Here's to a happy 2009!

Vintage postcard image courtesy of Silver Collect.

1900 - 1909: What happened in your family?

As we prepare to open the last year of this decade, it is natural to reminisce about where we were at its beginning: the year 2000. Much has changed for the world around us and for many of us individually, yet some things remain the same.

"From Y2K to where?" is the question that grips my mind.

I remember the soon to be unproven concerns that were in the news just prior to the new millennium, and I look now at the more tangible economic woes that many are facing.

I remember the days prior to the iPod, digital video recorders, cell phones with all the bells of whistles of today's models... I marvel at how I got along without my laptop and the speedy internet connection that I now take for granted.

So many other aspects of our lives have changed. What will the future hold?

That was the question that our ancestors may have been asking themselves one-hundred years ago as they turned the corner on the last year in the opening decade of the 20th-century. 1909 was the end of a decade of tremendous change, a decade that was the heart of the Progressive Era (1890-1913).

The decade was the first to see modern consumerism take off. In American homes, the Montgomery Ward and Sears catalogs were the second most popular books besides the Bible.

1900-1909 saw the advent of flight with the Wright brothers and welcomed Henry Ford's affordable Model T. Americans began adapting to the "aeroplane" and the automobile as a part of everyday life.

Families found entertainment in baseball, silent films, the radio and music from hand-cranked Vitrolas.

Newspapers saw the advent of sports pages and multi-frame cartoons. The publishing world introduced classics such as L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful World of Oz. It also created a stir with books like Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, Susan B. Anthony's History of Woman Suffrage, and Ida Tarbell's The History of the Standard Oil Company.

In the first decade of the 20th-century, America (and the world) was reinventing itself.

How was my family changing?

~

A year ago I asked myself the question, "Where was my family in 1908?" Composing the answer for each branch of my family was an enlightening exercise. Many of you took time to do the same. The result was a fascinating online "album": Snapshots of the world back in 1908.

I hope you'll join me as we welcome 2009 by taking some introspective time to look at some of your ancestors' lives during the first decade of the 20th-century. We know the world was changing quickly around them. Just how did their individual lives change from 1900-1909? Did they move or emigrate during this time period? How did their family grow or lose members? Did the occupation of the family breadwinner change? Did they have any other major changes in their lives during this very progressive decade one-hundred years ago?

I'll be posting a look at the changes in the lives of some of the members of various branches of my family. As you reminisce this new year about the last ten years of your life, I hope you'll join me in taking time to look back at your ancestor's lives one-hundred years ago.

1909 New Year postcard from the Elleanor Roberts Kreischer LaClair collection.

Nipper the dog courtesy of Wikipedia.

Upton Sinclair's The Jungle first edition 1906 cover courtesy of the online article Books that Changed America.

Stipendan, Ivendan and a little Croatian brandy

Today, December 26, is the second day of Christmas and also the feast of St. Stephen (Sveti Stipan in Croatian). Tomorrow, the third day of Christmas, is the feast day of St. John the Apostle (Sveti Ivo).

Ivan Ćurković, on his Croatian family history blog Curkovic.ca, has described the St. Stephen's Day and St. John's Day traditions of his family members and others from the Buško Blato area of Croatia.

If you go visiting on Stipendan (St. Stephen's Day) or Ivendan (St. John the Apostle's Day), you may find yourself the recipient of some good Croatian treats, such as walnuts or Croatian brandy, called rakija.

If you do go for a visit, don't forget to greet the host with this traditional greeting of the season:

Hvaljen Isus i Marija; dobro vam došao Božić i Sveti Stipan i Sveti Ivo!

Praised be Jesus and Mary; may this Christmas and St. Stephen's and St. John’s be a good one!

Merry Christmas!

The Adoration of the Magi
by the Hungarian

"Master of Aranyosmaróti"

Circa 1460

Keeping watch on Badnjak: Christmas Eve

I originally wrote about the Croatian customs of Badnjak last year here at 100 Years in America. It wouldn't seem right not to share this article again with you this Christmas Eve. Have a beautiful and peaceful evening as you celebrate the birth of the Christ Child!

