American Reacts to a European Christmas (Rick Steves) | Part 1

[@SoGal_YT]

Let me know what traditions this video might have missed! Also, like and subscribe if you enjoyed 👍🏻If you missed my video on British Christmas traditions, take a lookie here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5K6fYhjrpdgmMU 🇬🇧

[@thleejayden5245]

If you play video games than you must play call of duty world at war. It portrays world war 2 in the best way that I’ve ever seen. I don’t have words to explain how incredible the game is. You just need to play it or maybe upload you playing.

[@SoGal_YT]

I’m not opposed to trying it, but I’ve never been much into gaming. That would be a whole new area for me, haha. I used to play Mario Kart, Sonic, Goldeneye, and whatever racing games I could get my hands on. Can you play Call of Duty on the computer or is it strictly for game consoles?

[@marcuswardle3180]

“Those robes” They’re called cassocks.

[@marcuswardle3180]

Christmas trees is a fairly modern tradition. It was popularised by Prince Albert, who was the husband to Queen Victoria, in the 1850.

[@Superman-iu5dr]

The Christmas markets in the UK are very similar to the ones in Germany as majority of the market stalls are done by Germans who come over to the UK specifically to sell their wares at the markets.

[@MS-19]

Oh my, oh my, oh my, SoGal.... I was on this documentary! How wonderful to see you reacting to it.

[@temptemp633]

UK daylight, shortest day is less than 8 hours... Actual "useful daylight" up north of the Uk is more like 6-7h, if it's cloudy. Go to work/school in the dark, come home in the dark. Summer, can be like about 5h of darkness. 23:00 - 03:00 ish.

[@ilmaba1756]

Many countries also celebrate St Nicholas on Dec 6th, he brings gifts. He became father Christmas, who evolved into Santa Claus..

[@gabrieleriva651]

I love how Saint Lucy is a thing in Scandinavia, Siciliy and Nortwestern Italy. So random.

[@Lofftsno]

The important thing about lucia for us in scandinavia is that she brings light during the darkest time of the year. She gives us hope that the light, warmth and life will return. That she is a saint is not that important, I think we just took lusia's name from Italy.

[@Onnarashi]

As expected, the American host claims European Christmas traditions are Christian, which they aren't. What Anglos call "Christmas" is based on pre-Christian pagan traditions from varous European cultues. So, he misleads people within the first 5 minutes of the video. No, our pagan traditons don't follow the story of the "son of God". I'm Norwegian, and literally none of our traditions are Christian in nature (aside from going to church, which came later). The Christmas tree is a pagan German tradition. We put out seeds for the birds which is a pagan Norse tradition of sacrifice to the Norse gods. A gift giver that comes through the chimney and rides on a sleigh is based on various pagan traditions mushed together with the Christian story of St. Nicholas. Stories are conflicted, but the sleigh may come from the Norse god Thor. Coming through the chimney may be a pagan Sami tradition. The ancent Romans also had gift giving traditions durng the pre-Christian pagan winter celebration of Saturnalia. We have gnome-like spirits that live on farms and speak to animals, called nisse. They're an ancient pre-Christian pagan aspect of ancestor worship. Many European cultures have pagan gnome-like beings that are creatures or spirits that either watch over you or give forewarnings. The wreath of holly is a pagan tradition in many European cultures, including Celtic ones. The mistletoe is from Norse paganism. Traditionally, we have carollers and gift givers called julebukk (Yule goats) which are pagan Norse. Feasting during Chrismas ("jul" in Norwegian) is a pagan Norse tradition. Drinking beer during the holiday is a pagan Norse tradition. It goes on and on.

[@googleaccount4471]

Χριστὸς ἀνέστη!

[@Mike8827]

except that none of those traditions would be alive today if they hadn’t been connected to Christianity and the birth of God ! There are various pagan traditions existing , just like on other High Feasts of the Church, like Easter; but they lose their intrinsic value if the connection to the biblical revelation and the coming of Christ is lost . To simply say that Christmas does not have a religious connection in Europe is not only deeply misguided , it also negates at least 1000 years of history in N Europe, more in areas that have been christianized before !

