Towards Christmas with fantasy

In every European Country, in urban centres and rural villages alike, wherever there is a Christian community there is also a tradition linked to the Advent and to preparations for Christmas, which range from faith gatherings to gestures towards the last (the poor, lonely elderly, sick people, abandoned children), from competitions on Nativity scenes to Gospel concerts, from candlelight to calendars… Manifold initiatives from Finland to Malta, from the Balkans to Poland up to the British Isles, focus on highlighting the upcoming celebration of December 25. Here are some. In the heart of the continent. The German Church is among the most creative. The faithful of the diocese of Fulda, for example, have the Advent calendar on their mobile phones. Every morning, from December 1st, a text message opens a window of this virtual calendar with a phrase to live out this time of prayer. In Regensburg major attention is placed on the journey of faith of the families. In fact, the diocese has published a booklet that covers the period of the Advent with a guide on prayer and contemplation at home, in the family, with friends, or with neighbours. The website of the diocese of Münster http://kirchensite.de/ features a great amount of material on prayers, reflections, testimonies, with information of organ concerts and choirs in the gothic cathedral. In Himmelstadt, a Bavarian village in the diocese of Würzburg, a dedicated postal office will be open until December 17 with an ancient mailbox dedicated to letters addressed to the Infant Jesus. Countless initiatives are being promoted also in the neighbouring Austria. The archdiocese of Vienna, just to mention the capital, will accompany the faithful through its website: daily reflections by the Archbishop, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, open the pages that narrate the traditional stories of the “carolers”, the children Cantors of the Star, followed by the three kings in their travel to Nazareth, with charity collections along the way. Showing the light. “With the Advent initiative (Advents Actie) the Catholic Church wants the light to reach people who are struggling and who sometimes have lost all hopes to see the light”, said the bishop of Amsterdam, Msgr. Joseph Punt, presenting the Dutch initiative “spreadthelight”, that began the first Sunday of Advent. Everyone is invited to “take a selfie with a lit candle and post the picture on social networks with the tag #spreadthelight”. The central message and the invitation focus on “working together to bring the hope of Christmas light”, said Beate Gloudemans, coordinator of the campaign. The initiative accompanies a fund collection campaign for projects in support of small enterprises in Third World countries. Christmas “Solidarity gifts” are suggested on the websites of many humanitarian organizations. With this definition Caritas Luxembourg refers to “a useful gift” such as a chicken, a goat or a cow, since “giving a goat for Christmas could change the life of a family in need”. The initiative is directed to South Sudan, where “owning chickens, goats or cows greatly improves living standards”. Toys and songs. In the Iberian Peninsula, Discantus, Caritas and the Delegation for Teaching in the diocese of Cartagena (Spain) jointly promote the project “A toy, a song”, a solidarity campaign extended to all schools and institutions in the Murcia region to collect toys that Caritas will distribute to poor families for Christmas. Caritas has distributed empty boxes in schools where youths can leave their toys for their peers in need. The boxes will be collected on December 19. Stretching all way to the Balkans, in Serbia the Advent booklets titled “Renewal of the soul, of the mind and of the body in the encounter with the Lord coming towards us” is published by the Archdiocese of Belgrade featuring a cultural and religious program along with practical advice for the liturgical period. These include: “Leading a regular life with a specific timetable, refraining from alcohol consumption, cigarettes and sweets, as well as from meaningless TV programs”. In the framework of charity works Caritas will hand out two thousand 35-euro vouchers in 11 districts most direly affected by the heavy floods that hit Serbia past Spring. Traditional as well as innovative proposals are being planned in three Catholic dioceses of Bulgaria for Christmas preparations. On the website youth-bg.com, of the Franciscan Fathers, young people will find reflections for the weeks of the Advent along with a section dedicated to testimonies of young people who share their life and faith experience. Eastern rite Catholics of the Exarchate are preparing for Christmas also following a strict period of fasting and abstinence from animal products, as do their Orthodox brothers.