"Who can sleep on the night that God became man?"
- Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross)

I have often asked the same question since I can't seem to rest for long on Christmas Eve. It may have started when, as a child, I spent hours gazing out my bedroom window at the beautiful Christmas candles that our family lit outdoors each year on Christmas Eve. It may just have been the magic of the evening - the wonder of the Holy Child's birth surrounded by the joy and excitement of sharing Christmas Day with family.

Only this year did I learn of the Croatian custom. It turns out that Badnjak, which is the Croatian word for Christmas Eve night (and also the word for the yule log in Croatian), is traditionally kept awake, burning candles and a yule log. The custom is to keep watch (or vigil) throughout the night, at least until the return from Christmas Mass.

According to this article by Betty Labash Kovacs on Croatian Christmas Customs, the etymology of the word Badnjak actually comes from the Glagolitic (ancient Slavic script) for bdjeti, which means "to be awake". Thus, vigil is kept through the night as the shepherds kept watch on the night of the Savior's birth.

The article, which was published in The Zajednicar, the newspaper of the Croatian Fraternal Union, goes on to explain that traditions of Christmas Eve vary in different villages and regions of Croatia. However, the use of the yule log is the center of the celebration in many Croatian homes. Here she describes its use in Croatia and in other countries of the former Roman empire:

On this night there must be heat and light, represented by the ritual candle and as no other light may appear before the ceremonial candle is lit, the domaćin [head of the household]lights it before dark has fallen, accompanied by traditional phrases and verses, varying from region to region. Some of these still remain and are carefully nurtured not only by peasant families, but by specialists - folklorists who travel from village to village, recording and codifying folk culture for future generations. The custom of the Yule Log or panj existed in pre-recorded times in all of southern Europe - Spain, Portugal, France, Croatia, all former regions of the Holy Roman Empire or lands adjacent to it. Northern Slavs from Poland, the Ukraine, the Carpathians did not adopt the practice, but just as there are remnants of the Roman connection in the Istrian word for Christmas (vilija), so the Croatians as they settled in southern lands accepted the Badnjak, the Yule Log.

Badnjak is not only a night of "keeping watch", but the evening when all the house is to be decorated for Christmas. Andrea Janekovic's Christmas in Croatia article describes her memories of Badnjak. According to Janekovic, Christmas Eve was a day of preparation. By this day the Chrismas Wheat (Pšenica) would be at its height. On Christmas Eve food is prepared (although the baking may have been done already) and homes are decorated with ivy, holly and tree branches and the traditional straw is brought in. If the family has a Christmas tree, this is the night to decorate it. And, of course, the candles and yule log are lit, and prayers are offered for departed family members and friends.

As you celebrate your own traditions on this Christmas Eve, I hope that you enjoy the beauty of this night of celebration after the long wait through Advent. Light a candle, say some prayers and enjoy the magic of Badnjak as the shepherds did on that night so long ago.

In the words of a traditional Croatian Christmas Eve blessing:

Eto sine, živ i zdrav bio - do godine Badnjak na kucu metnio!

May you live and be healthy to place the log on the house next year!

Not the partridge, but the falcon: a little Hungarian Christmas history

On this Christmas Eve 100 Years in America wishes you Boldog Karácsonyt! The Hungarian word for Christmas, Karácsony, has an interesting origin. According to Charles Dombi, webmaster of Hunmagyar.org, the story goes like this:

"The origin and meaning of the Hungarian word for Christmas, Karácsony, has its roots in ancient pre-Christian (pagan) culture and religious beliefs. It is associated with the most important celebration of pagan peoples, that of the winter solstice. It was an ancient Hungarian custom to celebrate the event with the releasing of falcons which were called 'kerecsen solyom' - 'solyom' means falcon, and 'kerecsen' refers to the type of falcon. Since ancient times, birds of prey have had special symbolic significance, and in the ancient Near Eastern civilizations, the falcon was associated with the sun or the sun-god. This tradition has been preserved by the ancient Magyars (Hungarians) and their ethno-linguistic relatives. The Hungarian word for Christmas, 'Karácsony' is therefore derived from the word 'kerecsen'."