[@Mike8827]

@@googleaccount4471 Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη! But isn’t that more used on Easter among our Orthodox brothers ?

[@МагжанСыдыков]

@@Mike8827 Except Christianity wouldn't survive without binding it to Pagan holidays))

[@DaDunge]

19:00 It's likely a pagan tradition of a women bearing the light back to the world, but it got mixed up with Saint Lucia, a women who was martyred in Sicily during the roman persecution of the Christians.

[@malsm8892]

There are several pubs in Britain called the new inn older than your good old USA. I have eaten in a hotel called the Feather's in Ludlow Shropshire it site goes back to Tudor Times, Roeanoak

[@riksnoek6068]

In contrast with the winter in scandinavia (in which days are really short), in mid summer it really isn't going to be dark. I am from the Netherlands and the days in the summer are getting really long. But Norway is something else.

[@melkor3496]

Sweden is dark af during winters too.

[@OblivionGate]

Even in the south of England during the summer we only get 6 hours of night. It's light up until 10 o'clock and starts to get light again at 4am. I have watched other American KZbinrs who are amazed at how late the summer sun is in England, and how early the sun rises. God knows what it's like in Norway!!

[@riksnoek6068]

When I was on a campsite in Norway, around 2 am I had to go to the toilet. It was only twilight. And that was in the south of Norway. More to the north it isn't going to be dark at all. It was in June by the way.

[@YozhikvTumane]

_The Eiffel Tower_ skating ice is on ground level under the tower, but there are platforms with boutiques, restaurants, bars and cafés in the tower.

[@andyr.6126]

Father Christmas and Santa came from different traditions and were different but are now interchangeable.

[@Krokostad]

There is a short explanation Video about that topic by the channel "UsefulCharts" on KZbin.

[@pauloliver8130]

I'm much further south of Norway, in th southwest of the UK and we have sun rise at at about 08:30 and it sets again at 16:30. But in the summer the is up at 04:45 and sets at 21:20. With make sense when you realise we are on the same latitude as Canada.

[@derekmiles7358]

We love mince pies over the holiday we will eat loads more than the 12 they mentioned in the video.I have been to Finland for Christmas it was great seeing Father Christmas with all the snow ❄️ and the rain deer’s so I have done a British Christmas and a finish Christmas when I was in Finland we got about 4 hour of daylight sun came up at 10am and set at 2pm happy Christmas from Leicester in 🇬🇧

[@MINKIN2]

This is true. A person can quite easily demolish a pack of pies in one sitting.

[@OblivionGate]

Surely you must of seen Beef wrapped in pastry before!?? In England it's called Beef Wellington, but we use pancakes on top of the pastry to stop the blood running into the pastry and we put pate' and a Duxelle mixture, which is sautéed onions and mushrooms instead of or as well as truffles. Sometimes we use foie gras as well. In France it's called Boeuf en Croute.

[@skasteve6528]

Between 985 and 1814, the river Thames often froze over, sometimes the ice was a foot deep (300mm). When that happened, there were often Frost Fairs held on the river itself. The most famous was in 1683-84. The Thames was frozen for two months. When London bridge was replaces in 1831& the embankments were built in the 1860's, the river becane faster flowing & ice- free.

[@ftumschk]

28:33 Outdoor ice skating isn't all that common in Britain, as the Winter tends to be rather mild. It used to be more popular in the past, though, when the climate was much colder. During the 19th Century - at the end of what has been called The Little Ice Age - there'd be skating, festivities and even markets set up on the frozen River Thames! No doubt similar things happened on other frozen British rivers, but London's "Frost Fairs" were probably the best known.

[@Yassified3425]

In winter the sun sets at 15:35 and raises at 9:00 But in Summer the days are extremely long.

[@Mugtree]

Very similar in Scotland and here in Bristol sets at 16:00 and rises at 0830. But love the long summer days 😍 I spend my summers in Norway love the country 👍

[@Yassified3425]

@@Mugtree Ikr, the sun like sets at 23:00 and Rises at 5:00

[@Mugtree]

@@Yassified3425 I love that 👍

[@johnbircham4984]

Wow, that choir on the 23rd minute was beautiful.

