christmas in Czech Republic is usually very busy. Christmas in Czech Republic is usually very busy. People rushing to the shops, push-ing and pressing themselves and all around you can hear Christmas songs. Some-times we have snow on the streets and it is very beautiful. On the squares we have Christmas markets and you can buy anything imaginable. It is very nice and I like it a lot. The aroma of boiled wine with clove and backed chestnuts can be smelt every-where. You can also buy living carps in aquariums which are located in the streets. My family is traditional and attached to habits. For Christmas everyone must be together on Christmas Eve and nobody can leave the table before finishing their dinner. The Christmas dinner contains fish soup and potato salad with fried fish. Aer the main dish we have dessert. Then we unpack our gis and when midnight approaches a lot of people go to the church for midnight mass :)

Spain (Samuel)Hello my name is Samuel. I am from the Canary Islands (Spain) and normally at Christmas we have 3 important days. One of them is the 24th of December night, because we have a great dinner with all the family and also it is the night when Santa Claus brings the presents for everybody;) Also my family makes a big lunch on the 25th of December but I dont know what other families does on this day.The second important day is New The second important day is New Year Eve. Everyone celebrates that day with his/her family and aerwards, everyone goes out to party. Finally we have the 6th of January, it is another day to give gis and receive gis. This one is more impor-tant because the three magic kings bring a lot of presents to the people. Their names are Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar, the last one is black. Aer that day, Christ-mas is over, so it is a little bit of a consumerist holiday.

Denmark (Thomas)ΧΧριστούγεννα στη ∆ανία

So I, like the other volunteers, have been tasked to describe Christmas in my home country. Hopefully I can get through this without getting to homesick!

In Denmark there are several traditions, some being In Denmark there are several traditions, some being kept alive by some families,

CHRISTMAS18

others not so much. I will keep to what my family does for Christmas. Christmas starts in the end of November, preparing for the decorations, buying sweets, candy, dried fruit and other delicacies! From the 1st of December we light a big candle with 24 numbers on it as a countdown for Christmas Eve, we also have 4 Advent candles that we light every Sunday. The week before Christmas Eve we go out in the woods and cut our own Christmas tree, typically we go with the entire family to make a trip out of it, and as soon we get it home we decorate it with Christmas glass balls, can-dles and this really old, half-brodles and this really old, half-broken star that we have been using as long as I re-member!

The 24th is the actual Christmas day in Denmark and the day is usually spent in the kitchen, preparing for the evenings feast! We always have roast duck, potatoes and brown potatoes (which is potatoes glassed in honey), boiled red cabbage and some salad that varies from year to year. The roast duck is the big time taker of all the dishes so aer it has been put in the oven we usually go to church. A lot of Danes go to church during Christmas, not so much because they are religious, but more be-cause it is a really nice experience on Christmas Eve. Aer that we share our Christ-mas dinner and relax before we ultimately open our presents. This typically happens mas dinner and relax before we ultimately open our presents. This typically happens very late in the evening; because we want it to last as long as possible (I used to hate waiting as a kid!). That is the very short version of my Danish Christmas. I could go on about the 2nd and 3rd day of Christmas, but I am running out of space.

Merry Christmas!

Lithuania (Rasa)Christmas in Lithuania is one of the most important days of the year. It is a religious celebration, but everyone celebrates it.

People start to prepare for Christmas about three weeks in advance. A tradition in Lithuania is to buy a real Christmas tree, not a plastic one. It is usually decorated two weeks before the Christmas; however in my family we usually do it on the day before Christmas on the 24th of December. This day is also very important and Lithuanians celebrate it.

The day is related to Christmas because Jesus was born at midnight. In the evening The day is related to Christmas because Jesus was born at midnight. In the evening

CHRISTMAS19

of the 24th of December, all the families come together to celebrate it. It is a tradi-tion to have 12 dierent meals. These dishes can not contain meat or milk. Usually my family makes some salads from carrots or beetroot with herring, mu ns with mushrooms inside, a glass of “pitcher” which is a drink made from cranberries. We also have some special mu ns which are only for Christmas. They are made from flour and poppies. We also put a branch of juniper on the table.

In my family Santa Claus comes aer the dinner. Nobody has ever seen him, be-cause he comes through the lock of the key or the window and he leaves the presents under the Christmas tree. Sometimes Santa also leaves some gis in the morning of Christmas day. In Lithuania Santa Claus, we call him Christmas Grandpa, only gives presents to the people who have behaved good.

The two days of Christmas is usually celebrated with relatives and some close The two days of Christmas is usually celebrated with relatives and some close friends at home. However children oen go skiing because there is usually a lot of snow in December. Youngsters like to play in the snow and throw snowballs at each other.

