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My hometown in Poland, Chelm, is 20 miles away from the border with Ukraine. My mother called me Feb. 26 and told me refugees are coming to my hometown, mostly women with kids. It looks like most of them are just passing by to get far away from the war, but some are deciding to stay and wait for friends or family that are still held up in the Ukrainian traffic. So far, since the invasion began, Poland has taken in over 500,000 refugees from Ukraine. My hometown’s population is around 65,000, and we are not a tourist city. We don’t have a lot...
Norway starts the Christmas season in November with a series of Christmas parties at work, clubs, schools and every other organization. Every year, at the end of November many cities have a lighting of the City Lights ceremony, complete with parade and an honorary person pulling the big switch to light up the city streets. Advent means “coming” and is a preparation time for Christians to celebrate Christmas. The Advent season starts on Advent Sunday, which marks four Sundays before Christmas. Early December is a time for baking Christmas coo...
When you think about Christmas, you assume snow and cold, but not in Mexico. When it comes to Christmas down south the weather is warm and mild during the holiday season. Families decorate their homes with colorful flowers, moss, lanterns and evergreens. From December 16 until Christmas Eve families participate in “Las Pasadas” for nine nights. The children are given candles and figures of Mary and Joseph. Many Mexican children receive gifts from Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. The children sing about Joseph and Mary asking for a room in the hou...
Christmas is one of the biggest holidays of the year. When I moved to Alaska from Poland I realized how different the two cultures are but also how similar they are. It was a big shock for me. I think what I missed the most was the way and how long we celebrate Christmas in Poland. Advent is the beginning of Christmas time in Poland. It starts four Sundays before Christmas and ends with the feast of the Three Kings on January 6. It’s a time when people try to be at peace with each other and remember the real reason for Christmas (a time of f...
