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18 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | DECEMBER 2021 By Cindy Ponce de Leon, Resident In the U.S. we are acquainted with Father Christmas, Santa Claus and Old St. Nick. Be thankful we don't live in Austria where the evil accomplice of St. Nicholas, a ghoulish character, roams the streets looking for badly behaved children. During the month of December, expect to see terrifying masked figures known as Krampus out and about, scaring children and adults alike with ghastly pranks. If this is your thing check out the Krampus Parade in Vienna. Roller skates anyone? In Caracas, Venezuela city dwellers roller skate to Mass on Christmas morning. The tradition is so well established that streets are blocked to traffic beginning at 8 am so that the skating congregation can get to church safely and on time. In Iceland a giant cat is said to roam the snowy countryside at Christmas time. Traditionally the farmers would use the Yule Cat as an incentive for their workers. Those who did good received a new set of clothes, but those that didn't would be devoured by the giant cat-like beast. Today it is customary for everyone in Iceland to receive a new set of clothes to avoid an unsavoury demise. Where we would use ornaments, tinsel and icicles, in Ukraine they use spider webs glistening with dew. The tradition goes back to a poor woman who couldn't afford to decorate a tree for her children. Legend has it that spiders in the house took pity on the family's plight and spun beautiful webs all over the tree, which the children awoke to on Christmas morning. Spiders are also considered to be lucky in the Ukraine culture. I don't know about you, but I'll take manger scenes, holiday wreaths, and pest control any day over these other traditions! Unusual Christmas Traditions By Clare Mendez, Resident I was looking up a holiday article on tamales so I could base my article on facts and came across this one from the Texas Monthly. Since it was done so well, I didn't want to change a thing. Among all the world's gastronomic traditions, is there one that is more delectable than that of Mexico? One of the stars of the Mexican kitchen is the tamale, a delicious treat made with masa and a filling of the tamalera's (tamale maker) choosing. There's beef, chicken, bean, bean and cheese, squash, sweet corn, and on and on and on. The tamale options are infinite. The debt of gratitude for the invention of the tamale is owed to the great Mesoamerican cultures of millennia past. The Aztec, Maya, Mixtec, Olmec, Toltec, and the Zapotec all took nourishment from the small banana leaf or corn husk-wrapped packets of goodness and each passed down their tamale customs through the generations. Interestingly, though, and to the point of your query, none of these ancient cultures were known to have celebrated Christmas. Indeed, some of them predated the birth of Christianity and none of them had even heard of Christmas before the Europeans arrived in the early sixteenth century. The thinking is that over time tamales became associated with special occasions and as the Mexican population was eventually Christianized, the tradition was transferred to the most important holiday on the Christian calendar. Which is why, come the holiday season, it is common for Mexican, Mexican-Texan, and Mexican- American families and friends to gather in kitchens big and small for annual tamaladas, or tamale making parties. The fruits of such gatherings, the dozens upon dozens of delicious tamales, are then divvied up and dispersed to friends, coworkers, and loved ones far and wide. Feliz Navidad and may God (and all the tamaleras) bless us, everyone, with lots of tamales. The Tradition of Tamale Making at Christmastime By Theresa Rossetti, Resident Here we are, in the last month of the year. For me December holds some wonderful memories and a desire to snuggle up in warm clothes, under a blankie, by a fire. With some hot cocoa and a treat. While December in SoCal doesn't always cooperate weather- wise, still I live in hope. December is also pretty well known for celebrations. We're still dealing with pumpkin everything, and here come the traditions of Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Festivus, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. Which brings me to cookies. I am descended from a long line of women who hate to cook (and are therefore bad at it). My contribution to holiday parties has always been baked goods. Wait a minute, you say! If you hate to cook, how can you have the nerve to foist baked goods off on unsuspecting victims? Turns out those ancestors who hated to cook loved to bake and were pretty good at it. My Grandma's Irish Soda Bread is legendary; my Mom was a whiz with a cookie press. Since many cookbooks state measurements for baking must be more precise than for cooking, I think I can prove that by the number of measuring vessels in my home. My family has come to expect Raspberry Bars, S'mores cookies and a number of other goodies every December. Some need to be shipped, but the tradition lives on! No matter which of the many holidays you may be celebrating, I wish you a wonderful season filled with memories in the making December's Sweet Tradition

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