Christmas Traditions - English

For many of us, Christmas means a time for family and friends to celebrate at parties or dinners. Today, I'm going to focus on the British Isles for our traditional roots.

Many of the songs we sing for caroling or at our churches have their roots in English tradition. Joy to the World, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, and Coventry Carol are all from the British Isles. In fact, Christmas caroling seems to have originated in the British Isles then transferred to the United States. Probably due to English being the national language of the United States, England's history is closely connected to our own. Oddly, when we place Christmas carolers in "traditional" style, it's usually during the Victorian Era.

Both in Lancaster County area and Western New York, Christmas carolers can be heard. Some of the carolers might be families or groups of friends who wander around, but my experience has church groups providing most of the caroling.

Even more than the French, English traditions permeate American traditions to the point where the traditions are strictly Christmas. The English have their own Christmas traditions which we don't follow, such as Boxing Day, but some have carried over.

In looking through American history, and wondering why some traditions remain, and others disappear, the conclusion I came to is a simple one: by America welcoming many different ethnicities, we tend to accumulate cross-cultural celebrations (Christmas tree, stockings, caroling) in favor of traditions tied to a particular culture such as Boxing Day.

Out of all the English traditions that we maintain, it's the sound of Christmas that comes from the British Isles: caroling and the songs sung.

Today is Christmas Eve, so I will be taking a vacation for the remainder of the week. In the new year, I'll focus a bit more on both locations as everyone begins to consider summer vacation and spring breaks. Until then: Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas Traditions - French

Christmas in Western New York and Lancaster County are beautiful times of the year filled with honking horns, long lines, and general malcontent. Some days, I felt it was worse in Lancaster County area because of the tourists added to the mix. Nothing says simple like flying to Lancaster county to run the length of shopping centers on Route 30 to purchase that perfect gift made from local Amish families.

Yet, somehow, we find quiet in the hustle and bustle to remember why we celebrate Christmas. For many Catholic families, the day begins or ends with Christ's Mass (hence the term, Christmas). For Western New York, with its heavy Catholic under-layer, mass, nativity scenes, and other elements remain.

Our Nativity Scene

Today's traditionally heritage comes from France, which is actually more focused in Western New York than in Lancaster County. Part of the reason comes from the fact that Western New York was once a part of France.

The nativity (or crèche) is a part of many households and churches. The practice developed in the Middle Ages with the first live nativity attributed to Francis of Assisi in 1223. Once again, the practice comes from all over Europe with some countries developing lavish nativities. The term crèche, however, is French.

Other elements that come from France are Christmas carols - Un flambeau, Jeannette Isabelle, Les (Bring the Torch, Jeannette Isabelle) Anges dans nos campagnes (Angels We Have Heard on High), and Cantique de Noel (O Holy Night)

Many of these traditions are American in the fact that we all utilize them regardless of our heritage. It is more common for ethnic minorities to hold onto their Christmas celebrations as a way to maintain their culture. For cultures such as the French, English and German, since those are the common heritage for a region, we see less in the way of specific elements and more as an origin of certain traditions.

Tomorrow, we'll focus on the last of the three major ethnic heritage of the two locations: English, though, we'll include all of the British Isles into the discussion.

Christmas Traditions - German

Both Lancaster County and Western New York owe a great portion of their cultural history to those of German descent. In Lancaster County area, the German heritage is most readily observed in the Amish and Mennonite communities. In Western New York, the influence is less noticeable, but still present.

Throughout American culture, one item; one fundamental symbol of Christmas can trace its roots directly to the German-speaking immigrants who came to America: the Christmas tree.

Christmas Tree ... sort of

Some families debate the fake vs. real Christmas tree; my family utilizes both, when we find a real one that doesn't bother my mom, who happens to be allergic to certain types of firs. Take  note of the background of the photograph above (taken this afternoon): our eighteen inches of snow disappeared overnight due to mild temperatures and rain. Keep the families in flood-prone areas of Western New York in your prayers as many of them will have to deal with the flood waters only a few days before Christmas.

