December Newsletter! - Jessica in Slovakia

Jessica’s December Newsletter
Updates from Horná Mičiná, Slovakia

Christmas in Slovakia!

The holidays began with Svätý Mikulaš (St. Nicholas) Day on December 6th. This is a remembrance and celebration of St. Nicholas, but it is mostly a holiday for the kids, because St. Mikulaš brings candies and sweets to their shoes the night before. On this day the schools had special programs and the kids were excited to get treats. St. Mikulaš even left me a treat bag in my shoes!
Advent was an exciting time here in the village as we prepared for Christmas. The Sunday school children had a short program we prepared and practiced throughout the month for the Christmas Eve service. Throughout Advent we had weekly Thursday evening services here in the village. We also had a Bible study in Dolna Mičiná and Čerín (two small villages near here) each week. However, it really did not feel like Christmas until Christmas Eve. In the village people really do not put up decorations or Christmas lights, and do not even put their Christmas tree up until Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve was the busiest and most celebrated day. There was a church service in Čerín in the morning, and then the service here in Horná Mičiná in the evening. In between the two services I was busy helping Marcelka cook dinner for after church. The Sunday school kids performed their program during the service which was really nice, and I felt at home when we ended the service singing “Ticha Noc”, which is “Silent Night” in Slovak. After the service I went back to the Pastor’s house and the Christmas tree had presents underneath! The presents are brought during the church service, and some kids believe Jesus brings the gifts, and others believe Santa or Uncle Frost brings the gifts. Before opening gifts we had the Christmas meal though. As I sat down for the meal I noticed we each had a plate with just a raw clove of garlic in the middle. As I looked at it trying to figure out what to do with the garlic, I was told that they begin the meal by eating the garlic for good health for the next year. I have never tasted anything quite like biting into raw garlic before! Then we had the special kapustnica (cabbage soup). Since November we had been eating kapustnica, because everyone makes it after they slaughter their pigs, but this was a special Christmas kapustnica. It had cabbage, potatoes, mushrooms, and sausage in a creamy broth. Believe it or not I really liked the soup! After soup we had the traditional meal of ryba (fish) and zemiakove šalat (potato salad). After this main meal we had a sweet salad that consisted of pieces of bread mixed with poppy seeds (of course lots of poppy seeds!) and raisins. There were also rolled wafers called trubčky that are traditional for Christmas.
Once the meal was over little Dano was ready to open the presents! It was really different to be opening the presents late in the evening, and they do not fill stockings here. There were also a lot less gifts than what is usual in America, but it was nice because it was just a couple of special gifts. I was really excited because they gave me a book of short stories in Slovak and in English, so I am learning more! When I tell people what Christmas is like in America they always ask “How can children sleep the night before Christmas if they can’t open their gifts Christmas Eve!?” and I respond by asking “How can the children sleep that night after they have just finished opening their gifts and then they have to go to bed already!?”
Christmas day began with a morning church service, which I really liked because it was a celebration of the true meaning of Christmas, and not just opening presents. The rest of the day was laid back with a traditional Slovak lunch in the afternoon. The day after Christmas is also celebrated here and there was another morning church service that day. It is still a celebration of Christmas, but it is also the celebration of Svätý Stefan (St. Stephen) Day. The days after Christmas people visited the houses of family and friends. I thought it was interesting that before Christmas there were no Christmas parties or gift exchanges with friends, because it is a quieter time of preparation. However, after Christmas it is like a big never ending party! There were people from the village visiting the Pastor’s house, and then people inviting us over to their house. The hospitality of Slovaks was really evident, because every time we had people over, or went to someone’s house there was so much food constantly being offered and toasts being given.
New Year’s is also a big celebration here with church services on New Year’s Eve (which they call Silvester) and on New Year’s Day. Many people came to the Pastor’s house to celebrate and the church keeper came at midnight to ring the bells. We all went up into the bell tower to watch the fire works people were setting off. I thought it was really nice that everyone gives “New Year’s wishes”. When you see a friend or family member after the New Year has begun you shake their hand, give a kiss on each cheek, and then give them a New Year’s wish. Usually people say something like I wish you everything good for the next year- good health, happiness, and so on.
December was a really interesting month, because I was able to learn a lot more about the culture in Slovakia. There was also a lot of time to spend with people in the village over the holidays. It was difficult to be away from home during Christmas, but everything was so different here and there was so much to experience that it was exciting for me.
Thank you for your prayers and support!
-Jessica
ELCA Young Adult in Global Mission Volunteer Missionary serving in Slovakia