Couldn't Make This Up
Holidays are behind us, and inspite of some temporarily lost luggage courtesy of LOT Polish Airlines, all went well. (Yes, there really is a Polish Airlines.) I got a kick out of the applause upon landing in Chicago, as in "Thank God, we're on the ground!" But the same thing happened on the way back. (Oh my God, he did it...again!) Zuzka laughed when I told her this and said, "We clap in Central Europe."
We once again started our Christmas holiday celebration with a fondue party on the 23rd, followed by Christmas Eve at home, and Christmas day at our cousin's place. My children all made it to Chicago, and it was fun to see all the relatives, and catch up with friends later in the week.
Presents made it over and PE equipment made it back. The PERFECT GIFT was a hit, (a hand carved walking stick with a duck's head for the handle grip) and in no time the duck was talking, swearing and I think maybe drinking! No one knew what to do with medovino, the amber colored honey wine - drink it or use it for a cleaner. I tried to refrain from giving gifts that got me all excited to "tell the story" but would make the recipient go, "Oh...wow?" I think if a lot of explanation is necessary, it probably isn't the best gift. So there is a touch of Slovakia in Chicago now ...and Amazon.com...and Target.com...and
Speaking of Target, that was one of the first stores I went to in Chicago. The cashier said, "Hi, how are you?" and I almost fainted. When she put my items in a sturdy bag for me, I wanted to kiss her feet! I almost felt like we should have exchanged Xmas cards after that.
Had lunch with Christian and Ian in Lemont one day and commented that I could really go for a burger, which is what I ordered. After lunch, Christian said he didn't want to say anything during the meal - maybe I was anemic the way I inhaled my food. Slovaks don't serve beef; we are a pig country. I hadn't eaten a burger in four months and it was GREAT!
Leading up to the holidays, I heard and read about some customs that made me think, I COULDN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP! Some sound similar to what you may have already heard of, like the Slovak version of St. Nicholas is Sv. Mikulas (say Mikulash) but with a twist. Children put out their shoes and go to bed waiting for a visit. Some parents arrange to have Sv. Mik visit and he is always accompanied by a devil and an angel. The children are sometimes made to sing or somehow perform and the usual questions of "Have you been good?" ensue, because if not, then the devil will deal with you! Parents who haven't organized a visit for their children, sneak in while they are asleep and paint the naughtly one's cheeks black with coal to prove that in fact, the devil had been there. Sounds terrifying.
Then there are witches, who wear white, by the way. Hasn't anyone seen the Wizard of Oz for God's sake? The folklore of the witches is tied up with the Winter Solstice, attracting prosperity while warding off the dark forces. Since it was thought that witches drew their strength from the increasingly long night hours, Witches Days rituals were invented to protect against supernatural powers, and also somehow helped predict the weather, well before doppler mind you. It all starts on St. Katarina's Day, NOV 25th. Be sure to eat and hang garlic so it will snow on Christmas. On St. Ondrey's Day, NOV 30th bake a pie but don't forget to write names of suitors on papers. Put the papers in the pie; bake the pie in boiling water. The name that rises first - BINGO - he's who you'll marry. You've got to love the props used on St. Barbora's Day, DEC 4th, but first dress in white sheets and dust your face with flour. Get yourself a goose's wing to help sweep away negative energy, or cut a stick from a cherry tree; put it in water. If it flowers by Xmas, you'll marry within a year. St. Lucia was thought to be the most powerful of the witches, and Witches Days end on her day, DEC 13. Haul out the garlic and goose's wing again and hope for the best! Actually I was walking through the Old Town on my way home from school on DEC 13th, when I came across a band of witches, all about age 10, apparently on a school-sponsored field trip. They weren't scary, and except for one renegade were all in white - not quite like Glynda, more like Caspar the Friendly Ghost. Finally, the twelve days between then until Xmas are said to predict the weather for the following year, each day correlating to one month. (And who among us isn't thinking, probably just as good as any weather reporter?)