[@johnbircham4984]

Oysters I have no problem with, I used to eat them in France on our office Christmas parties in Paris and Calais as a vegetarian but pate de foie gras is an affront to common decency. Animal cruelty that is. Also I am pretty sure most of France doesn't spend Christmas mincing a round exclusive shops and boulevards.

[@MrVisualHigh]

With regards to day length (or rather amount of daylight), it's primarily related to distance from the equator. Those on the equator will generally experience a fairly consistent length of day throughout the year. Those further away from the equator will experience shorter days in the winter and longer days in the summer. Right now in the UK it's getting dark at around 4:30pm, Norway is probably closer to 3:30pm given that it's further north.

[@janicemcateer9547]

Zak Thorpe actually depends where you are in UK Scotland gets darker a good bit earlier than south England ,around 3:30 ,some parts of Scandinavia only experience a twilight during day time

[@pumagutten]

SoGal, living in Memphis, you may want to know that Elvis sang Santa Lucia in the movie "Viva Las Vegas". Greetings from Norway!

[@geoffsmith6407]

I was Born and brought up in Bath. That initial shot was Bath weir next to Pulteney Bridge overlooking Parade Gardens, with Bath Abbey in distance and the old Empire Hotel to the right(it had a shooting range in the basement which is where I learnt to shoot) x

[@jakobsen27]

I live in the Southern part of Northern Norway and we have around 2 and half hours of daylight around Christmas time.

[@iainmalcolm9583]

Hey SoGal. The reason the 'Santa Lucia' is familiar to you is the various cover versions. I tend to associate it with Pavarotti, Mario Lanza or Caruso but you will find versions by Perry Como & Elvis (amongst many others). Winter daylight hours reduce the further north you go. However they get more hours of sunlight in the summer. The Term 'Land of the Midnight Sun' is used to the far north of Scandinavia as well as other countries on or above the Arctic Circle (Alaska & Canada etc). Thanks for another good upload.

[@YozhikvTumane]

The song is actually a Neapolitan song celebrating the waterfront district, Borgo Santa Lucia, in the Gulf of Naples. How the melody came to the Nordic countries isn't fully known, but it's said to start off in Sweden and from there it spread to the neighboring countries. In Sweden there are three main versions of lyrics, the first one was published in 1924, shortly followed by a second version in 1928. The third version is an adaptation for children with less complicated (old-fashioned) words and was published in 1958. Neither of these lyrics are translations of the Neapolitan song, but instead talks about the cold and darkness of the Nordic winter night, and how *_Saint Lucia,_* the only saint still celebrated in the otherwise protestant Sweden, comes to bring light in to the world. The celebration of "Lucia" has the same mixture of pagan and christian origins as does so many other traditional holidays. It's celebrated on December 13 since this was, according to the Julian calendar (used in Sweden until 1753), the day of the winter solstice. It'll be to tedious to go deeper in to the origins and different ways this day has been celebrated throughout history but I suppose there are wiki-pages for those interested to learn more.

[@RoyCousins]

Yes, mince pies are a Christmas thing in Britain. I personally don't like them, but they seem popular.

[@andrewclayton4181]

The paintings. The one of Mary and Joseph arriving on a donkey is called The numbering at Bethlehem. It was painted by one of the Breughals, there was a father and son, and painted in a similar style. Medieval Dutch, a lot of their paintings show village scenes packed with people, going about their business. It's a wonderful world on their age, and each piece can be studied for hours, trying to pick out details and amusing things going on in the background. The other paintings looked more Italian to me, though I can't tell you much about them.

[@jamesgoodentophatholidays9692]

one of my favorite paintings.

[@Unwoken_European]

That year there was no much snow anywhere they went.... But many times everything is filled with snow end of december till february all over Europe.

[@cheryla7480]

In Norway, mainly the north there is no sun for Nov. Dec. and Jan ( total darkness ). From May to late July the sun never sets.

[@jensschroder8214]

We have other Christmas trees in Europe: Nordmann fir, blue fir or the noble fir. In America it's the Fraser fir.

[@groovypullet2337]

Norway kindly give us a lovely tree every year to say thank you for helping them in the war

[@dennisransdell4306]

Who is us?

