Holiday Traditions Immigrate Too


When people immigrate to another country, they bring more than their clothing, a toothbrush and other such worldly belongings. Despite the excitement or opportunity that moving to a new land may offer, immigrants are frequently sad to be leaving their homelands. They are often eager to bring, at the very least, some small sliver of their cultures and traditions with them.

This is perhaps more apparent in cuisine and holiday traditions than in anything else, especially when it comes to Christmas. Because the international holiday is so widespread, festive influences have come to the US from far and wide.

Many Christians start off the holiday season with an advent calendar. This usually entails a picture of a house with little tiny windows, each of which has a date on it. A child can open one window per day to reveal a new picture, poem, scripture, fortune or sometimes even a chocolate. Germans and Scandinavians, who immigrated here largely in the 1700 and 1800's, introduced this popular joy, now a true American tradition. Germans are also responsible for those sinful Christmas cookies that come in various shapes or with imprinted designs. And one German in particular, Louis Prang, expanded on the British notion of Christmas cards and made them a lasting US tradition.

Then there is the endearing and ever-loved Nativity or "manger" scene, also referred to as a creche. While these have become one of the pivotal religious symbols of Christmas worldwide, one need only visit Italy for a day to realize that this is where they originated. It is said that St. Francis of Assisi commissioned the first manger scene to be made and afterwards held a memorable and awe inspiring mass in front of it. From that day forward, Italians began creating creches with zeal and devotion. You could spend an entire week touring the elaborate nativity scenes in Naples and Rome, and an hour or two exploring any particular one. In the 1880's, due to poverty and political unrest in their own country, many Italians started coming to America, settling mostly in East Coast cities. In addition to creches, Italians brought pizza, pasta and opera to the United States.

Granted, it is not terribly surprising that there have been European influences, but what could be more American than the colors of red and green at Christmas? Or the flower that inspired that color scheme? Well, according to Mexican legend, a small boy once knelt at his church's altar on Christmas Eve, ashamed that he had no gift to offer the baby Jesus. So sincere were the boy's prayers that they evoked a miracle: The first Flower of the Holy Night, one of brilliant red and green, appeared at his feet as a sign of his tribute to Christ. The American ambassador to Mexico from 1825 to 1829, Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett was a lover of botany who brought the Flower of the Holy Night with him from Mexico to his home in South Carolina. Becoming the flower of all Christmases, it was eventually named after him: the Poinsettia. Today, Mexicans continue to immigrate in large numbers to the US, populating much of the Southwest, and having an influence on our culture in many ways.