I sometimes think that
instead of asking for the tired, poor, and huddled masses the Statue of Liberty
should really ask those who wash up on our shore to give us your holidays that
involve eating and drinking, and if there's a commercial edge to it so much the
better. We'll do what we do best in this country, change it beyond all
recognition and export it to the world.
That's why I find it
so interesting when I stumble across holidays that we don't celebrate in the
US. Take for example St. Nicholas Day. Now my Grandmother was full-blooded
German but it took a Bavarian to tell me about this holiday.
Like Christmas, it
involves gifts (win), food (win), and fun (win). St Nick is there—The
skinny bishop not the Coca-cola fat man. And best of all, there's this guy
called Krampus who will stuff bad little boys and girls into his sack and carry
them away. Hey, it's kinda like combining Christmas and Halloween.
There were just as
many German-Americans in the US as there were Irish and English when Christmas
was catching on. So why don't we celebrate St. Nicholas's Day ?
If I had to guess, it
comes down to one word: War.
Both the first and the
second World Wars created a strong
anti-German sentiment in the US, and it affected everything from the
music we could listen to, the language we spoke and what we called food
(sauerkraut became liberty cabbage, German shepherds were police dogs, etc).
This sentiment also gave us Prohibition—all those German beer gardens and
breweries.
But I digress. It's
time to add more holidays to the calendar. June and August are wide open. April
has taxes due and we definitely need something to celebrate to forget that. So
what do you say, let's start a movement to bring forth another holiday,
conceived in fun, food and drinks? What would you propose and why? Leave your
fabulous idea for a chance to win a free copy of my latest book.
Now a word from our
sponsor, er, my latest book celebrating: St. Nicholas's Day.
Gift from St. Nick
Blurb: Hans Lubeck
lost his birthright to a woman's deceitful games. Ten years later, he's on the
cusp of fulfilling his dream of captaining his own ship. And another woman
could jeopardize everything.
Schoolteacher
Lenore Kerrigan devotes her time to her pupils and good works. She has no use
for a man or the damage he could do to her reputation.
But
this holiday season, fate and an island of matchmakers have other plans. Will
they accept the gift of a lifetime, or will the past steal away any chance at
happiness?
Excerpt: When a first
kiss, isn't exactly a first kiss
"Are you awake, Lenore?"
Her stomach dropped into the basement.
Of all the hotel lobbies in the world, why did Hans Lubeck have to walk into
hers?
And why did she have to kiss him?
She swallowed the disgrace wadded in her
throat, then slowly worked her fingers out of his knitted sweater. Sweet
Mary, maybe I should join a convent in Ireland. At least then I won't be able
to get into anymore trouble.
"Lenore."
Biting her lip, she looked away. He
pitied her. She heard it in his voice. "I'm sorry. I was dreaming
and..."
And she'd lost her mind.
But she hadn't known it was him.
Although she should have known it wasn't Dixon. He'd never kissed her like
that. No one had. "I'm sorry."
Color spotted his cheeks. "No need
to apologize. You weren't responsible."
Her eyes narrowed. "Are you saying
you kissed me first?"
"No, I'm saying I interrupted while
you were sleeping." He rocked back on his heels.
Her fingers traced her lips. But he had
kissed her back. She could still taste her mother's cobbler. Why had he kissed
her?
I would love to turn May Day into an official holiday. Think of all the celebrations that took place on this "holiday" centuries ago. I know May 1st isn't the "official" start of spring, but to me it means spring has arrived! Definitely a day where food, fun and frivolity would be a good fit :)
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to meet you, Linda. Your book and your characters sound wonderfully intriguing!
Hi Mae,
DeleteI completely forgot about May Day. That is one tradition we should have kept.
Tantalizing excerpt and description. Interesting post about the anti-German sentiment and its effects. I agree that we need more holidays. I propose Inner Child Day when we focus on activities we loved as children and eat only our favorite foods from that era. We can share all the festivity with family and friends. During the celebration I would be playing paper dolls, reading illustrated fairy tale comics, and eating cornbread topped by lima bean soup along with yellow cake with chocolate frosting. What about you?
ReplyDeleteHi Flossie,
DeleteDo you know there a character with your name in the book? She releases her inner child far too often:D. I forgot about playing with paper dolls I always used to tear the tabs off. Although you might be onto something about eating our favorite food from childhood. Mine would be grape bubble yum gum and washing it down with a grape Barq's and a ding-dong. I have had any of those in years.
Oh my gosh, how astounding about the character's name. I added it pronto to my TBR, i admire how you published a holiday novel. Kudos for that!
DeleteThank you, Mae and Flossie, for visiting and leaving comments!
ReplyDeleteHere, in Romania, we know about and have been celebrating St. Nicholas for ages. Living in Europe, not far from Germany and with a large German ethnic group in the country this celebration is familiar. But it’s called Mos Nicolae, i.e Old Man Nicolae - approximate translation. He brings gifts to children. They are left in shining boots/shoes that children leave at the threshold overnight. To good kids. To naughty ones he leaves a stick in their boots. A sign they should be punished for their misdeeds.
A celebration only we Romanians have - haven’t heard about it in other countries - is the Martisor. On March 1, Romanians buy silky red-white threads tied into a bow to which a small trinket is attached and offer them to the (female) family members, friends and colleagues to show friendship, respect or admiration. I had 2 posts explaining this celebration.
http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro/2013/03/martisor-romanian-spring-traditions.html
http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro/2014/02/martisor.html
Hi Carmen,
DeleteThanks so much for hosting me today. I've never heard Martisor and will definitely look up the holiday. Do the tokens bring good luck?
You are most welcome! It's a pleasure to host fellow authors.
DeleteYes, Martisor is a symbol of love and respect and is supposed to bring luck. Some are in the form of 4 leaves clover, a black cat, or chimney sweeper - good luck bringers.
Martisor is fascinating, Carmen. I like the idea of honoring the women who are so important to us. I also love Mae's idea for May Day. As children we used to wind streamers around the May pole,
DeleteHi Mae and Flossie,
ReplyDeleteIf you could email me at linda(dot)lindaandrews(at)gmail(dot)com I would like to send you an electronic copy of a gift from st. Nick. Thanks for stopping by.
Thank you, Linda and Carmen! Linda, have emailed you.
ReplyDeleteOooh, thanks, Linda and Carmen. I've been out of town for several days but will email you now. Looking forward to the read!
ReplyDelete