Other traditional Christmas elements from German culture: gingerbread houses and Silent Night. One thing we must bear in mind when talking about these traditions is the layout of Europe before the Twentieth Century. For one thing, Germany as the current country did not exist, but German-speaking areas did. These areas covered much of present-day Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and included some parts of France and Poland as well. Therefore, some traditions we hold came from regions, not a particular group. Santa Claus is one such personage. While his name, Klaus, is most directly related to German, the actual person, Saint Nicholas, was from Asia Minor.

Other elements such as stockings, Christmas wreaths and singing are all European traditions that seem to stem from ancient mid-winter rituals. Evergreens have long been a symbol of eternity and hope in Northern European climates since they remain green even into the winter time. Some of these traditions came into the Christian celebration of Christ's mass later in our history.

One tradition in Buffalo that is connected to Eastern Europe is Broadway Market's Christmas and Easter celebrations. While the Easter celebrations are larger, Broadway Market is opened during the Christmas season as well. We'll visit Broadway Market in the new year with for the Easter celebrations, but until then take a look at their website.

Christmas traditions primarily have a European bent to them, especially here in Western New York and Lancaster County area. The Germans bring us Christmas trees and gingerbread houses, and Silent Night (technically written by an Austrian, but written in German). Monday, we'll focus on another culture: French.

Wow Wednesday

Lancaster County and Western New York have a great deal in common, as well as a great deal not in common. Today's Wow Wednesday will focus on some of the similarities and differences, though, bear in mind that many of these are my personal observations.

Crabapple Blossoms, Spring 2013

Weather

We have about a foot to a foot and a half of snow right now, so I thought warm memories would be appropriate. This is probably the biggest difference between the two areas: the weather. Western New York is known for snow: lake effect, blizzards, and cold. Lancaster County area is not (though, in recent years it has had a bit of snow fall). The summers in both places are mild, with temps somewhere in the seventies to nineties. Lancaster County is by far more humid than New York is, and this can be especially seen during the two to three weeks that Western New York receives both high temperatures and high humidity. The natives simply don't know what to do with themselves.

Water plays the biggest part in the weather changes. Lake effect is precipitation resulting in cold air over a warm body of water, i.e. the Great Lakes. Western New York receives lake effect from both Lake Erie (to the west) and Lake Ontario (to the north). Occasionally, when the weather is just right, we can receive lake effect off of Lake Huron.

Lancaster County area, on the other hand, keeps mild temperatures throughout the year as a result of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic, and the Chesapeake Bay. During the summer, these two bodies of water bring the humidity, but during the winter keeps the area usually above freezing. While Western New York is usually colder in temperature, it is normally what is considered a dry cold that can be easily countered with plenty of layers. Lancaster County is usually a wet  cold which rarely allows the body to warm up. The amount of moisture in the air is part of the reason why it sometimes feels colder in Lancaster area than in Buffalo. The same is also true in the summer where the humidity makes it feel warmer than the air temperature is.

People & Faith

Both areas have a large old-family population, the major difference here being when the families arrived. Lancaster has several from before the American Revolution whereas Western New York was primarily settled after the American Revolution. The result in both cases is a large amount of people who claim English or German heritage. Both Western New York and Lancaster area have a diverse religious make-up, partly because of the freedom of religion that both colonies enjoyed.

Lancaster County area is primarily made up of English and German-Americans (the Amish are descendants of Germans as are the Mennonites). The large Baptist population in Lancaster area can trace their lineage back to English roots as do the Quakers. Two other groups growing in the area are the black community and the Hispanic community. Lincoln University, one of the historical all-black colleges, is located in Oxford PA, which is part of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

Protestant Christianity is the predominate form of religion in the region, but is made up from Baptists, Quakers, Brethren, Mennonites, Amish, Methodists and more. Catholic Christianity is growing especially since the Hispanic community is growing.

Western New York is also an odd mixture. Once again, a large English and German-American ethnic heritage is present, but Western New York also has a large, vocal Irish, Polish and Italian heritage. Historically, there has also been a solid Jewish population present in Buffalo. Because of the Irish, Italians, Polish and others, Catholic Christianity is the larger influence in religions. In recent decades, Hispanic, Muslim, and other groups have made their way into Western New York.

