Included in this book are 28 traditional recipes by Chef Jeff O'Neill, showcasing Canada's multicultural heritage, plus a special section of 18 Christmas recipes from across the country, highlighting Canada's regional diversity. The origin of a Canadian Christmas is a fascinating blend of different traditions and festivities. The stories behind the celebration originate from around the world, and paint a wonderful picture of a season of joy, faith, superstition, and celebration stretching back over thousands of years.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Born and raised in Calgary, DeeAnn Mandryk graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in English literature and Political Science.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Holidays and Holy Days are fascinating. All kinds of exciting stories can be found in their history. The month of December holds one of the most celebrated and cherished holidays in the world, Christmas. Many people, however, celebrate this holiday without really knowing its true heritage or the origins of its traditions, customs, and rituals. Like all holidays, Christmas was an invented, or rather re-invented, tradition from the beginning and one that continues to change and evolve over time in accordance with cultural and political shifts. Canadian Christmas celebrations represent a rich tapestry of multi-cultural customs and traditions imported by European explorers, traders, pioneers, and settlers. Arriving on Canada's eastern shores, they made their way west, building homes and communities, creating memories and planting roots that would nurture and sustain generations to come. Part of the legacy these pioneers left behind for future generations is the customs, the recipes, the songs, and the stories that make up this season called Christmas. The Christmas tree, Advent wreath, and gingerbread houses are a few of the traditions that the German pioneers brought; carolling and mummering came with the British, Irish and Slavic settlers; the Scottish brought their delectable shortbread; the custom of setting up a nativity crËche was introduced by the French settlers; Santa Claus came from Canada's southern neighbours where he had evolved from Dutch, German, and Scandinavian folklore...and on it goes. Regardless of the country or nationality of origin, virtually every tradition associated with the Christmas season has its roots in long-ago times and long before the birth of Christ. Knowing how and why these ancient traditions, customs, rituals, and symbols came to be associated with Christmas sheds a lot of light on the true spirit of the holidays.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
great resource,
This review is from: Canadian Christmas Traditions (Hardcover)
I came across this book in my local book store and initially thought it would be an eclectic collection of stories that no one would really care to read about... but I very happily discovered otherwise. This book is a wonderful resource for the origins of all of the things we now take for granted come christmas. There are recipes in the book, but I do not cook or bake so I do not really care about them nor took the time to look them over, but there were a good number of them and I'm sure they would be of interest to those who do have an interest in both the culinary arts and the holiday season.The book has pretty much every christmassy thing in here at discusses both where it came from and how we use it currently. It covers a lot of ground so the information about some of the traditions are not as in-depth as others, some are only a page in length, but there is enough information on each topic to satisfy your average information junkie. This is the table of contents in list form to give an idea of the subject matter; Intro, The Origin of Christmas Day, Christmas and Xmas, The Christmas Tree, Christmas Ornamentation and Decorations, The Christmas Star, Holiday Flora, Yule Logs, Christmas Candles and the Festival of Lights, Origin of Advent, Colours of the Season, Christmas Bells, Feasting Traditions, Canadian Christmas Traditional Recipes, Origin of Christmas Crackers, First Christmas Carols, The Origins and Evolution of Santa Claus, Reindeer Names, Christmas Stockings, Christmas Presents, Origin of the Snowman, The Nutcracker, The Importance of Frankincense, Origin of the Creche, The Night Animals Could Speak, The Origin of Christmas Cards, Beginnings of Boxing Day, The Three Wise Men, Groundhog Day and Candlemas, Old Slavic Winter Solstice and Christmas Superstitions I have always been interested in tradition and in the origins of both my belief and my culture. I would look up the history online and print out pages to show to my family. I no longer have to do that because this book has all of that information compiled into one super convenient and interesting book. It is very readable and easy to get through and a must for all Christmas enthusiasts out there.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Book About Christmas Traditions,
This review is from: Canadian Christmas Traditions (Hardcover)
I have been searching for a book for a long time that will explain where most of our Christmas traditions originate. This is it. The book by DeeAnn Mandryk is not only fascinating to read but also provides all the answers to the questions I always had.An absolute must for everyone who wanted to know everything about Christmas traditions.
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