Yule Traditions: Solstice

The 21st December is Solstice. We light lots of candles and sometimes we light a bonfire. We put the lights on our tree but don't decorate it yet. Our tree is called Fény Fa (fény = light, fa = tree, the Hungarian word for pine tree is fényőfa).

We live so far north that it gets very dark in the winter. Solstice is the darkest but after Solstice it gets lighter so that is why we celebrate Solstice.

Yule Traditions: Télapó

On the 6th of December Télapó comes to our couse (and the houses of other Hungarian children). Télapó, which means Winter Father, is a bit like Santa. On the 5th we put our boots on the window sill and after we go to bed Télapó comes and puts small presents in them. This year I got LIZARDS! All of us got sweets and different kinds of exotic fruits. Mum got some chocolate so Télapó moved the boots to the piano because our window sill is right above the radiator and the chocolate would melt.

This year I helped our friend Annemarie teach all the children in her school about Télapó when thay had Hungary Week.