[@brunobastos5533]

Santa Luzia or holly light , you got one in the states , the statue of liberty is a representation of santa Luzia

[@Onnarashi]

I'm not sure why this video focuses on Santa Lucia for Norway, an imported Italian tradition that's relatively new here (about a century old), when he could be talking about traditional pagan practices. I guess that's American Christian propaganda for you. "Pagan tradition survive DISGUISED as Christmas traditions." No, it's Christians who co-opted and stole ancient pre-Christian pagan holiday traditions and DISGUISED them as Christian. Jul (Yule) is pagan in origin, not Christian. Even according to theological scholars, Jesus wasn't born in December. Then he talks about the "julenisse" and shows "nisse". "Julenssen" is just our name for Santa Claus. He showed the ancient pagan nisse spirits, who represent our ancestors, and they have nothing to do with Santa Claus. Once again he can't get the simplest of facts right. "Julnissen" (Santa Claus) is relatively new (1800's) while the "nisse" are pre-Chrstian and likely over 2000 years old.

[@mrk8050]

This is only my 7th Christmas at home since 1981, so I'm hoping to have a quiet one :). I hope you have a good one.

[@Krokostad]

If you are interested in Art History, Rick Steves has a 3-part talk about art, mostly in Europe: Part 1 ist about medieval art (500-1400), part 2 about Renaissance & Baroque (1400 - 1800) and part 3 about modern art. I liked them a lot, they are very interesting as a first introduction.

[@geoffbeattie3160]

Lots of northern european countries have short daylight hours in winters. In northern England and Scotland it is quite normal for daylight hours to be 0900- 1500 mid november to mid Januaryin winter but often in summer darkness is only midnight until 0400 in july and august!

[@edoardopiras]

Father Christmas definitely doesn't have a British accent. He's from Lapland, so he would have a Finnish accent! 😁

[@Onnarashi]

More like a Norwegian accent.

[@kevincasey5035]

Sorry to correct you but...... FC is English/British and dresses in GREEN! Santa Claus is originally Dutch and is "descended" from St Nick but is taking over the holiday via the American influence on culture. Btw, St Nick was Turkish!

[@carolinekofahl8867]

Father Christmas lives in Greenland - try learning that language 😊🇬🇱

[@YozhikvTumane]

@@carolinekofahl8867 That would be Danish I guess

[@carolinekofahl8867]

@@YozhikvTumane No, in Greenland they speak a very special language, but most speak Danish too 😊🇬🇱🇩🇰

[@ilmaba1756]

Mincemeat pies no longer have meat, but apples, suet, currants, sugar, raisins, orange juice, lemons, spice and brandy.

[@josephknowles285]

One of my favourite things is Americans reacting to old English or generally European buildings, I've lived to the same village my whole life where the fields overlook a 952 year old castle and a 948 year old cathedral. The village church date back to the 1200s or something. The buildings are just old and it's weird for me to look from a US point of view and I think how strange all these old buildings may seem to other perspectives. I don't live in an old house but from our point of view it's normal living in houses dating back decades and even centuries and not question it at all. If I think about how young Americas buildings mostly are that baffles me the village pubs are older then some of Americas oldest buildings and no one questions that but in America they are like museums.

[@robynw6307]

And the "old" buildings in Australia are even younger than those in America. I wish we had more really old buildings. They are so beautiful.

[@holgerlinke98]

I guess one can get what they feel if you visit southern europe. They in turn ca get the feel of it in the middle east

[@ianprince1698]

after the war, many towns were flattened a lot was simply rebuilt in the old style rather than 1950s style

[@josephknowles319]

@@ianprince1698 that is true yes, that happened a lot in towns and cities

[@holgerlinke98]

@@ianprince1698 "simply"!? Many places were rebuild with both styles and isn't the decision to recreate something awesome a sign of taste? Also, do you even understand how hard it was to return some buildings to it's former glory? Damn hard.

[@ProfTydrim]

Well with the sun setting thing: It depends where you are in norway. If you're in the northern half of norway, the sun doesn't come up at all during winter

[@kristaheggartyedgar2387]

Australians sit and eat Christmas dinner in there shots. Some families have several Christmas dinners because they go to there in-laws( the family of the wife or husband houses.

