Christmas

   Celebrating Christmas in Lithuania was truly something. The traditions were quite different from my own within my family but overall a great experience. To start off, much like the U.S., Christmas decorations at big stores, shopping center, and the like were put up/starting to be hold starting the day after Halloween (Halloween also isn't celebrated here as Halloween more of a U.S. holiday). The city was somewhat decorated in some parts but mostly within the Old Town. There was a Christmas tree in the cathedral square but other than that, compared to the U.S. at least in my town, the city decorated as much. Holiday music was played at the shopping centers but at least from my experience, barely any Christmas music was played on the radio. Holiday movies were also barely played and the main one that was played is the Home Alone series. Overall, the Christmas season didn't seem as forced as it is in U.S. but was still somewhat present and beautiful.

   Christmas is celebrated on the 24th and 25th of December. On the 24th, Christmas Eve, my host family and I weren't allowed by tradition to eat any meat or dairy products (or really anything at all in preparation for the feast to come that night). With that my host mother spent the majority of preparing many of the 12 dishes (we actually had more than 12) that we would have that night, all without meat or dairy. The dishes consisted a lot of different dishes from potato, fish, cabbage, beets, and other vegetable products. Our feast started in the evening when my host father's parents, my host mother's mother, and an aunt (I think she was an aunt of my host father but I'm not sure) came. We all then sat around the table and started the feast. The feast started off with the eating of the holy bread and then everything else. By tradition everyone had to eat at least 12 things as the 12 dishes represent the 12 apostles. I tried around 14-15 of the dishes/items we could eat which included the holy bread, herring with mushrooms, herring with carrots, two different catfish dishes, a beetroot, carrot, and potato salad that I helped make, a thick juice, a poppy seed 'dumpling (they looked like small empanadas), a grain patty, apple with honey, and a few other items that probably involved fish. It was a different taste of food than what I am used to but it was still very good. After we ate we talked for a little while and got notes from Santa. Then we all went to bed late in the evening.

Family photo before dinner

Dessert: Poppy seed milk soaked Christmas cookies

The table

Items that didn't fit on the table

 Christmas morning started later than mine at home (around 7 am) at 9 am when everyone started getting up and ready to open the presents/start the day. We started the day by having my host sister distribute the gifts to everyone and then everyone opening their's at once. We all opened and admired our gift thanking each other and Santa. After that we had a breakfast of the leftover food from the night before (I had yogurt and granola instead) and then decided to go into the city for a walk. It was raining some but we weren't going to let that stop us. We went into the Old Town, saw the Christmas tree, walked near my school, to the Gates of Dawn, and then back up the street to car. It was very nice to get out of the house but still spend time with my host family and their extended family.

The Christmas tree and I

The Christmas tree in the cathedral square

After getting home from our walk my host mother began the preparation for the dinner and everyone else went their separate ways talking with each other, playing with their friends, or watching a series or movie. Around 4 my host mother called us all to dinner where we had a feast of duck, potatoes, the food from the feast the previous night, and chocolate cake. We then sat around and talked some more and then people started leaving and my first Christmas away from home was over. I was very happy to spend it with my host family and to of had the experience. It was different from my own traditions which was a nice change. Now I can combine both traditions for next Christmas!