I like Christmas because it is the time of year when all of my relatives get together. And also because I get some presents, of course :) :) :)

Germany (Lina)WWeihnachten in Deutschland Since Christmas is secretly only about food I’m going to explain my German Christ-mas time as a menu for you: The welcoming champagne is the tree purchase at the 23rd since my family never had been a big fan of early decorating. And the tree is a big decision! But normally my mum and I give my father the feeling he had a say, then smoothly talk him over, while my grandma is waiting in the warm car. The aernoon of the 24th is the appe-tizer of our meal when my mother and I decorate the tree and finish the house. Then we get dressed, while my father is preparing the food: trout (πέστροφα), which is cooked fish with potatoes and butter sauce. The first and also most important main dish comes aer that: Unwrapping the presents, some singing (my mother is very dish comes aer that: Unwrapping the presents, some singing (my mother is very talented and we always force her to) eating cookies and church. Because Germans

CHRISTMAS20

go to church at Christmas, even if they are not religious. And the church is so happy about that fact that they oer a big variety of services: Singing services, family services (that most of the times include a play of the holy night), services with no talking, services with a big choir, services that include jokes, serious services, serv-ices with lots of candles, services with food… Since I sing in the gospel choir we visit the “Mitternachts-Messe”, the midnight mass.

At the 24th my father cooks duck or goose, prepared in the oven. Aer that we come together for the second main dish: At my best friend’s house, eat more cookies and exchange more presents. The third dish is the family gathering at my grandma’s house at the 25th. With my other grandma we drive down the way to Bremerhaven and meet all my mother’s side family. The final desert is two more days at my grandma’s house where we get spoiled with food and treats and shopping… Καλή Όρεξη!

UkraineUkraine (Katia)Christmas in Ukraine is celebrated on the 7th of January according to the Gregorian calendar as in most other Orthodox Christian countries.

In most parts of Ukraine people create so-called ‘In most parts of Ukraine people create so-called ‘Vertep’ on Christmas Eve. These are showcases from the Bible picturing the birth of Jesus. They show the baby Jesus in a manger, Mary, strangers oering their gis and the shining star of Betlehem. Those verteps are exhibited at public places, usually near or inside churches. At night candles are lit inside verteps so people who come to church for the night serv-ices can observe them.

Christmas Eve is called ‘Sviaty Vechir’ (Holy Evening) in Ukraine, but sometimes also called ‘Sviata Vecheria’ (Holy Supper). People usually cook some tasty food for this evening. There should be at least 12 dierent dishes on the table. Some are mandatory including ‘Kutia’ -- the ritual food which is prepared from cooked wheat and special syrup containing diluted honey, grated poppy seeds, raisins and some-times walnuts.

For this evening people decorate Christmas trees in their houses. Another tradition exists in some regions of the western part of Ukraine to decorate the table with

CHRISTMAS21

‘Didukh’ -- a sheaf of oats or wheat with four legs and numerous little bundles. It symbolizes prosperity for the next year.

St. Nicolas (Santa Claus) also called here ‘Did Moroz’ is an ubiquitous Christmas character and is believed to place some gis under the Christmas tree this night.

In some regions people are also making decorated Christmas eggs very similar to Easter eggs -- ‘Pysanky’.

Halloween is not celebrated in Ukraine but some similar traditions are performed Halloween is not celebrated in Ukraine but some similar traditions are performed here for Christmas. This evening children come around their neighbor’s houses with torches and sparclers (here referred to as Bengal lights) spreading grains and colored seeds. They wish people good health and an abundant harvest for the next year and ask for some donations. They also perform some Christmas songs called ‘Koliadky’ or ‘Shchedrivky’.

The day aeThe day aer, the people in some villages in Western Ukraine organize folk perform-ances which have clearly been inspired by ancient pagan habits. They dress up themselves as monsters with pelts and horns and run through the village trying to scare people. Aer that they run to a special place on the outskirts of the village and that is where the main act takes place: they fight with all the people of the village and are finally defeated. There will also be scarecrows burned in a big bonfire and everyone attending the event will dance around the bonfire. This symbolizes the fight of good and evil and that good triumphed over evil for the nfight of good and evil and that good triumphed over evil for the next year to come.

Poland (Kasia)Christmas time is very important in Poland and because it is a mostly catholic coun-try this period is filled with tradition, family, celebration and symbols. A symbol of new life - new year, a symbol of peace, conciliation, an exceptional time when all is possible and when even the enemies have the chance to put aside their dierences.

