ANNCR:
Millions of Americans will celebrate Christmas on Decembertwenty-fifth. It is the most widely celebrated religious holiday inthe United States. For the past few weeks, Americans have beenpreparing for Christmas. I’m Bob Doughty. Shirley Griffith and RayFreeman tell us about American Christmas traditions and music on theVOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.
((MUSIC BRIDGE: “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” The CanadianBrass))
VOICE ONE:
People have been buying gifts to give to family members andfriends. They have been filling homes and stores with evergreentrees and bright, colored lights. They have been going to partiesand preparing special Christmas foods. Many people think Christmasis the most wonderful time of the year. Johnny Mathis thinks so,too.
((TAPE CUT 1: IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR))
VOICE TWO:
Many Christians will go to church the night before the holiday oron Christmas Day. They will celebrate Christmas as the birthday ofJesus Christ. Christian ministers will speak about the need forpeace and understanding in the world. This is the spiritual messageof Christmas. Church services will include traditional religioussongs for the holiday.
One of the most popular is this one, “Silent Night.” Here it issung by Joan Baez.
((TAPE CUT 2: SILENT NIGHT))
VOICE ONE:
Many other Americans will celebrate Christmas as an important,but non-religious, holiday. To all, however, it is a special day offamily, food, and exchanging gifts.
Christmas is probably the most special day of the year forchildren. One thing that makes it special is the popular traditionof Santa Claus.
Young children believe that Santa Claus is a fat, kind, old manin a red suit with white fur. They believe that — on the nightbefore Christmas — he travels through the air in a sleigh pulled byreindeer. He enters each house from the top by sliding down the holein the fireplace. He leaves gifts for the children under theChristmas tree.
Here, Bruce Springsteen sings about Santa Claus.
((TAPE CUT 3: SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN))
VOICE TWO:
Americans spend a lot of time and money buying Christmaspresents. The average American family spends about eight-hundreddollars. Stores and shopping centers are crowded at this time ofyear. More than twenty percent of all goods sold during the year aresold during the weeks before Christmas. This is good for stores andfor the American economy.
VOICE ONE:
Some people object to all this spending. They say it is not thereal meaning of Christmas. So, they celebrate in other ways. Forexample, they make Christmas presents, instead of buying them. Orthey volunteer to help serve meals to people who have no homes. Orthey give money to organizations that help poor people in the UnitedStates and around the world.
VOICE TWO:
Home and family are the center of the Christmas holiday. For manypeople, the most enjoyable tradition is buying a Christmas tree anddecorating it with lights and beautiful objects. On Christmas Eve orChristmas morning, people gather around the tree to open theirpresents.
Another important Christmas tradition involves food. Familiesprepare many kinds of holiday foods, especially sweets. They eatthese foods on the night before Christmas and on Christmas day.
For many people, Christmas means traveling long distances to bewith their families. Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack sing about thisholiday tradition.
((TAPE CUT 4: I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS))
VOICE ONE:
Another Christmas tradition is to go “caroling.” A group ofpeople walks along the street. At each house, they stop and sing aChristmas song, called a carol. Student groups also sing carols atschools and shopping centers. Let us listen to the choir of TrinityChurch in Boston sing “Carol of the Bells.”
((TAPE CUT 5: CAROL OF THE BELLS))
VOICE TWO:
Not everyone in the United States celebrates Christmas. Membersof the Jewish and Muslim religions, for example, generally do not.Jewish people celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah. And some blackAmericans observe another holiday, Kwanzaa. Yet many Americans dotake part in some of the traditional performances of the season. Oneof the most popular is a story told in dance: “The Nutcracker”ballet. The music was written by Russian composer Peter IlichTchaikovsky in Eighteen-Ninety One.
VOICE ONE:
The ballet is about a young girl named Clara. Clara iscelebrating Christmas with her family and friends. One of herChristmas presents is a little device to open nuts — a nutcracker.It is shaped like a toy soldier. She dreams that the nutcrackercomes to life as a good-looking prince.
Professional dance groups in many American cities perform theballet at this time of year. They often use students from localballet schools to dance the part of Clara and the other children inthe story. This gives parents a chance to see their childrenperform.
VOICE TWO:
We leave you with “The Waltz of the Flowers” from “TheNutcracker.” It is played by the Philadelphia Orchestra, led byEugene Ormandy.
((TAPE CUT 6: THE WALTZ OF THE FLOWERS))
VOICE ONE:
Today’s program was written by Shelley Gollust. It was producedand directed by Lawan Davis. I’m Shirley Griffith.
((WALTZ OF THE FLOWERS INSTEAD OF CLOSING THEME))
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Ray Freeman. Join us again next week for another reportabout life in the United States on the VOA Special English program,THIS IS AMERICA.