[@cheryla7480]

In the old days mincemeat had meat in it. Mincemeat now’s is chopped dried fruits , sugar, suet or some other type of fat, spirits usually brandy, nuts, and spices.

[@milostomic8539]

The date is the most notable difference in Europe. Catholics, Protestants and Anglicans celebrate Christmas on December 25th, while Orthodox Christians celebrate it on January 7th. That is because Orthodox churches still follow the old Julian calendar, while Catholics, Protestants and Anglicans follow Gregorian calendar.

[@Krokostad]

Or December 24th in Germany.

[@galoglaich3281]

I don't know about norway but the shortest day in ireland 21 of december its dark at 4 30 pm

[@ThisWontEndWell]

I know in Sweden they had only 4 hours of sunlight on the winter solstice.

[@YozhikvTumane]

Parts of Sweden as about 25 - 30 days,of polar night. F.ex. the city of Kiruna usually has 28 "days" without the sun rising above the horizon.

[@johnbartlett8510]

Pantomime is a unique British experience at Christmastime and you may wish to take a look at a performance even if you do not comment on it in one of your presentations. Happy Christmas!!

[@SoGal_YT]

Check back this weekend 😉

[@jizeta]

I'm a swede but we have similar traditions here as in Norway. Saint Lucia was a Italian saint who died in the 4th century. Lucia derives from the latin word Lux meaning light. The saint hasn't got much to do with the celebration though. According to the Julian calender december 13th is the longest night of the year. All the preparations before christmas needed to be done before that date and it was celebrated with food and extra drink, even for the animals. The christmas pig was also slaughtered on that day. In nordic folklore the boundry between our world and the supernatural were the weakest this night and continued being weak al the way to christmas. It was dangerous being out at night with trolls, goblins, demons and dark force lurking out there. In Sweden Lucia and Advent are important parts of the traditional Christmas celebrations.

[@Krokostad]

Oh, and about the different Christmas trees: Perhaps they have to be thinned out and not so dense because a lot of people still use real candles.

[@YozhikvTumane]

The difference is probably due to what type of trees predominantly grows in the area. The tree most often used in the northern European countries is the _European spruce (Picea abies),_ where as in f.ex. the western North American mountain region you'll find the _Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii),_ which usually has a denser set of branches as a young tree. I'm not sure if that's the one used as Christmas tree in US though, since there are numerous species to chose from. In later years, the _Caucasian fir (Abies nordmanniana)_ has gained popularity in Sweden, because of it's denser branches and the fact that the needles don't fall off when the tree dries out. Nowadays, almost all Christmas trees are cultivated at specialized _Christmas tree farms_ and they often grow a variety of species and I think some crossbreeds has been created in the pursuit of *_The Perfect Christmas Tree_*

[@crose7412]

Lovely reactions and a good choice of video. Which state are you from, SoGal?

[@SoGal_YT]

Thank you. Tennessee :)

[@crose7412]

@@SoGal_YT Ta. Whenever I hear you compare a place with the USA from now on I'll know which part of that vast country you're specifically thinking of.

[@andywilliams7323]

The mince pie is a traditional British Christmas food dating back to the 13th century. The idea of them was originated from Middle Eastern methods of cooking which involved combining meats with fruits and eastern spices. The 13th-century European Crusaders brought back these cooking techniques from the Holy Land after having liberated it from Islamic rule. The English soon combined these Middle Eastern cooking techniques with their own traditional English love of making pies. Thus the mince pie was born. The 3 primary ingredients of meats, fruits and spices were soon symbolised to represent each of the 3 gifts given to the Baby Jesus by the 3 Kings/Wise Men. It also became traditional to specifically add just 3 specific spices to the spice mixture, again to further symbolise the 3 gifts. Hence the Mince Pie permanently became associated with the Holy Land, the birth of Jesus & Christmas. Therefore it forever became traditional and popular to enjoy them in abundance during Christmas time.

[@malsm8892]

When I was a little boy in the 1950s there was a very large toy and model shop in Manchester Electric trains in the windows and dolls for the girls.

[@holgerlinke98]

bbc isn't really a thing in europe outside of britain.