Because we had a short vacation this year, I was permitted to leave two days early to allow for travel. On Friday, the last day of class, students had two hours of gift exchanges and parties so I had no classes that day anyway. I was sad, however, to have missed the Kapustnica (say ka-poosht-neet-sa) on Thursday. Our school has a tradition of having a faculty get-together the last Thursday night before holiday. Cabbage soup is served, just as it is in most homes on Christmas Eve. The teachers do a gift exchange and I heard the soup was great and the party fun.
I've had cabbage soup before and I love it. Made with sauerkraut, mushrooms and smoked meat, it is delicious served before the traditional entree - carp. Christmas Eve day is a day to eat lightly; some even fast until the meal. Wafers with honey (oplatki) are served with chestnuts, along with crusty bread. But Christmas Eve carp is the last story I'll tell, not the eating part but rather the preparation bit. First of all, the fish is usually purchased live. I saw large bins holding the enormous fish outside the grocery stores. Pick out your fish and bring it home. Or pick out your fish and have the fish monger bash it over the head with a hammer to kill it. If you've taken it home live, put it in the bath tub, where it becomes quite a novelty for any small children in the house. Just when it has about taken on pet status, grab the hammer and you know the drill.
Having missed Christmas in Slovakia, I at least got to be here for New Year's Eve, known as Silvester's Day. The Slovak calendar has names days and at one time, it was required that you be named from the calendar. Even now there are many of my students with the same first names, VERY different from Lab, where among others we have Droffil-C, a girl named after her Dad - Clifford, spelled backwards! Your name's day is significant, similar to a birthday but not quite that important.
Zuzka and I took a (for me anyway) very jet-lagged walk through the Old Town. We stopped for some hot chocolate, the kind where your spoon stands up. We both tried Mexican, had chilis in it and was delicious. The concert on the square was just beginning its series of acts and we stayed for the first set. Shining on the buildings of the square were spotlights that said Welcome to Partyslava (in English). It was cold and damp and the DJ had a down parka and knit cap with ear flaps on which he didn't remove when he did his Elvis impersonation. The next set featured one of Zuzka's former students, but soon we decided it was time to leave. I could hear the din from my flat when I got home later and thirty minutes of fireworks at midnight. Happy 2007!
We once again started our Christmas holiday celebration with a fondue party on the 23rd, followed by Christmas Eve at home, and Christmas day at our cousin's place. My children all made it to Chicago, and it was fun to see all the relatives, and catch up with friends later in the week.
Presents made it over and PE equipment made it back. The PERFECT GIFT was a hit, (a hand carved walking stick with a duck's head for the handle grip) and in no time the duck was talking, swearing and I think maybe drinking! No one knew what to do with medovino, the amber colored honey wine - drink it or use it for a cleaner. I tried to refrain from giving gifts that got me all excited to "tell the story" but would make the recipient go, "Oh...wow?" I think if a lot of explanation is necessary, it probably isn't the best gift. So there is a touch of Slovakia in Chicago now ...and Amazon.com...and Target.com...and
Speaking of Target, that was one of the first stores I went to in Chicago. The cashier said, "Hi, how are you?" and I almost fainted. When she put my items in a sturdy bag for me, I wanted to kiss her feet! I almost felt like we should have exchanged Xmas cards after that.
Had lunch with Christian and Ian in Lemont one day and commented that I could really go for a burger, which is what I ordered. After lunch, Christian said he didn't want to say anything during the meal - maybe I was anemic the way I inhaled my food. Slovaks don't serve beef; we are a pig country. I hadn't eaten a burger in four months and it was GREAT!
Leading up to the holidays, I heard and read about some customs that made me think, I COULDN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP! Some sound similar to what you may have already heard of, like the Slovak version of St. Nicholas is Sv. Mikulas (say Mikulash) but with a twist. Children put out their shoes and go to bed waiting for a visit. Some parents arrange to have Sv. Mik visit and he is always accompanied by a devil and an angel. The children are sometimes made to sing or somehow perform and the usual questions of "Have you been good?" ensue, because if not, then the devil will deal with you! Parents who haven't organized a visit for their children, sneak in while they are asleep and paint the naughtly one's cheeks black with coal to prove that in fact, the devil had been there. Sounds terrifying.