Like Lancaster County area, Western New York has a thriving black community. Interestingly, the reason for this comes from a similar location: escaped slaves. During the Antebellum Era (time before American Civil War), both Lancaster County and Western New York thrived with abolitionist fervor. The Quakers played a large role in Pennsylvania, whereas Buffalo's and Niagara Falls' locations played the role in Western New York.

Conclusion

The history, heritage and faith of these two areas plays a large portion in how, and what, they celebrate. The Christmas season is important to both locales, but each has a slightly different spin on the holidays. In Western New York, the season of Lent is more noticeable than it is in Lancaster County area. Once Lent rolls around in the new year, I'll introduce you to some of the ways Western New York celebrates, but until then, we'll focus on Christmas and Advent.

Back Again

The past few days have been quite the interesting collection, so unfortunately, I've missed posting. Between two fairs, a book signing, and preparing for said fairs and book signing, I've been busy.

However, it's Christmas season now here in Western New York, and Lancaster County area, so the next few days, I'm going to take a look at different cultures and time periods to see how Christmas has been celebrated.

Both areas have a similar background: large German and English heritage with the occasional secondary ethnicity thrown in for good measure. Both areas are part of the original Thirteen Colonies, giving them both a long American history, yet in other ways they are different. Lancaster County area has a large Protestant influence from the Anabaptists, Baptists and Quakers whereas the Greater Niagara Region has a strong Catholic influence. These two parts of Christianity reflect on each area's celebrations in subtle, yet different ways.

Then there is the locations, economies, and general associations with the two locations that also adjust the celebration of Christmas. Believe me when I say, the differences are subtle, but they do exist, so sometimes I've blundered into a difference without realizing I did so. It's interesting since my part of Western New York is a farming community, not unlike where I grew up in the Dutch country.

Lastly, there are differences between the regions therewith. Lancaster County area has fewer differences than Western New York does, primarily because the region is smaller. If I included Southeastern PA as the region then I would have more differences because Lancaster area, the Brandywine area, and Philadelphia celebrate the holiday in slightly different avenues. Once again, subtly different, but different nonetheless.

In Western New York, we have three primary areas: Buffalo, Niagara, and the GLOW (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, Wyoming) region. For clarification, not all of the GLOW region is a part of Western New York, but the G (Genesee County), the O (Orleans County), and the W (Wyoming County) are. Livingston County is technically a part of the Finger Lakes Region.

Tomorrow, for the WOW Wednesday, I'll focus a bit more on the differences between the two, but rest assured, I'm looking forward to showing you photographs and places in both locations that reflect the ways these two regions celebrate Christmas.

Wow Wednesday - Brothers Ellicott

Continuing our connections between the two territories, today's Wow Wednesday focuses on the Brothers Ellicott: Joseph and Andrew.

Andrew Ellicott (1754-1820) is the elder of the two brothers. Born in Bucks County, PA, Andrew,  became a surveyor. Andrew is best known for working on the foundations of Washington D.C. In 1801, he moved his family to Lancaster PA where he lived and worked for twelve years before finally moving to West Point where he died.

While in Lancaster, Ellicott worked with Meriwether Lewis to prepare the younger man for his survey in the Louisiana Purchase. His home, 123 N. Prince Street Lancaster PA, is the present home of the Lancaster County Preservation Trust.

Joseph Ellicott (1760-1826) was also a surveyor. He worked with his brother on Washington D.C., but Joseph is better known for surveying the Holland Land Purchase which became Western New York. Part of his work included laying out Buffalo NY and Batavia NY.

Joseph lived in Batavia until his family decided it was best to move him into an asylum in New York City. Joseph experienced mental instability towards the end of his life. He died in New York City, but was later re-buried in Batavia. The historical Batavia Cemetery on Harvester Avenue is his resting place.

The house Joseph Ellicott built no longer exists, but you can still visit the Holland Land Office Museum and learn about Western New York History.