[@skasteve6528]

Snata Lucia's festival is on 13th December. It isn't really part of christmas; It is a festival of Light. Hindus, Jews Thais, Chinese & various European countries have festivals of light. Although, I'm sure I will get replies telling me of other countries that have them too.

[@ronaldhammer5186]

You should listen to Kings College choir in England.

[@skasteve6528]

I'm not a christian, but for me, Christmas doesn't begin until the BBC broadcasts the carol service from St Paul's mid afternoon on Christmas eve.

[@markthomas2577]

Norway sends a big tree every year which is erected in Trafalgar Square

[@richardwani2803]

Fun fact Birmingham England as the biggest German Christmas Market outside Germany

[@DerkleineTrojaner]

3:44 i appreciate the gesture but you don't need to apologize for someone else and especially not for Rick Steves who might be the most euro-loving and all around wholsome american ever* =) He clearly made a valiant effort and that is all one can ask. It's all about attitude and Vibes. You don't want to hear how i would butcher massachusetts or connecticut xD EDIT: *Granted, as a european who doesn't know all the wholesome americans, there might be even more wholesome americans. However, Rick Steves is the most wholesome one i know ;)

[@Roel_Scoot]

About the winter season celebrations: Christmas as the word says is off course a christian holiday, but just one among many others in this season. It bothers me that american christians are monopolising it with the slogan "remember who is the reason for the season". Yul or the wintersolstice has at least as many influence on the different celebrations. Santa Claus is the american pagan and commercial branche of old men, like Sinterklaas who precedes Santa Claus, but both have much in common with Odin or Wotan like Huginn and Muninn the two ravens snooping through chimneys. Sinterklaas has Zwarte Piet to snoop, Santa Claus with his Elves is a bit off but how about his book? Or are elves snooping too?

[@athanpanayotou6557]

Coming from a family that isn't religious, we still celebrate Christmas. All Santa and giving gifts to each other. But we don't do anything to do with Jesus, God or Christianity.

[@aragorniielessar1894]

the Lucia thing happens on the 13 of December i would not call that a Christmas thing.

[@evaasjostrom1373]

Edinburgh is not in England.

[@andywilliams7323]

RE 14:30. American kids don't get presents from Santa when they visit him in a Grotto. Wow didn't know that. That sucks for American kids. British kids have always been given a little small cheap token gift from Santa when they visit him in a Grotto before Christmas Day. As well as getting their picture taken with him. Some British kids are lucky/spoiled enough to visit more than one Grotto in different locations on different days. And so get more than one little gift from Santa.

[@SoGal_YT]

Yeah, we have the whole sit on Santa’s lap for a picture, but it’s not a thing for him to give them presents. Maybe he’ll give them a piece of candy or something, but I don’t usually see that either.

[@mefw]

Saint Lucy's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Lucy, is a Christian feast day observed on 13 December. The observance commemorates Lucia of Syracuse, an early-4th-century virgin martyr under the Diocletianic Persecution,[1] who according to legend brought food and aid to Christians hiding in the Roman catacombs, wearing a candle lit wreath on her head to light her way and leave her hands free to carry as much food as possible.[2][3] Her feast day, which coincided with the shortest day of the year prior to calendar reforms, is widely celebrated as a festival of light.[4][5] Falling within the Advent season, Saint Lucy's Day is viewed as a precursor of Christmastide, pointing to the arrival of the Light of Christ in the calendar on Christmas Day.[1][6]

[@Onnarashi]

And it's a fairly recent celebration in Norway.

[@whydoyoucare6012]

Idc what any of you say, Antarctica is the best place to be during Christmas. I'm just chillin here with the bois, there's no covid either. We're living life right now

[@SoGal_YT]

I had a friend that worked in Antarctica for a year or so. What do you do down there?

[@whydoyoucare6012]

@@SoGal_YT We're looking for the edge, since obviously Earth is flat right?

[@melkor3496]

@@whydoyoucare6012 lol

[@melkor3496]

Christmas videos everywhere. Lol When do you plan to get back to military history? And what kind will it be and which country?

