Christmas Around the World: Greenland
Day 4 of our Christmas around the world unit study led us to…
Greenland!
Grandma took over for this lesson, with a little direction from me. We found that traditions in Greenland are similar to Norway, but still different!
Greenlanders begin their holiday season by celebrating Advent. Advent is another word for ‘coming’, which refers to the coming of Jesus born into the world. Advent starts the 4th Sunday before Christmas. Many cultures celebrate differently.
The people of Greenland celebrate Advent by lighting a red star in their windows. This is highly traditional and most people do it! They also give small gifts to children for each day of Advent.
Church services are held on Christmas Eve and most people attend in national costume, which include anoraks for the men. Greenlanders also celebrate Saint Lucia Day, just like the Norwegians!
Fun Facts
- Greenland is so far north that trees do not grow! Christmas trees are imported from Denmark and most people put them in their homes a few days before Christmas.
- If a family does not have an imported Christmas tree, they likely have a tree made from driftwood they decorated.
- The sun does not rise in Greenland during Christmastime, so this is just one reason they hang so many lighted stars!
- Greenlanders believe Santa lives in Greenland. Most towns put up giant mail boxes for Santa’s letters, and Santa comes and picks the letters up himself!
- Santa’s sleigh is powered by sled dogs in Greenland, not reindeer.
- Greenlanders eat food around Christmastime that seems unusual to us. One meat they eat often during the holidays is mattak, which is whale skin with a slice of blubber attached. Another common meat is kiviak, which is little auks (an arctic bird) that have been buried in sealskin for months until they have reached an advanced stage of decomposition.
- On Christmas night, the men serve the women. Families often play games after their meal.
- Greenlanders often visit cemeteries to remember lost loves ones on Christmas Eve.
What We Did
There are not many resources on Christmas in Greenland, but we did find the following videos:
Of course, Why Christmas is a fabulous site.
Finally, Grandma made Dream Cake with the kids. It is delicious!
Stay tuned for day 5!