DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

    If you are looking to spend Christmas in Spain you may want to plan on spending a month there because Christmas in Spain is a very religious holiday which starts on the 8th of December and celebrations last until the 6th of January.  The  festivities for Christmas in Spain start on December 8th, which is also a national holiday in Spain, celebrating "Immaculada"...the feast of the Immaculate Conception.  In  Sevilla (Seville), one celebration is the "Dance of the Six" and in Caceres the young children of the town dress in jeweled clothing and holds a figure of the Virgin Mary as high in the air as they can run through the streets.    In Spain, Christmas Eve is known as "Nochebuena" , meaning the Good Night .  It is a huge candlelight celebration which consists of a magnificent feast and going to mass at midnight.  One of the most beautiful masses is the Mass of the Rooster, held at a mountain monastery at Montserrat, the boys cho...

   When Virginia O'Hanlon, an 8 year old girl from New York City, sent a letter addressed to the newspaper The Sun in 1897, she asked a very simple question: "Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?"  In what must have been a surprise to her, the question was answered quite frankly.  After calling out Virginia's "little friends" for doubting the existence of Santa Claus and being clouded by an age of skepticism, the writer of the article, Francis Pharcelius Church, replied, "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus".    Today, children all over the world are still asking the same question as Virgina did.  So who exactly is this Santa Claus guy, and why would he cause so much skepticism among boys and girls?  Is he some kind of magical figure?  How could one person cause so much excitement, doubt and even concern?    This Santa Claus guy appears to be pretty secretive about his operations.  Along with Mrs. Claus, elves...

    Why is Christmas in Poland such a wonderful opportunity to learn about a rich country's religious traditions???  Because Poland has many terrific ways to celebrate Christmas, from the simple to the elaborate.  Like most of Europe, Poland's history as a Christian country stretches back across the ages.  The Polish people have always taken great pride in their religious fervor, and a a result, many beautiful churches (and many wonderful traditions) have been attributed to Polish Christianity.  Christmas, in particular, is a Polish favorite.  Whether you have the good fortune to spend the Christmas season in Poland or you'd just like to do some arm-chair traveling to this beautiful country, here are some Polish Christmas traditions that may or may not have caught your eye.    SAY IT IN POLISH: MERRY CHRISTMAS !!  Different words, same meaning:  If you want to say "Merry Christmas" like they say it in Poland, try p...