On his journey, Martin notices that he doesn’t know a lot. And he is very happy that his friend, the eagle Rod Elbahn, is explaining the different Christmas traditions to him.
Christmas is so exciting, thought Martin, who until recently had known nothing about this festival. He has already learned a lot about the customs in France from his eagle friend Rod Elbahn. The boy thought about it and wished that Père Noël would also come to him and his father. But Rod Elbahn then explained to him: “Someone else is coming to you, and why you haven’t received anything yet is another matter. You have to have a firm belief in Christmas, and in France children believe very strongly in Père Noël and are always good and well-behaved throughout the year. Because he only comes home and brings something if you believe in him and are good.”When Christmas begins with a lottery game, Martin thought about what “being good” actually means, following your parents, not scolding, helping out around the house ? It probably will be. But the eagle was already urging us to continue our journey. Martin jumped back onto his back and the bird took off. Rod whirled through the clouds and cranked toward the sky. Martin had a nice feeling in his stomach and was looking forward to finding out more about Christmas. It didn’t take long for the two to land again. It was much warmer here. Martin looked around and asked the bird where they were now. He replied: “We are in Spain. Here the Christmas season begins with a huge lottery game, the ‘Sorteo extraordinario de Navidad’, which has a long tradition. You buy a few tickets and hope to win something. It’s been a custom since 1812. But they don’t put up Christmas trees in Spain,” Rod croaked. Martin wondered what Christmas trees were. Rod Elbahn shook his head because he still couldn’t believe that Martin didn’t know Christmas. He explained: “Christmas trees are fir or spruce trees that you put in your home and decorate beautifully.”The Mass of the Rooster”On Christmas Eve in Spain there is a family dinner, followed by the midnight mass Misa de Gallo , the fair of the rooster. Incidentally, several festivals are celebrated with friends and family in Spain until January 6th. As early as January 5th, the wise men from the East, the three holy kings, are moving into the Spanish villages,” said Rod. Martin thought briefly about which kings it was about and why they were holy. The eagle explained to him that these are three men who went in search of Jesus Christ and followed a star that showed them the way. “In Spain they will be welcomed with a great procession. For the children there are sweets from the Three Wise Men. In the evening the children put their shoes, water and straw for the camels in front of their room door and hope to get presents in return. On January 6th, the Spanish children will have their long-awaited presents,” the bird reported, and Martin was amazed! Rod didn’t want to waste any time, and so they took off into the starry night and flew on and on and on. Where? You’ll find out tomorrow in our series “From someone who set out to explore Christmas”. If Christian and reading fox Theo should visit your school and read to you, write an e-mail to [email protected]. Reading videos with Christian are also available at www.kidskrone.at.
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