Food, family and lights
CMS Short-Term Workers Howard and Trisha Spencer live in Belgium, supporting the ministry among French speaking university students. Here, Trisha gives an insight into what Christmas looks like in Brussels, and how they celebrate.
This article is part two of our Christmas series: ‘How do you celebrate Christmas?’
Article 1 is here. The rest of this series will be posted on 18 and 19 December.
Cosy Christmas
Belgium is a country that really embraces the festive spirit of Christmas, so you can expect to find a lot of lights and Christmas decorations everywhere. There are even two Father Christmases!
December is a month of short and dark days, and long and cold nights. There may even be some snow, and adults and children take to the parks for sledding or ice skating.
A lot of the ambiance of Christmas revolves around lights. The streets are full of Christmas lights and people flock to the Christmas markets, where warm food and drinks are the highlights.
When it comes to Christmas decorations in Belgium, a beautifully adorned Christmas tree is the centrepiece. Belgians also love to spruce up their homes with cosy touches with candles and festive garlands to create a feeling of warmth and togetherness. In our home, we have a real Christmas tree decorated with fairy lights, with lots of lights around our lounge room.
Christmas Eve is the main time of celebration when families meet for a meal, give presents and if you are Catholic, go to church at midnight. Surprisingly, there is no Christmas Day service at our church, unlike in Australia.
Food and friends
On Christmas day, breakfast and lunch is usually followed by a cosy day spent with family, exchanging gifts, and celebrating the holiday’s true meaning: love, togetherness, and goodwill (without reference to the Lord who gives all these good things). This seems to be the focus of Christmas in Belgium. The only reference to Christ’s birth can be seen in nativity scenes which are in some churches or market squares.
Because the focus is on the family getting together for a meal, many foreigners in Brussels who are far from their families can feel very lonely, so we host a Christmas lunch in our apartment.
Food plays a big role at Christmas time. Some Christmas treats include ‘speculoos’ (a spicey shortcrust biscuit that’s perfect for nibbling on throughout the day), foie gras, turkey, venison, sea food and Belgian chocolates. A traditional Belgian Christmas dessert is ‘Bûche de Noël’ which is a log-shaped cake made from sponge, cream, and chocolate. ‘Cougnou’ (a type of bread shaped like baby Jesus) is also popular. Steaming cups of hot chocolate, made with high-quality Belgian chocolate, and ‘glühwein’, a warm and aromatic drink made from red wine, spices, and citrus fruit are perfect for sipping during chilly winter nights.
To reach their neighbours, our GBU friends Alex and Sara put Christian Christmas cards with a gospel message (and some chocolates) in each of the letterboxes in their apartment. They’ve met some of their neighbours this way, and Alex now goes for a run with the downstairs neighbour.
Please pray for more Belgian students to become Christians, so they can come into God’s family and celebrate Christmas in a more meaningful way.
GO
Could you join Howard and Trisha in making Christ known through university ministry in Europe, so that many will know the true meaning of Christmas? Click here to find out more.
