Kartause Advent Market: St. Nick, Krampus & Christkind

Today ended this year's Advent Market at the Kartause.  Last year was our family's first time experiencing Advent & Christmas Markets in Austria - filled with music, food, and crafts - we eagerly awaited the return of this year's market!

On most days, the Kartause is calm and peaceful...

For nine days, when the Kartause hosts an Advent Market, it becomes a popular destination from people around Austria!

Passing through the first archway, you come to an area where you can purchase Christmas trees...

During hours when the Market isn't open, Francis enjoyed taking in the sights and smells of the fresh-cut trees!

Booths with food and drink (especially mulled wine) are set up in the middle of the main courtyard...

We loved watching the big Christmas tree go up, and enjoyed warming ourselves by the fire-pits...

Many of the indoor rooms (where students normally have class -- their classes and final exams were moved to rooms off of the main corridor) are filled with traditional handicraft for purchase and there is a room set up with free crafts for the children...

On the final Saturday evening of the Market, St. Nicholas arrives at the center of the courtyard accompanied by the Christkind (traditional giver of gifts in Austria), riding in a sleigh pulled by two Krampus...

St. Nicholas and the Christkind (who is often pictured as a child with blonde locks, wings, and halo -- is represented at these events by a blonde, rather attractive female, with wings) pass out the traditional Austrian goodies (peanuts, mandarins, and chocolate) to all of the children.  The Krampus is burdened with the task of carrying the gifts on his back...

Look closely and you can see the Krampus (far left), St. Nicholas, the Christkind (standing behind St. Nick), and Ellie wearing her navy and pink lined coat with the reindeer hat (far right)...

After the goodies have been distributed, the main characters visit with the guests and pose for pictures...

Ellie didn't want her picture with the Christkind -- but here's this lady...

Nor did she want her picture with the Krampus -- but here's this kid (and many others waiting their turn)...

But Francis was all about St. Nicholas...

We did not stay for the final showdown performance that happens between St. Nicholas and the Krampus.  Apparently the performance ends with St. Nicholas defeating the Krampus -- good conquers evil!

We enjoyed a quieter, less scary, view of the Kartause from the front of our house :)

Happy Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday!!!

Kindergarten Update

Ellie is continuing to LOVE Kindergarten!

The bus picks her up right outside our door each morning at little after 7:15am.  Francis loves climbing on board while Ellie fastens her seat-belt.  She adores her bus driver, Ms. Lisi, and greets her each morning saying "Guten Morgen!"  Ms. Lisi plays children's music to-and-from school.  She also gives each child (and siblings waiting for the bus) a gummy bear when they get off the bus at 12:40.  (The bus actually drops her and the other 'Kartause kids' off in front of the church, as she knows we're all at noon Mass - and it works out perfectly that someone can go out and get the kids and then return to church).

Riding the bus is probably the #1 thing I hear Ellie talk about in regards to Kindergarten.  So it comes as no surprise that the Wheels on the Bus remains one of her (and now Francis') favorite songs.  What did come as a surprise is when she interrupted us from singing along with her in the car the other day, and insisted we sing it in German instead.  And so she corrected us -- "Die Rader auf dem Bus gehen rund und rund, rund und rund, rund und rund...."  Other than counting in German, that's the most coherent German we've heard her speak.  She does pretend to talk and sing in German a lot - but it sounds like someone praying in German tongues :)

Brian, Francis, and I visited Ellie at school last week for an open house.  The students were all invited to wear their dirndls / lederhosen.  Ellie stuck pretty close to us when it was time for their performance in German, but she was all over the place showing us the different games, toys, and play areas in her classroom.  Her teacher says Ellie does understand German and follows along very nicely.

The kids in Ellie's classroom

Ellie's main teacher & her classmates in the 'gym room'

Her own towel and toothbrush in the bathroom

Francis & friend touring the upper level of the playhouse in Ellie's classroom

Brian and I are very pleased with her Kindergarten experience so far.  The fact she eagerly looks forward to getting on the bus and going to school each day really helps!

Culturally, Austria is very Catholic - so in school the children learn about and celebrate many Saints and Holy Days.  They have off from school on "Holy Days of Obligation," like today for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  Last week, during the Open House, the priest from town was present and read the Nativity Story to the children (or at least I think that is what he was reading....it was in German :)  When Brian went to retrieve something we had left there, he saw the children were learning about the Advent Wreath and lighting the candles.  They had special in-class celebrations for St. Nicholas Day and St. Martin of Tours (Martinstag).

Ellie's "Sankt Nikolaus" (St. Nicholas)

Hope you're having a wonderful & blessed Feast of the Immaculate Conception!

Krampus Night and St. Nicholas Day

Tonight is "Krampusnacht" or Krampus Night.

It is the night before the Feast of St. Nicholas when the Krampus - wicked, hairy beasts - come around for the naughty children; whereas, Good St. Nick comes for the good.

Around 5:30pm (sunset is currently at 4:07pm), we heard bells rattling outside -- we peered outside to see several Krampus walking down the street.  I turned our back light on, which drew their attention, and they made a few motions over our fence and then continued on as other children stood looking out their windows.

We had a more direct run in with the Krampus last weekend when we stopped by an Advent Market.  We know that at the Kartause's Advent Market the Krampus come out at a set time (after dark) for a performance.  But it was 4pm when we stopped by this Market, so we weren't expecting any Krampus.  We saw people starting what we thought was a bonfire to warm everyone - when the next thing we knew 10 Krampus ran out as music started blaring.  It was quite the sight.  The kids started crying and Brian carried them away.  I stayed to watch a bit - and was surprised to see how many children and elderly people in wheelchairs watched with excitement.  I suppose it's an event they're used to seeing every year.

We're definitely more of the St. Nicholas crowd!  This evening, we watched Nicholas: The Boy Who Became Santa (which is available on YouTube).

Tomorrow at Kindergarten, Ellie will celebrate "Nikolausfest."  She's been practicing her St. Nicholas song - in German - for days.  She doesn't know it yet, but St. Nicholas will be making a visit to the school!

We have our own treats - including gingerbread men we made this weekend - ready to hand out.

And our shoes are out and ready for a visit from St. Nicholas tonight.

After putting out her shoes, Ellie did confirm that "those silly, old, pretend Krampus can't get inside, right?"  That's right - definitely not in our house :)

Have a great Feast Day!

Austrian Thanksgivings & Christmas Preparations (7QT)

It's been a full week here in Austria!  I can't believe it's the end of November, the beginning of Advent, and that the students (and all of my Ministry to Mom helpers - eeeeek!) will be gone in less than two weeks!!  Here's the latest with our life happenings in 7 Quick Takes:

1) Found our Christmas Tree!

Last weekend, we went to a tree farm in the small town next to us and "marked" our Christmas tree.  You bring a ribbon and simply tie it around the tree you want (see our red ribbon in the photo below).  You then return closer to Christmas to cut it down and pay for it.  It Austria, the tradition is that the Christmas tree is brought into your home and decorated on Christmas Eve.  Some children believe that the 'Christkind' - described as a golden-haired baby, with wings, who symbolizes the new born Christ - decorates the tree.  The Christkind also brings presents to the children on Christmas Eve and leaves them under the tree.  (Perhaps we could put a pair of wings on Francis and have him pose as the Christkind??)

Our own traditions - a blended American/Austrian mix - are still a work in progress.  Knowing we have a tree out there though, definitely helps Ellie (and me) with the Advent virtues of waiting and anticipation as we draw closer to Christmas!

It kind of looks like Francis was trying to mark the tree in his own way...

2) I'm 17 weeks pregnant now!

I don't remember my baby bump being this big at 17 weeks in the past.  It may have something to do with the fact I spent 10 days eating my way through Rome and Assisi earlier this month :)

Because they don't do a 16 week check-up here, I've been anxiously counting the weeks between my 12 week and 20 week appointments...only 3 more weeks until I get to see baby again (and hopefully find out if it's a boy or girl!!!)

3) Thanksgiving Day in Austria

Austrians do not celebrate our American Thanksgiving Day - the students still have classes, Ellie has Kindergarten, the stores are open per usual, etc.  But at night, the students, faculty, and staff all come together for a Thanksgiving meal and then head off to the "Austrian Ball."  There was one turkey (for 200+ people) presented with sparkles and students singing God Bless, America.  Our table was served chicken and chocolate cake for dessert.  Everyone wears their "trachten" (traditional Austrian clothes).  Here's one of our Christmas card outtakes...   

