Today we went for a winter snow walk through Tampere city. We talked about holidays/celebration days in our countries.
In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas comes on December 5 and gives presents to children. The children sing songs. On Koningsdag, the feast of the king, everyone wears orange. Some people go out to celebrate all day and some sell old things at the Koningsdag market.
In Germany, St. Nicholas comes on December 6th. Similar to Sinterklaas, he gives presents to the children. Children place a boot on their doorstep on the evening of the fifth of December and St. Nicholas brings them presents overnight. Another Christmas tradition is an Advent wreath made of fir branches with four candles. Every Sunday in Advent, another candle is lit. On Christmas Eve, December 24, presents are placed under the Christmas tree by the Christ Child or Santa Claus. December 25 and 26 are the Christmas holidays and are celebrated with the family.
My overall conclusion is very positive. I was able to learn a lot about the Netherlands and a little about Norway. I learned a lot about the traditions and customs of the other countries. I gained interesting insights into everyday life and discovered many similarities and differences to Germany. I had a lot of fun sharing my own traditions with the others and sharing one or two funny anecdotes. I also learned a few words in Dutch and Norwegian.
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