A letter from Rudolph!

Dear friends,

I wanted to thank you for the drawings you sent me. They have helped me a lot to differentiate each Christmas character in each country. I see that you are great artists because of how beautiful your drawings are.

Your help is making it easier for me to understand Christmas in other parts of the world and I am learning a lot from the countries that you have chosen.

Best regards,

Rudolph

What is eaten in Russia for Christmas?

VATRUSHKA BUNS recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 
  • - 3 
  • Eggs
  • - 1/2 cups
   
  • Sugar
  • - 1 1/2 tablespoons
   
  • Yeast
  • - 2 cups
   
  • warm Milk
  • - 1 teaspoon
   
  • Salt
  • - 2 tablespoons
   
  • Mayonnaise
  • - 3 tablespoons
   
  • Oil
  • - 5 cups
   
  • Flour
  • - 16 ounces
   
  • Cream Cheese; room temperature, filling
  • - 16 ounces
   
  • Cottager Cheese; filling
  • - 2 
  • Eggs; filling
  • - 1/2 cups
   
  • Sugar; filling
  • - 1 cup
   
  • Golden Raisins; filling (optional)
  • 
    
  • ELABORATION
  • 
    
  • 1. Combine yeast together with two cups of warm milk and one tablespoon of sugar. Let ingredients rest on a counter for about 10 minutes.
  • 
    
  • 2. Add eggs, mayonnaise, salt and sugar into the mixture, whisking together to combine. Mix in flour using a spatula, in small portions. Once the flour is all mixed in, add oil to the mixture. It is important to add oil last, as the texture of the dough turns out better. Knead the dough until it is elastic, at least for 10 minutes. Let dough rise for about an hour.
  • 
    
  • 3. Cut dough into 30 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a flattened ball. Place them next to each other, leaving enough space for it to rise. Cover with a towel and let the buns rise for about 30 minutes. Press each bun in a the center with a glass cup to form a hollow.
  • 
    
  • 4. Whisk cream cheese, cottage cheese, egg and sugar together, for filling. Optionally, you can add raisins to the filling. Raisins need to be soaked in hot boiled water before combining with the cheese. Fill each hollow with a filling. Bake in preheated oven at 350F for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

What have we learned about Christmas around the world?

https://create.kahoot.it/#user/f2937567-56b1-4c1e-917d-3819fdf36e5a/kahoots/created

What is eaten in Japan for Christmas?

Kurisumasu Keki recipe

Ingredients

Sponge:

• 50g flour

• 50g sugar

• 1/4 tsp baking powder

• 4 eggs

• 2 tbsp milk 

• 2 tbsp honey

Cream topping:

• 500 ml double cream

• 4 tbsp sugar

• 20 fresh strawberries

Elaboration

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C and butter an 8-inch round cake tin.
2. Fill up a bowl with warm water and set aside. Crack the eggs into another bowl. Whisk the eggs, gradually adding the sugar until combined and dissolved. Place this mixture over the warm water and continue to whisk thoroughly, until the mixture becomes almost white.
3. Put the milk in a microwavable bowl and warm in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Stir in the honey and whisk into the egg mixture. At this point, sift the flour and baking powder into the mixing bowl with the egg mixture, making sure to hold the sieve far above the bowl. Gently mix with a wooden spoon. When all elements are mixed, you’re ready to bake.
4. Pop the cake mix into the buttered cake tin and level out the mixture using a spatula. Bake for 25 minutes. 
5. After 25 minutes, test that the cake is baked by sticking a knife in. If there’s no residue, it’s all good. Allow to cool on a wire rack and move on to the creamy topping.
6. Add the double cream and sugar to a mixing bowl. Whip the cream vigorously until the mixture thickens to stiff peaks. At this point, separate the cream mixture into two bowls, half and half. One will be for the filling and the other for covering the cake.
7. Cut half the strawberries into thin slices and add to one of the bowls of cream mixture. Return to the cooled sponge cake and cut it in half horizontally. Spread the strawberry and cream mixture on top of one one of the sponge halves, then place the other on top like a glorious Christmas sandwich.
8. Use the other half of the cream to spread around the rest of the cake. Use a spatula to create beautiful peaks on top of your cake, or a pastry bag if available. Decorate with rest of the strawberries. 

What is eaten in Italy for Christmas?

Pandoro recipe

INGREDIENTS

Yeast Mixture:

• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Cake:

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 8 egg yolks, plus 1 egg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup of water

ELABORATION

1. To make the mixture: Combine the flour, water and yeast, mix until fairly smooth and very stiff, and allow to rest, covered, overnight.