[@SoGal_YT]

Plan to get back to it next week. Not sure what it will be yet because I have so many different requests, but I would love to do WWI as well :)

[@melkor3496]

@@SoGal_YT Looking forward to it. Have a great day

[@kevincasey5035]

Am a Brit living just north of 60 degrees in Norway. Julenisse are supposed to be elves but look and sound more like leprechauns than Tolkien elves! You keep them happy by feeding them porridge and then they help around the farm. If you don't keep them happy then you get bad luck. Even though Norway is supposed to be Lutheran many of its customs and observances are Catholic - things are celebrated on the eve of things rather than just on the day. It is a highly controversial view with the Norwegians but you cannot miss the "Catholic-ness" of it all.

[@Yassified3425]

You need to react to The Roman Empire in 20 minutes

[@SoGal_YT]

I’ll be getting to that in the next couple weeks!

[@skasteve6528]

Why? What have the Romans ever done for us? kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2jXp5SrhK-AftE

[@Yassified3425]

@@skasteve6528 Made the foundations for the modern world.

[@MINKIN2]

This guy sounds like a southpark character

[@evaasjostrom1373]

Japan is not in europe.

[@cheryla7480]

Don’t forget only 1% of Japanese are Christian. You usually don’t find Christmas celebrations in non Christian countries…..they have celebrations built around their own religious beliefs. For example Japan is about 90% Shinto in their beliefs.

[@ThisWontEndWell]

Kissing under the mistletoe is a pagan fertility right, mistletoe is a symbol of male fertility and holly with its red berries female fertility... Its a very old tradition predating Christianity known throughout Europe. When England had very cold winters in the middle ages a winter fayre was declared people would skate on the frozen river Thames in London and they would have a large market on the ice, that's where the tradition of Christmas markets in England comes from it was repeated all over the country.

[@robertwilloughby8050]

If it is Germany, the breed of horse will probably a Rhenish German Cold-Blood.

[@zaftra]

If you like Art History, look out the classic books by Ernst Gombrich.

[@SoGal_YT]

Thanks!

[@josephknowles285]

For the high high majority of people in England Christmas isn't a religious celebration, most people aren't religious at all. So these videos of boys choirs and the 'English robes' are just a church thing (more or less everywhere) and not an actual representation of an English Christmas. Also a funfact is that no one really watches the queens speech ( the royals aren't a very big thing and sorry Liz a bit unimportant nowadays) , I don't remember ever watching it but more people I think are going to watch it to see what queenie says and trys to round up 2020.

[@eldertoguro1]

Please react to Epic History TV's series on Alexander the Great

[@melkor3496]

You should react to Epic history ww1 series. He has a video for each year of the war. Start with this one ofc kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpPaeWSQd9OMmtU And I highly recommend his Napoleon series too.

[@JenMaxon]

That's a terribly religious interpretation of Christmas - a lot of it in Europe really isn't and Britain in particular is very secular. Saint Lucy = Santa Lucia - comes from 'lux' which means light. St Lucy's Day is 13th December.

[@Mike8827]

What other „interpretation“ of Christmas is there besides religious ? You might not believe in the Gospel, but at least should have the decency to acknowledge the fact that it is centered around a deeply Christian background, which is still important for more than a billion people all over the world!

[@Roel_Scoot]

@@Mike8827 Ca. 2.3 billion christians from 7.7 billion people in the world which make them a big minority.

[@JenMaxon]

@@Mike8827 Well, it's a seasonal festival - with Christian overtones. I'm just saying in Europe it's a much less religious thing than that video implies.

[@francisdec1615]

Lucia in the Nordic countries has almost nothing to do with the Italian saint. It's rather a celebration of Freyja or some even older deity *disguised* as an Italian saint.

[@jamiegraham1415]

you need to watch horrible histories

[@krakendragonslayer1909]

Rick Steves says "European" and proceeds to pretend that 2/3 of Europe doesn't exist...

[@Roel_Scoot]

A lot of Europeans do not believe in a god!

[@Mike8827]

Sadly enough ! They will realize how wrong they were when it is too late !

[@Roel_Scoot]

@@Mike8827 Bummer 😄😄😄😄

[@richardscales9560]

Well that guys pretty nauseating.