Christmas traditions in different cultures
Christmas in Austria starts around 4 pm on Christmas Eve, when the tree is lit for the first time. Finnish people traditionally eat rice porridge and plum juice for breakfast on Christmas Eve, and at midday the ‘peace of Christmas’ is broadcast on radio and TV. Christmas Eve in Lithuania is when families celebrate ‘Kucios’, the big meal which families have together to celebrate the last day of Advent. In Bulgaria Christmas is celebrated on 25 December, but many in Eastern Europe celebrate Christmas on 7 January as they use the old Julian calendar. A Bulgarian legend says that Mary started her labour on 20 December (Saint Ignatius of Antioch's day) and gave birth on Christmas Eve, but Jesus’s birth wasn't announced until Christmas Day. Whenever we celebrate, however we celebrate, we are all celebrating JESUS THE SON OF GOD - BORN OF A VIRGIN - LIVED AMONGST US – NOW REIGNING IN HEAVEN - HALLELUJAH!
Spreading God’s goodwill in the darker places
We praise God for the many churches and charities who will be reaching out to the vulnerable, homeless and lost over this Christmas season. They will do so with love, hope and God’s message of salvation as they visit the housebound and lonely, or hold Christmas lunches for people who would otherwise be spending a miserable Christmas alone. They will be delivering hot food, sleeping bags and small Christmas gifts to homeless people, Christmas parcels of food and presents to older people, and toys to children from disadvantaged families. Some will be visiting prisons to deliver Christmas boxes to prisoners and their families as a message of hope and goodwill, others will stand out on cold street corners singing carols and delivering God’s message to shoppers and housing estates.
Trump and Le Pen on immigration
In the USA last week nine candidates appeared for the final Republican presidential primary debate of 2015 and Donald Trump was received positively. In France last week six million disaffected French voters gave their support to Marie Le Pen’s Front National candidates, and said they will do so again when they get the chance. Donald Trump is calling for a ban on Muslims entering the United States: Le Pen has called for an immediate end to receiving migrants into the municipalities of France. Trump said, ‘When Mexico sends people, they bring lots of problems to us.’ Le Pen asked, ‘Would you accept twelve immigrants moving into your flat? Some would steal your wallet and brutalise your wife.’ Trump would build a great wall and make Mexico pay for it. Le Pen declared, ‘We must regain control of our national borders once and for all, despite the EU.’ Trump said he would be the greatest representative of Christians that they've had in a long time, and Le Pen said France can be secular because it is Christian at its origin.
South Africa: three finance ministers in six days
South Africa has its third finance minister in less than a week. Pravin Gordhan was rushed into the position on Sunday night after days of confusion. Finance minister Nhanhla Nene was attempting to rein in state spending, including a controversial nuclear deal, but was fired last week and replaced with David van Rooyen, a little-known backbencher with no experience of working in the national government. The rand fell to a record low. Angry South Africans began planning marches on the presidential offices. On Sunday Mr Zuma removed Mr van Rooyen (after only four days in office) and announced that Mr Gordhan, an experienced ex-finance minister, had replaced him. It will be difficult to repair the reputational damage done by this reshuffle of one of the government’s most important positions.