2. To make the dough: The next day, add the dough ingredients (except for the fruit) to the mixture, mixing and then kneading until you've made a soft, very smooth dough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 hour.

3. Knead the fruit into the dough, trying to leave most of it inside; any fruit on the surface will tend to burn as the loaf bakes.

4. Round the dough into a ball, and transfer it to a lightly greased pandoro pan. Allow it to rise, covered, for 2 hours; it'll become noticeably puffy, but won't fill the pan.

5. Preheat the oven to 350°F towards the end of the rising time.

6. Bake the bread for 10 minutes.

7. Tent it lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until its interior temperature measures 190°F on an instant-read thermometer.

8. Remove it from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes, then gently remove it from the pan.

9. When cool, sprinkle the bread with confectioners' sugar or non-melting white sugar, and serve it, sliced, with mascarpone cheese, if desired.

HOW DO PEOPLE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da2Q2wQBiCA&t=4s

CHRISTMAS IN RUSSIA!

After the Soviet Union in 1991, people were free to celebrate Christmas. But it's still a quieter and smaller holiday in Russia after the big New Year celebrations. The New Year is the big time for spending lots of money and eating and drinking lots. Christmas is much more religious and private.

New Year is also when 'Grandfather Frost' (known in Russian as 'Ded Moroz' or Дед Мороз) brings presents to children. He is always accompanied by his Grandaughter (Snegurochka). On New Year's eve children hold hands, make a circle around the Christmas tree and call for Snegurochka or Ded Moroz. When they appear, the star and other lights on the Christmas tree light up. Ded Moroz carries a big magic staff. The traditional greeting for Happy New Year is 'S Novym Godom'.


Christmas in Russia is normally celebrated on January 7th. The date is different because the Russian Orthodox church uses the old 'Julian' calendar for religious celebration days. The Orthodox Church also celebrates Advent. But it has fixed dates, starting on 28th November and going to the 6th January, so it's 40 days long. In Russian Happy/Merry Christmas is 's rah-zh-dee-st-VOHM' or 's-schah-st-lee-vah-vah rah-zh dee-st-vah'.

The official Christmas and New holidays in Russia last from December 31st to January 10^th.

DECORATION

One of our bestseller items are wooden Christmas ornaments sets which  are made of soft light wood and hand-painted. Also we offer hand-carved wooden figurines of different personages - Santa, Snow-Maiden, Snoman, matryoshkas, horses, angels and other. Our unusual ornaments are hand-painted wooden Christmas balls - they are made of wood and inside are hollow so you can open it and put iside a small gift.

CHRISTMAS CHARACTER’S NAME

The story of Babushka says that Babushka was a poor, hardworking woman who owned little, but she managed to gather several small toys, some sweets and tiny candles to take with her for the King of Kings (Jesus). Babushka looked up at the sky, searching for the star that would lead her to the birthplace of the King of Kings.

People say Babushka never found the right road, and that she is wandering still. And every year, at Christmastime, the children run downstairs to search for the gifts Babushka has left for them as she travels the world, searching for the King of Kings. In every house where a small child lives, the people say, Babushka leaves a gift in honor of each and every child and Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was born on Christmas Day.

FOOD

Some people don't eat anything on Christmas Eve, until the first star has appeared in the sky. People then eat 'sochivo' or 'kutia' a porridge made from wheat or rice served with honey, poppy seeds, fruit (especially berries and dried fruit like raisins), chopped walnuts or sometimes even fruit jellies.

Kutia is sometimes eaten from one common bowl, this symbolizes unity. In the past, some families like to throw a spoonful of sochivo up on the ceiling. If it stuck to the ceiling, some people thought it meant they would have good luck and would have a good harvest.

Other popular Christmas Eve foods include, beetroot soup (borsch) or vegan potluck (solyanka) served with individual vegetable pies (often made with cabbage, potato or mushroom); sauerkraut, porridge dishes such as buckwheat with fried onions and fried mushrooms, salads often made from vegetables like gherkins, mushrooms or tomatoes, and also potato or other root vegetables salads. The meal often consists of 12 dishes, representing the 12 disciplines of Jesus.

‘Vzvar’ (meaning ‘boil-up’) is often served at the end of the meal. It’s a sweet drink made from dried fruit and honey boiled in water. Vzvar is traditionally at the birth of a child, so at Christmas it symbolizes the birth of the baby Jesus.