For more on the origin of the word for Christmas in the Hungarian language, see the Hungarian article on the web entitled Karácsony szavunk eredetéről és jelentéséről.

Here's wishing you all a Boldog Karácsonyt, a very Merry Christmas!

As we approach the beautiful feast of Christmas...

Bernadino Luini's The Nativity, 16th-century

...I am surprised at how quickly it is arriving this year!

Last year 100 Years in America was a much busier place during this season. I wrote articles on:

• Reflections from underneath the Christmas tree
• From the corner of my grandmother's kitchen
• Wheat on the table, straw on the floor
• On the eve of Szent Mikulás
• A "Merry Christmas" has no language barrier
• Kifli by any other name
• A ring, yellow roses & a Flying Cloud
• A Hungarian boy's 1st Christmas in America, 1923
• A pot of pšenica for Sveta Lucia
• Heavenly music and "little stars"
• Childhood memories of a Croatian winter's night
• Keeping watch on Badnjak (Christmas Eve)
  

This year I have found myself with less free time and therefore less chance to expand on the Advent and Christmas seasons here in the blogosphere. As Christmas Day approaches, many of you may be finishing up last-minute shopping, decorating, baking, sending out cards, etc. as I am.

I hope that the season of Advent has been a peaceful time for you, no matter how busy you've been. As Christmas approaches, I hope you'll take some time to read about the traditional Hungarian and Croatian traditions during this magical season and possibly be inspired to add some of them to your celebrations.

I just recently discovered an article posted online on the Croatian World Network website entitled Croatian Christmas Traditions by James Monti. The article was published in the Advent 2006 edition of the Catholic devotional magazine Magnificat. The focus is on the faith traditions of the Croatian people of Bosnia-Herzegovina. As Monti states in his article, "The strong sense of family characterizing Croatian Christmas customs serves as a reminder of the joy of the Holy Family at the birth of Christ and the future joy of heaven."

I hope you'll enjoy a joyful holiday celebration with your family and friends this year, no matter how you celebrate!

Advent: "...the faith of our forefathers makes itself heard in our age..."

As we enter the season of Advent this year, 100 Years in America invites you to a time of reflection on the luminous quality of this beautiful season and the mystery which surrounds the coming of the Christ Child.

"What is Advent? Many answers can be given. We can grumble and say that it is nothing but a pretext for hectic activity and commercialism, prettified with sentimental cliches in which people stopped believing ages ago. In many cases this may be true, but it is not the whole picture.

"We can say the reverse, that Advent is a time when, in the midst of an unbelieving world, something of the luminous quality of this lost faith is still perceptible, like a visual echo. Just as stars are visible long after they have become extinct, since their erstwhile light is still on its way to us, so this mystery frequently offers some warmth and hope even to those who are no longer able to believe in it.

"Advent is a time when a kindness that is otherwise almost entirely forgotten is mobilized; namely, the willingness to think of others and give them a token of kindness. Finally Advent is a time when old customs live again, for instance, in the singing of carols which takes place all over the country. In the melodies and the words of these carols, something of the simplicity, imagination and glad strength of the faith of our forefathers makes itself heard in our age, bringing consolation and encouraging us perhaps to have another go at that faith which could make people so glad in such hard times."

~ Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), Seek That Which Is Above: Meditations Through the Year (originally published in 1986)

As we enter this time of preparation for Christmas and look for ways to celebrate the season, you might enjoy reading about some of the Hungarian and Croatian traditions that I have written about here at 100 Years in America. Inspired last holiday season by Thomas MacEntee's Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories, I wrote twelve articles about Croatian and Hungarian Christmas customs. In reading them I hope you'll find a few new traditions to try out in your family for the first time or to reawaken this holiday season.

A Blessed Advent to you!

Botticelli's Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist is the focus of the 2008 Christmas stamp created by the U.S. Postal Service.