God Jul from The Euroculturer

First round of the Second Edition of The Euroculturer

19 December 2012

A Christmas card from Wong Tsz is unconditional: you just need to know that you were remembered and that you’ve got a friend in him. Upon hearing her favourite winter film soundtrack on the radio, Anne gets lost in mixed feelings about being physically in Spain while the reindeer in her heart races towards her German home. When it comes to confusion, same here says Borislava, rebelling against Mother Globalization witnessed at Christmas time in a big shopping centre in Vancouver, where she calls home now, claiming back her good old days as a child in Bulgaria. For the undecided souls who still don’t know where to spend Christmas in Europe, Suzanna and Tim have teamed up to guide you through two of the most beautiful cities in Europe: Vienna and Cologne. Know that no matter which one you choose between those two, or even if you choose both, you can’t be wrong. What about us? shout George, Ioannis and Sytske from Euroculture university cities which are equally, if not more, beautiful as Vienna and Cologne. From Uppsala, George introduces traditional Swedish Christmas customs and also how to prepare a Greek-Swedish Christmas dinner. Four hours of sunlight a day is bearable with the company of friends and family, he says. Attention! Rumor has it Ioannis is suffering post-Goettingen Christmas depression in Istanbul. Send him love! Drink gluhwein and think of him! Talk about EU Nobel Peace Prize with him as it will brighten his day. Now, quiz time. Is there a Christmas in India? Well, yes and no. Diwali, a festival of light in Pune, is an Indian version of Christmas and New Year rolled into one but it’s something more, Sytske says. Maybe she meant Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and wealth which this festival is all about? Lastly, if you want to buy some books as Christmas gifts for loved ones, Atka and Penelope have good suggestions for you, one contemporary and the other classic.