I never cease to be amazed that children here do not know when Christmas Day is – I continually forget and take it for granted that everyone knows that Christmas Day is the 25th. Yesterday, in my class at the school, I gave the children (11 and 12 year olds) a quiz about Christmas and not one of them knew when Christmas Day was, which rendered the other questions, such as what is the day before Christmas Day obsolete too. They do know, however, Noche Buena (the good night) which is Christmas Eve and a big family celebration. Christmas Day is pretty much just the recovery day after Christmas Eve. It is the tradition to eat late at night on Christmas Eve, with people sitting down to eat 10 or 11 or even later – after mass at the church – in big family groups of 20 or so.
I guess if I asked a similar class in England when 3 Kings Day was, they’d be similarly mystified (or probably more so. Interestingly, the village nativity play is in January – which makes sense if it is the 3 Kings which are the focus rather than Father Christmas.
I only have one class left at school this year, as next Monday is Day of the Immaculate Conception, and therefore a holiday. I’m trying to think of a non-messy Christmas craft I can do with them – as I am using a classroom, and with memories of the havoc previous Christmas crafty sessions rendered on our house, it had better be something without glitter or chocolate.