Vesele Vianoce! Christmas
Making Christmas crafts with Dalibor and Sandra
It was my first Christmas in another country, and actually, my first Christmas away from home and family. I was overwhelmingly surprised and moved by how many of my Slovak friends understood that lonliness and homesickness would naturally be a part of my holiday experience in Slovakia. I was showered with small gifts such as candy, kolace, and Christmas decorations for my room. The Christmas celebration began on December 24, with a service in the morning for the 4th Sunday of Advent and a service at 5pm for Christmas Eve. As I mentioned in my last newsletter, Communion is rare at a worship service, but Christmas is one of the times that Communion is offered, making the service long but spirit-filled. The service was relatively normal with a special Christmas liturgy and several hymns, some which were familiar and some which were new. The service concluded with Silent Night (Ticha Noc) sung with the lights dimmed. The day before Christmas Eve, Anna and I spent most of the day baking and cleaning for carolers and other guests that would be stopping by throughout the holidays. After the Christmas Eve service, Anna, Pastor Daniel, and I enjoyed a traditional dinner of platky (thin wafers with honey), bobalky (small rolls covered in butter, sugar, and poppy seed), and kapustnica (sauerkraut, sausage, and mushroom soup). Usually families also have potato salad and fish at this meal, but Anna wisely saved this for Christmas Day, as we were much too full! After dinner, we exchanged gifts and played cards. Being used to celebrating with my extended family, it was strange having such a small Christmas celebration, but enjoyable. I received a “Slovak Superstar” CD, a scarf, gloves, and a trip to Aquacity, the biggest indoor waterpark in Slovakia. I brought one Lund family tradition to the Misina household: the scavenger hunt. I had bought Anna and Daniel matching racquetball racquets, but not wishing to wrap them, I hid them and had them search for their presents, something my family often does for presents too big to wrap.
After church on Christmas Day we had a big lunch of fish, potatoes, salad, and leftover kapustnica. Carolers stopped by throughout the day. Anna and I went caroling with the Obisovce Lutheran choir. We visited every Lutheran household in Obisovce, plus the mayor’s house and the Catholic priest’s parsonage (around 50 houses!). After four hours, we returned to the parsonage for hot spiced wine and apple strudel. Not that we were hungry or thirsty – every house offered us fruit, kolace, wine, slivovica (plum brandy), or some other refreshment. Caroling in Obisovce also is a big fundraiser for the church: we raised almost 17,000 SK, which is about $560 U.S.
The second Christmas Day (December 26th) was more low-key. After a morning church service, we ate leftovers, talked with visitors, and relaxed. On December 27, Daniel, Anna, and I took a day trip to Aquacity, and the next day we moved Anna to a new office. Also, I played in the Kysak community Christmas program, which was a collection of choirs, soloists, skits, and poetry readings. Celebrating Christmas in another country revealed to me the value of experiencing a new way of seeing Christ’s birth celebrated, and also showed how much I connect certain traditions with the meaning of Christmas, instead of the true purpose of the season. I was grateful for the opportunity to be stripped of my expectations to welcome Christ into the world once again in a new light.
