Christmas in Vyvland
Christmas in Vyvland (Vyvlander: Jul or Krestnakt) is the most celebrated holiday of the year, both in religious and secular contexts. Christmas Eve (Julnakt), Christmas Day (Juldeg) and Boxing Day (Tyfjuldeg) are all national public holidays, and are traditionally a time of celebration and festivities with families and local communities, in addition to their religious aspects.
Christmas is generally celebrated in different ways in different parts of the country. In the west and southwest, Christmas is a local community affair involving villages and neighbours (and historically, churches) gathering for a meal known as julmaal. Although historic tradition was to eat the meal outside at midday, over time this tradition has been lost and meals are nowadays more usually eaten inside. Still, some towns stage large julmaalen on their town squares or main streets; the julmaal in Pordal, in Southwest province, is regularly attended by thousands of people. In the east of the country, Christmas is more often celebrated in the company of an extended family, generally at the house of the oldest members of the family.
History
Vyvland's dominant religion has always been Christianity, and therefore Christmas has been a major holiday for centuries. In medieval Vyvland, Christmas was a feast day, when local nobility would invite their serfs into their castle or manor for a feast; this would usually be the only occasion when a serf was allowed to set foot in the residence of a nobleman. These celebrations helped to earn the significant cultural place of Christmas prior to the Reformation.
However, after the shift towards Lutheranism and later Methodism brought about by a schism with the Lutheran Catholic Church and later the Reformation, Christmas began to be less accepted by the churches. This led to the so-called Christmas Riots of 1757, when thousands of people reportedly took to the streets of major cities protesting a royal proclamation that Christmas would no longer be an official holiday. These riots caused King Gunfre III to re-allow to the celebration of Christmas after a one-year gap, despite intense pressure from the protestant churches, and was one of the causes of the gradual separation of church and monarchy over the following decades.
Food
Around different parts of the country, different food is traditionally eaten. The most common main meats are goose and duck, with game birds such as partridge and pheasant being traditional in Kros and Bajre. It is considered extremely out of place to cook fish on Christmas in Vyvland, due to fish's prominence in the diet during the rest of the year. Often, the meat is roasted or slow-cooked, and it is common to prepare the meat for the main meal, which is eaten on Christmas Day, on Christmas Eve.
Aside from meat, large pancakes are cooked, on top of which the meal is often served. Various winter vegetables, including potatoes, cabbage and carrots generally accompany the dish, in addition to preserved candied redcurrants. Various puddings and fruitcakes are customary in different parts of the country following the main meal.
Religious traditions
Before the twentieth century, it was common for Vyvlanders, especially in the countryside, to attend mass on every day of Advent. However, nowadays many people attend church on the four Sundays of advent only. Many non-Christians attend mass on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, which often lasts for one to two hours.