Then there are witches, who wear white, by the way. Hasn't anyone seen the Wizard of Oz for God's sake? The folklore of the witches is tied up with the Winter Solstice, attracting prosperity while warding off the dark forces. Since it was thought that witches drew their strength from the increasingly long night hours, Witches Days rituals were invented to protect against supernatural powers, and also somehow helped predict the weather, well before doppler mind you. It all starts on St. Katarina's Day, NOV 25th. Be sure to eat and hang garlic so it will snow on Christmas. On St. Ondrey's Day, NOV 30th bake a pie but don't forget to write names of suitors on papers. Put the papers in the pie; bake the pie in boiling water. The name that rises first - BINGO - he's who you'll marry. You've got to love the props used on St. Barbora's Day, DEC 4th, but first dress in white sheets and dust your face with flour. Get yourself a goose's wing to help sweep away negative energy, or cut a stick from a cherry tree; put it in water. If it flowers by Xmas, you'll marry within a year. St. Lucia was thought to be the most powerful of the witches, and Witches Days end on her day, DEC 13. Haul out the garlic and goose's wing again and hope for the best! Actually I was walking through the Old Town on my way home from school on DEC 13th, when I came across a band of witches, all about age 10, apparently on a school-sponsored field trip. They weren't scary, and except for one renegade were all in white - not quite like Glynda, more like Caspar the Friendly Ghost. Finally, the twelve days between then until Xmas are said to predict the weather for the following year, each day correlating to one month. (And who among us isn't thinking, probably just as good as any weather reporter?)
Because we had a short vacation this year, I was permitted to leave two days early to allow for travel. On Friday, the last day of class, students had two hours of gift exchanges and parties so I had no classes that day anyway. I was sad, however, to have missed the Kapustnica (say ka-poosht-neet-sa) on Thursday. Our school has a tradition of having a faculty get-together the last Thursday night before holiday. Cabbage soup is served, just as it is in most homes on Christmas Eve. The teachers do a gift exchange and I heard the soup was great and the party fun.
I've had cabbage soup before and I love it. Made with sauerkraut, mushrooms and smoked meat, it is delicious served before the traditional entree - carp. Christmas Eve day is a day to eat lightly; some even fast until the meal. Wafers with honey (oplatki) are served with chestnuts, along with crusty bread. But Christmas Eve carp is the last story I'll tell, not the eating part but rather the preparation bit. First of all, the fish is usually purchased live. I saw large bins holding the enormous fish outside the grocery stores. Pick out your fish and bring it home. Or pick out your fish and have the fish monger bash it over the head with a hammer to kill it. If you've taken it home live, put it in the bath tub, where it becomes quite a novelty for any small children in the house. Just when it has about taken on pet status, grab the hammer and you know the drill.
Having missed Christmas in Slovakia, I at least got to be here for New Year's Eve, known as Silvester's Day. The Slovak calendar has names days and at one time, it was required that you be named from the calendar. Even now there are many of my students with the same first names, VERY different from Lab, where among others we have Droffil-C, a girl named after her Dad - Clifford, spelled backwards! Your name's day is significant, similar to a birthday but not quite that important.
Zuzka and I took a (for me anyway) very jet-lagged walk through the Old Town. We stopped for some hot chocolate, the kind where your spoon stands up. We both tried Mexican, had chilis in it and was delicious. The concert on the square was just beginning its series of acts and we stayed for the first set. Shining on the buildings of the square were spotlights that said Welcome to Partyslava (in English). It was cold and damp and the DJ had a down parka and knit cap with ear flaps on which he didn't remove when he did his Elvis impersonation. The next set featured one of Zuzka's former students, but soon we decided it was time to leave. I could hear the din from my flat when I got home later and thirty minutes of fireworks at midnight. Happy 2007!
posted by Joan Vande Velde @ 11:57 AM
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