For the Polish catholic Christmas time starts 40 days before the 24th of December. It is advent, a time of waiting for the celebration of the nativity of Jesus. It is a time of silence; it is rare to see people organizing parties. In the same time, on the 6th of December, Santa Claus comes to the Polish houses and leaves us a lot of gis ;)

CHRISTMAS22

Christmas in Poland lasts 2 days; 25th and 26th December, however the most im-portant day is the day before Christmas, on December 24. It is Wigilia. In my house this day is very special because my mother says that when Wigilia is bad or un-happy, all the days of the coming year will be the same so we try to spend this day in peace. When the Christmas tree is decorated, we await for the first star to show up on the sky before we begin our dinner. We always leave one place for an unex-pected guest at the table, because on this day, nobody can be alone. We start our dinner dividing the “oplatek” (a kind of bread) and the members of family exchange wishes to each other. On the table we should have had 12 dishes which symbolize 12 months, however in many homes we only eat few of them: beet soup (barszcz) with ravioli (uszka) stued with mushroom, carp, herring, kutia (the mixture of poppy, nut, honey, wheat, raisins), gingerbread and cheesecake. We do not eat meat on that day! Aer that everyone can find and open find presents under the Christmas tree from the Star (gwiazdka). We sing the Christmas carols and aer the suppesupper, we go to church for the midnight mass (pasterka).The 25th and 26th of De-cember, the Poles go to visit each other. These 2 days are generally spent at the table, because the meat and all the other foods are now allowed.

Aer Christmas comes New Year Eve. The Polish people spend this day with their families and friends or go to parties, clubs, bars etc. We drink a lot of champagne and of course vodka and everybody enjoys it!;) Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

Turkey (Gülce) In Turkey we celebrate the New Year beginning on the 31st of December. According to the law admitted in 1935, 31st of December in the aernoon and 1st of January are ocial holidays.

On Christmas Eve people generally stay at home. Christmas dinner is one of the On Christmas Eve people generally stay at home. Christmas dinner is one of the most important parts of the day. We have turkey (yes, we eat turkey in TurkeyJ) with rice is the most popular meal. Christmas Eve usually ends with a game of Bingo (Tombala). In addition to playing this game people also buy lottery tickets because Christmas Eve is said to be a day of luck. Most people decorate Christmas trees for the sake of their children. They decorate the trees with small red plastic balls, small colourful lamps like they see in the movies :)

CHRISTMAS23

For the last 15 years people have also begun to go outside to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Giant TV screens are put up at the city centres to make people see how New Years Eve is being celebrated in rest of the world.

France (Hien)Joyeux Noël ! (Happy Christmas!)

Christmas in France, liChristmas in France, like in every Christian countries, is a day when people celebrate Jesus’ birthday that’s why we have the Advent’s period which starts 4 weeks before Christmas. Traditionally Christians used to light a candle each Sunday until Christ-mas to represent the light of Jesus’ arrival. However the Advent is well-known now with the Advent calendar made with cardboard where you can open one window each day and discover a sweet, most of the time chocolate (some people can’t start their day without eating their chocolate or can become really violent if you dare to steal their chocolate).steal their chocolate).

To celebrate and symbolize Jesus’ birthday we also reproduce his birthday scene with crèche/crib (Φατνη).

It’s not really Christmas if there are no decorations in the streets and in the houses but it’s truth that French people don’t go crazy and decorate their houses with lot of lights so you won’t see a lot of houses with plenty and plenty of lights. Let’s not forget the Christmas tree, usually you will see giant “true” Christmas tree in town and village.

In the night of the 24th December family gathers and maIn the night of the 24th December family gathers and makes a long dinner. Foie gras (Φογα γκπα), huîtres/oyster (Στρειδια), rôti de porc/roast pork (Χοιρινο ψητο), bûche de Noël/yule log (Xριστουγεννιατικοσ κορµοσ)… are in the menue. Some people go to the church for the messe de minuit/church service during this night.

Aer filling our stomachs with plenty of great dishes … finally the gis exchange!TTruthfully this celebration became for most of the people a commercial celebration which is an occasion to be in family to share a long and great dinner and to please our close relatives by giving gi. That’s why some people don’t greet Joyeux Noël/Happy Christmas but Joyeuses Fêtes/Season’s greetings to remove the

CHRISTMAS24

the religion side.

Λοιπον enjoy your time with your family and your relative!!Joyeuses fêtes de fin d’année!!

Holland (Farhana)Christmas in Holland, is a fine one. I wouldn’t say we’re fanatics, I would say… it’s Christmas in Holland, is a fine one. I wouldn’t say we’re fanatics, I would say… it’s just perfect. I’ll warn you in advance that I love Christmas very much. When people are talking about ‘capitalism’ and ‘commercialism’, I don’t quite understand what they are talking about… let me try to explain.

