Christmas in Split.

Christmas in Split is a little different than America. Ok, it is VERY different. At this point though, that should come as no surprise. Now, I am no expert on Christmas (being a Jew and all) but I have done my share of holiday partying. Celebrating in Split this year, introduced me to a new way of celebrating. 

For one, the season and preparation starts much later. People don’t get their trees until a few days before and only keep them for a couple weeks. I learned that its because they don’t have stands that have water. So to avoid having a dry tree in their homes, they buy a tree around December 23rd and keep it until the beginning of January. Christmas overall is more simple and much less commercial. It definitely is exciting to people here but they show/express it in very different ways. I would see people dressing up but not necessarily dressing in Santa hats or wearing fun festive colors. There is also a considerably less amount of decorations in Split than at home. In fact, I tried looking for a little and all I could find were simple ornaments that were lacking in originality or sparkle. I guess Croatians put the emphasis more on the holidays itself than the celebrating. 

On Christmas Eve, I was invited to one of the dancers house. It was a small gathering of some familiar faces and some new ones. Everyone contributed a dish to what ended up being an amazing and amazingly filling dinner. Dinner included popular dishes from different cultures. I think the highlight of the meal for me would have been the large hollow tomatoes with tuna salad in them. It was so delicious! For dessert, one of the dancers made a huge cake in the shape of a Christmas tree. It was filled with different fruits and layers of vanilla and chocolate cake. After dinner, the evening ended with all of us sitting around the tree and talking and opening presents. The best part of the night was definitely being with good company and enjoying a lovely night. 

The next night, Christmas, was a little bit more crazy but fun nonetheless. In true Scott form, I wore a tie for the occasion. Dinner was at the Villa (which was super convenient for me) and again, we all contributed a dish to what ended up being a fabulous meal. I grilled some vegetables while others made turkey, cole slaw, lasagna, cakes, and chocolate salami (Italian dessert). Making a reprise, there was another cake in the shape of Christmas tree... and just as delicious as the night before. We definitely were not short any food! After dinner, being the rambunctious dancers that we are, we played a few games for a few hours that included breaking chairs, falling on the floor, and many many good pictures. Again, another great night spent with great people... wearing red. 

The overall holiday feeling is different here but the similarity of surrounding yourself with those who are important to you, must be universal. Thats why I love the holidays : )

Pictures to come soon.