How Americans Celebrate Christmas and New Year: Russian Impressions
'24.12.2019'
Source: Skyeng
Linguist Ekaterina Zykina has been living in America for almost two years. In her English-on-the-Palm channel, she described what was happening in the United States on winter holidays. Skyeng retold the main points.
1. Merry Christmas is replaced by Happy Holidays to avoid religion
If you are not familiar with the American interlocutor and do not know his attitude to religion, it is better to avoid the wording Merry Christmas. In public places (in shops, restaurants, at fairs), especially in big cities, now another phrase is often heard - Happy Holidays. On television - the same story.
The fact is that people in the USA now live not only from different races and nationalities, but also religions. Some celebrate Hanukkah, others celebrate an African-American festival called Kwanzaa, while others generally ignore Christmas and other holidays. So if you accidentally tell Merry Christmas to someone, your wish may look incorrect.
But this does not mean that it is now completely prohibited. In a situation where you know for sure that a person is celebrating Christmas, you can safely tell him Merry Christmas.
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2. Americans, unlike us, do not wander the night away
Just imagine: no cheating until six to seven in the morning. This is not Russia for you. Christmas is generally considered a family holiday, and Americans sit at the festive table on the evening of December 24 (Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve). According to Katya, not a single family from her entourage is waiting for “the appearance of the first star in the sky” to start a meal.
“From my surroundings, even deeply religious people sit down at a table when it is convenient for them, and no one sticks into a telescope waiting for a star to make a march to the table and half-frozen food,” says Catherine.
But the New Year in the USA is something like a Schrödinger holiday: it seems to be there, but it seems not. An older American can safely go to bed before midnight and will not even worry that he will miss an important event. Young people, on the contrary, are very happy about the New Year and celebrate it, for the most part, on some party with friends. But restaurants and clubs still close around one in the morning.
3. On the table - ham or duck, less often - turkey
There is no strict list of dishes for Christmas in the USA. In many families, ham is cooked - a huge piece of ham, which is baked for several hours in the oven, and then served as the main dish. Someone prefers duck (duck), but the turkey is less popular: she already has time to bore everyone after Thanksgiving. Even on the tables you can often see mashed potatoes and all kinds of vegetables.
Well, for dessert, as a rule, Americans bake gingerbread cookies and gingerbread houses, which children like to play with. Everything else in each family is individual: someone will surely eat Italian pasta, while someone will not do without Greek salad. Depends on nationality and tastes.
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4. Few people leave gifts under the tree. They're just given on Christmas Eve
According to Katya, gifts under the tree (or in socks) are placed in those families where there are small children. Like, Santa through a pipe entered the house at night and left surprises the most obedient. In other families, gifts are usually exchanged at Christmas Eve.
Large families can arrange interactively. About Secret Santa everything is already up to date, but there is another mechanic that is suitable for such cases - Yankee Swap. Each participant buys a universal gift within the amount agreed upon in advance. And on December 24, everyone takes turns choosing a random bundle or box, and after unpacking, he loudly admires. Sometimes it’s even allowed to “steal” someone’s gift, and then the original recipient is forced to climb for a new one.
5. In rich areas, houses are very brightly decorated
Christmas in the United States is increasingly moving to the dark side of meaningless consumption. It affects even at home. In non-poor areas, facades are adorned as if it was not a religious holiday, but a vanity fair. Everyone dreams that it was his house that shone on a holiday brighter than the neighbors.
Those who are more comfortable with winter holidays just put a Christmas tree in the house, decorate it with toys, hang a Christmas wreath on the door, and decorate the windows with festive garlands.