For the first time, here in Greece, I can really feel how much I love Christmas. This For the first time, here in Greece, I can really feel how much I love Christmas. This is, because since a few weeks, I’ve been missing Holland like hell. I miss the atmos-phere, the cold, the waiting for degrees to drop below zero and excitement when it’s starts snowing! It gets dark early, there are lights and candles everywhere in the houses… it’s such a beautiful sight. Everybody is trying to make the best out of this time, you can see and feel the extra eort everywhere. Each person tries to make a piece of the world a little bit more beautiful and you can feel the shi in the atmos-phere. Suddenly you’ll feel liphere. Suddenly you’ll feel like smiling to complete strangers or bursting into laugh-ter with someone when you both almost kill yourself on the icy pavement… Be it with a child or an old man, it doesn’t matter anymore.

To me, Christmas has nothing to do with religion, with Jezus or Christ, or any kind of ‘holy’ thing, or maybe even family. Oké, a bit of course… ;) but for me it’s just that time of year, when everything gets a little bit more dicult. With the cold and early darkness, I feel we tend to get closer connected to each other automatically. I’m sure this happens in other countries too. It’s this feeling of being connected to other people on a deeper level, even to people you don’t know at all. The bond between people tightens ever so slightly, but so clearly to me. To me, this time of the year is very precious.very precious.

And wow… when it starts snowing…!! :D Everything changes. The landscape starts to become something so dierent, something almost otherworldly. Everywhere you look, white land, stillness and just pure beauty. Everything is already flat in the Netherlands, but with the trees being all bold and stu… everything gets even more

CHRISTMAS25

clear and still. Especially on a sunny winter day, when it just snowed eight centime-tres and the wind stays low… I can stare at the landscape for hours and be totally at peace. Be it in my home, while traveling on the train or bus or maybe just on a bench in a park. Go and take a morning walk in a park somewhere on an easy Sunday and stand still for a moment there in the snow… somewhere with no one around you, an empty path between the trees. The silence you’ll hear is so real and kind of heavy too… every little sound is mu ed by the snow around you. For me this is such a beautiful thing, aerwards I get home very calm and light. this is such a beautiful thing, aerwards I get home very calm and light.

I love taking walks like these through the snow, a lot of times even without music on my head. Normally, I always listen to music. Now, of course music that gives me a Christmassy/Wintery feeling :) For me, these aren’t necessarily songs specifically about Christmas, just songs that have this magical/mystic feel to it and just make me feel Christmassy :P I listen to a lot of classical music and movie/game sound-tracks like Imachinarium. And I listen to for example Agnes Obel, Imogen Heap, Apocalyptica, Apparat, Tory Amos... I also listen to Loreena McKennitt, Clannad and other Celtic influenced music.other Celtic influenced music.

I say ‘this time of the year’ rather than ‘Christmas’, because for me, this period of time is not necessarily connected to Christmas alone. I get the ‘Christmas’ feeling when it starts getting colder and darker, which means that a lot of people think I’m crazy when get the urge to put on Christmas music in the beginning of November... ;) Or when I buy all kinds of nice Christmas lights and decoration :P The feeling is so nice! When you go to a Christmas market outside in the park, with the little stalls where you can buy house/garden decorations, hot wine, nice warm clothes, warm food and the whole marfood and the whole market itself is decorated too. Sometimes the markets have beautiful locations, like in a park with huge old trees or in a big courtyard of an old castle. And when I bought some nice stu, I’m like a child; thrilled and totally impa-tient to get home and decorate the house… with my music of course! :)

At night I see red and green colours everywhere, with golden lines. The smell of Christmas trees is priceless, try burning a little piece of one of those branches. The aroma you’ll smell holds the very essence of Christmas (so to speak :P). When I smell this, my mind immediately focuses on soothing feelings and warm colours. You’ll see little lights and candles everywhere, no cold hard lights to be seen. When I drive around in Holland at this time of the year, just alone with my Christmas music and I see all this mystery and beauty around me, I’m truly happy.

CHRISTMAS26

PhotographersKatarzyna BarylakFarhana FaroqueKatherine Evans

Luis Francisco CorderoChristophe LibertZsolt Zatrok DZsolt Zatrok Dr.Wong Mei TengZsuzsanna Kilian

iammi-zNossiromalex27

richeyteaMichael Michael Towse

kristjaGrethe Boe

CREDITS27

See you again in 2012!!! :-)

Supported and financed by

A publication of

Katarzyna BarylakThomas Kragskov AndersenMichal ŠipekHien BuiLina Marie ConradRasa BalasaityteSamuel Hernandez Samuel Hernandez PerezFarhana FaroqueGülce KuşKatya GaliukAthanasijaSergio

Articles:Artwork:Farhana Faroque

Katarzyna BarylakEditor: