Seil Chat

Tomorrow my boys and I are going to see Santa at the children's centre Christmas party. We're taking Rudolf with and G's going to wear his Santa hat...but we don't really have winter Christmas traditions. Do you? and what are they?
and does anyone have a yummy egg nog recipe?

Christmas on seil is quite good, nicer if there's snow. The bookies in Oban take bets in January as to weather (pun) it's going to be a white one or not. Doesn't look like it this year but there has been some cold, cold days recently. Perhaps, perhaps.

Newyear's a brilliant time, there's a dance (usually) in the village hall and folk go round each others' homes to drink and be merry...

What's Christmas like, looks as if you and me are the only one's that celebrate it

Sorry Smelly,
I went into the bookies one January thinking the odds would be great for a white christmas a whole year away and they told me I had to wait till nearer the time. They would be monitering the weather and would then decide on the odds.
You can now place a bet and the odds are determined by your postcode.
By the way I have been losing 20 pounds sterling per annum in this way.
Christmas being lovely, lonely, magic or sad depends on who is with you that year and how knackered from working you are by the time the big day actually arrives
Mince pies and a lovely carol service works for me, that and having as much family as possible around you.
Merry Christmas

can't wait for my boys to discover snow!! a bit neurotic about covering up and keeping warm, but would brave the chill for a bit of the flaky stuff

A new year's dance sounds like just the thing to spend a day preparing for...i'd do easy cheesecake (it exists), ice cream and hot chocolate sauce, a giant dish of seafood paella, and my fave lasagna for the meat eaters, and lot of unexpected dips and pasta chips....with oodles of very experimental cocktail...once my strawberry daiquiries have kicked in...other faves are white russians, and yes i mean the alcoholic beverage, and snowballs! mmmm...

in Cape Town Christmas is mostly hot and lazy...spent either at the pool or the beach, and we open presents on the day not the eve...but i'm all for gifts just about anytime. On New years day and the second, the "Coon Carnival" marches through the city, noisy, rhythmic, sometimes scary, and always fun. Again, we'll be outside with cold meats and cakes to feast on...koeksisters: now there are two kinds...you'll know this if you have Capetonian blood. The one you can easily come by is the traditional Afrikaaner twisted dough, fried in oil and soaked in syrup. And then there's my favourite Malay version, which is a mixed spice and aniseed doughnut fried in oil and smothered in syrup the dipped into coconut...both are divine, but you're bound to pick a favourite.

i've eaten haggis before, it was good, but it didn't feel authentic, because it was from a roadside shop...when in Scotland i shall make every effort to secure a true tasting!

My family were big on making music together, but this seems to have slackened as we grew older...so this Christmas i'm going to drive my man and boys insane with constant caroling.

I do hope i get to spend my next Christmas there...winter wonderland?

bareface wrote: On New years day and the second, the "Coon Carnival" marches

I don't think we could have one of those.

Shankers

But we could have a "Cuin Carnival"?

Or eve C-U-A-N carnival

What's Eve got to do with it, Eric?

I was, of course, referring to the old Gaelic/Scots name for Cuan, meaning a mint-house.

bareface wrote:we don't really have winter Christmas traditions. Do you?

Traditionally Christmas has not been celebrated hereabouts, in fact until not so long ago Christmas Day was a normal working day in Scotland. Hogmanay is the Big One.
That being said times have changed in line with the changed ethnic mix here so now Christmas here is much the same as, say, in England* . Expect Christmas trees, fairy lights and overindulgence. Midnight Mass is usually held in Kilninver Church.
Maybe you can bring some rock spider Christmas traditions with you when you arrive. A braai in Barnacarry beach would be nice. Don't bring that coon** thing with you though.

Long beard (red nosed by choice)

* hold your horses NickMacB - nothing insulting intended there
** see previous posts NMacB - perfectly innocent Yaapie tradition refered to here

Don't get many white christmasses here abouts......

Seventhseil wrote:Don't get many white christmasses here abouts......

Is that a reference to the coon festival Seventh? If so you risk the wrath of HWMBO

Shankers

Longshanks wrote:

If so you risk the wrath of HWMBO

Is that the famous yachtie blogger?

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showprofile.p ... art=1&vc=1

No just weather wise........ if I was mentioning ethnicity all chrismasses on Seil would be predominatly white......ageing and middle class. But we've been here before.

"Cape Town Christmas is mostly hot and lazy...spent either at the pool or the beach, ............the "Coon Carnival" marches "

Suggests this isn't about to change......although I could be wrong.

Hey, there, Seventhseil, should my family and I have the luck and the privilege to share your beautiful land, then you may be wrong!?... I was never sure what particular colour i was, but i never felt white...mostly violet with streaks of silver and a splash of fuschia
I guess, the "Coon carnival" is not political for me, because it's what I grew up with...but back in the day it actually was a political gesture as only Cape 'coloured' people make! we do try to make light of rather annoying things, like oppression...much the way some Seileans do...or am i mistaken? and i'm sorry if i offended anyone, but i have had my fair share of political correctness, and being "previously disadvantaged" (that's the New South African label), i used to be simply 'coloured', well, i feel that pc considerations seem to highlight the fact that a difference is acknowledged. i'd like to believe that we are all the same....yes,yes,yes pish tosh, or something like that.
having the extensive blend of African, Dutch, German, Spanish, possibly Phillipino, and possibly english...maiden name Henry, finding my culture or tradition is a bit of a dream, or is it nightmare? in any case, I know i have it in me to be a great Scottish lass. And i don't blame you for wondering if i could even look the part In my family you never quite know! my dad looks like Barack Obama, and his sister, aptly named Ursula, looks like Hillary Clinton...i kid you not.
But culture is in your traditions...and the future evolves from that. I hope that my children grow up with a strong sense of culture and tradition, to anchor them.
As far as bringing my traditions with me, well, no...that's not the point of moving my entire family to a new country and culture...we moved here, because we want to be a part of your world, your traditions, your culture...and i mean Scotland (even though my man has Welsh blood)
Right now i miss the family i leave behind, and as far as culture goes...i feel somewhat culture-less ...difficult to express.
btw i never thought of 'coon' as a bad word until i met some people who used it in a derogative way

What is Hogmanay? how is it celebrated? is it the 'feast of the dead'? the fertility feast is in summer or spring, right? will check online. but why don't you keep your traditions alive?

.

is it the 'feast of the dead'?

That's usually around Jan 3rd

- NickB

NickB wrote:.

is it the 'feast of the dead'?

That's usually around Jan 3rd

- NickB

Would that be the Gregorian or Julian calender then?