Over at The Expeditioner is an article with a map of the United States that shows the states in which citizens hold passports. Also included in the article is a map showing the results of the 2016 election by state. They overlap quite a bit. Which makes sense when you think about it. Liberals tend to be more willing to explore new ideas and it seems natural that that willingness would extend to exploration of new lands and peoples whose cultures are different from one’s own. Or, is it the other way around, does increased travel lead one toward a more liberal point of view?
Either way, I think I would love to spend the holidays in New Zealand. In addition to the long sunlit days, they have a gorgeous tree, the pohutukawa—green with red flowers, that is perfect for Christmastime. Who needs a fir with wilting, drooping needles, when you can look out your window at a fully trimmed New Zealand Christmas tree? From the New Zealand government’s history site:
The pohutukawa tree (Metrosideros excelsa) with its crimson flower has become an established part of the New Zealand Christmas tradition. This iconic Kiwi Christmas tree, which often features on greeting cards and in poems and songs, has become an important symbol for New Zealanders at home and abroad.
In 1833 the missionary Henry Williams described holding service under a ‘wide spreading pohutukawa’. The first recorded reference to the pohutukawa as a Christmas tree came in 1867 when the Austrian geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter noted that settlers referred to it as such. The pohutukawa, he observed, ‘about Christmas … are full of charming … blossoms’; ‘the settler decorates his church and dwellings with its lovely branches’. Other 19th-century references described the pohutukawa tree as the ‘Settlers Christmas tree’ and ‘Antipodean holly’.
No traipsing through slushy streets for the Kiwis, their holidays are usually spent at the beach since the holiday season for them is at the height of their summer. Santa can be found wandering the beach bearing gifts.
There is a children’s Christmas song that celebrates the “time to be at the beach, by the sea with my family.”
While many New Zealanders enjoy a Christmas dinner based on the English traditions of the early white settlers, those traditions exclusive to New Zealand include:
Hangi - the Kiwi version of a traditional roast dinner is cooked in a pit under the ground by Maori and typical fare for a cultural Christmas with large groups of whanau / family and friends.
Kiwi ‘barbie’ - barbecuing is a popular option on Christmas Day when groups gather at home, the park or the beach for a casual cook up and to eat out of doors. Fresh seafood and quality cuts of meat are complemented with exotic salads and seasonal vegetables - an emphasis on simplicity, organic, home-grown and healthy.
Pavlova - while plum pudding might still feature on some menus, the standard Kiwi Christmas dessert is a classic pavlova covered in fresh seasonal fruits like strawberries and kiwifruit.
The pavlova sounds like a wonderful alternative to our normal pie-laden Christmas deserts.
On the far side of the globe, Norwegians enjoy a totally different Christmas. For one thing, it is darker. New Zealanders can bask in sixteen hours of sunshine, while Norwegians are lucky to get six. And those six hours are never warm enough to bask in.
Perhaps that is why they start their celebrations so early. Parties begin in November, and cities light up their Christmas Markets as early as November 19.
And everyone lights Advent candles during the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day. They even have a song that celebrates the candle lighting:
Light a candle (Tenn lys)
Light a candle!
One candle will burn for this little earth
The shiny star in heaven, where we all live
May all share the hope, so good things can happen
May earth and heaven meet. A candle is lit for that
Light a candle!
Two lights will shine for love and faith
For those who care and always reconcile
May prisoners have their freedom and refugees a home
Light a candle for those who cry and those who comfort them
Light a candle!
Three candles will sparkle for all who have to fight
For justice and freedom. They need help from us
May no one loose their hope before all people are one
Light a candle for those who fight for freedom and for what is right
Light a candle!
Now four candles are shining for he who loves all that lives,
every lion and every lamb
Light a candle for the heavenly king the shepherd saw
Now heaven and earth are meeting in the child lying in the grass.
One of the highlights of the season is Santa Lucia’s day, celebrated on December 13.
Lucia was a Christian martyr of the 3rd century. According to legend, she wore a wreath on her head adorned with candles that lit her way through the catacombs of Rome, leaving her hands free to carry food to the Christians hiding there.
According to Rick Steves:
The Scandinavian version of the legend is that a young woman born of rich and noble parents — dressed in a white gown with a red sash and wearing a crown of lingonberry twigs and blazing candles — traveled from one farm to the next in the early morning on Dec. 13. She carried a torch to light her way, bringing baked goods to each house, returning home by sunrise.
Today her journey is memorialized during the Festival of Light. Cities throughout Scandinavia select a young girl who wears a white gown with a red sash and a crown of candles to lead a procession.
Traditionally the procession was made up of all girls dressed in white, however, today, boys also join in, dressed as nisser, or also in white. The procession travels through the school buildings, hospitals and city centres handing out lussekatter (Lucia buns) while singing the Saint Lucia song:
Christmas dinner is celebrated on Christmas Eve, and can feature Ribbe, Pinnekjøtt:
Ribbe: Roasted pork belly, usually served with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes, Christmas sausages, meat balls and gravy. Eaten by six out of ten households, mainly in Trøndelag and Eastern Norway.
Pinnekjøtt: Salted and dried, sometimes smoked, lamb ribs. These were traditionally steamed over birch branches – hence the name ("Pinnekjøtt" translates loosely to "stick meat"). Norwegians' second most popular choice on Christmas Eve, particularly among people on the West Coast.
Lutefisk: Stockfish that has been lying in water and lye (a way to preserve fish in the old days), then cooked in the oven. Typical accompaniments are potatoes, bacon, mushy peas and mustard.
And while many Norwegian breweries produce a Christmas beer, often spiced, the favorite drink remains Aquavit:
Aquavit: Norway's national drink. It is a potato-based spirit flavoured with herbs such as caraway seeds, anise, dill, fennel and coriander. The preferred accompaniment to Christmas food.
Gløgg: The Norwegians' take on mulled wine, but made with a syrupy mixture as opposed to a herbal blend, with dried almonds and raisins added for taste.
After dinner, the family gathers around the Christmas tree to open gifts while the leftovers from the dinner table are often placed outside as an offering to the gnomes, known as the “Julenisse” at Christmas. It is important to keep these nisse happy, for they bear the Christmas presents.
As tempting as the Aquavit may be and as delightful as the music, I think I would still prefer a New Zealand Christmas. But only because of the long sunlit days. There is something vaguely oppressive about the sun disappearing from the sky by 4 PM. In Norway it sets even earlier.
However, given the chance, I would happily travel to either. What about you?