At the ball, there are group dance lessons intermingled with performances by professional "slap dancers."  Francis absolutely loved clapping along as he watched in awe.  (Lederhosen and Crocs - he's got style ;) 

4) Real Thanksgiving Celebration 

On Saturday, we gathered together with the other faculty, staff, and religious for a real, traditional Thanksgiving celebration!  We had plenty of delicious, home-cooked turkey and pies!  I was in charge of making the pumpkin pies.  I'd never made one before.  They don't sell canned pumpkin or evaporated milk here.  But, fortunately, several people had brought cans of pumpkin from the USA for this occasion.  And my neighbor who has lived here for 25 years told me which milk/creamer (Kaffee Milch) to buy as a substitute.  The only unfortunate part about my pies was getting the centers to fully cook.  They both eventually got there, but as you can see in the photo below, I had to remove a bit of the top I burnt in the final minutes.  But with enough whipped cream on top - everything tasted great!

It was such a lovely day of being together with our neighbors/good friends. As we celebrated this American holiday, I realized our family is unique in that all of our family members were born in the USA (although this will only remain true until our baby arrives in May).  Our neighbors are from Austria, Germany, Slovakia, England, Hungary, Colombia, Poland, and Ireland. 

5) Schallaburg Castle Game Weekend

After Mass today, we drove to another town 40 minutes away to visit Schallaburg Castle.  On this weekend, they filled the castle with over 100 board games for families to try out.  We had a great time playing games, baking and eating gingerbread cookies, making ornaments, and watching a marionette show (you know, like they do in The Sound of Music).  And everything was free!

6) Advent is Here!

Happy Church New Year!  It was great going to Mass this morning and seeing all of the purple decorations out and the huge advent wreath.

At home we're trying a few new things this year.  Because Ellie will turn 4 in February, I feel like she can really understand and do even more this Advent.  I made an Advent/Christmas paper chain that will take us through Advent (purple & pink links), Christmas Day (white), and the 12 Days of Christmas plus a few extra up until the Feast of the Baptism of Christ (green).  I tried to mark a few of the Feast & Saint days along the way (St. Nicholas, Immaculate Conception, St. Lucy, Holy Innocents, Holy Family, etc.).  

We also added a Mary/Jesus candle in the center of our Advent Wreath.  It's a white candle, representing Christ, covered with a blue cloth, representing Mary.  Right now Jesus is hidden inside of "pregnant Mary" and on Christmas Day we'll remove the blue cloth and light the candle.  Simple.

Finally, we've introduced the "straw for Baby Jesus' manger" idea.  The idea is that every time Ellie does a good deed (leads a prayer or is helpful or kind to a family member) she gets to add straw (brown construction paper) to Jesus' manger (old cornstarch box).  On Christmas Day we'll hopefully be lying Baby Jesus in a soft, full bed of straw.  Day 1 went pretty well -- Ellie loved filling the manger, and Francis loved dumping it out afterward.... 

7) Online Resources for Advent

For the third year in a row, I'm using HolyHeroes.Com during Advent.  Ellie remembered watching the daily videos about the Jesse Tree or other Advent lessons last year and was super excited when I told her she could start watching these YouTube videos again!  If you sign up for their Advent Adventures, they'll send you an email each day with a link to that day's free activities and videos.  It's really easy to use and I've learned a lot from it as well.

Our family (ok, mostly Brian and I) are really excited about ReedemedOnline.Com Advent Series.  You can sign up to receive a daily one-minute video from Sr. Miriam James Heidland, Andy Lesnefsky, Fr. Dave Pivonka, and Dave VanVickle.  With the email you'll also get a short reflection to help you understand more fully who Jesus is.  The videos can also be viewed on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Wishing everyone a blessed Advent!  Happy New Year!

For this post, I'm linking up with Kelly from This Ain't The Lyceum, so please check it out for more 7 Quick Takes!

Assisi with the Kids

Traveling through Assisi with the kids is much easier than traveling in Rome. We spend almost all of our time in Upper Assisi - the part of the city that sits high on top of a hill. It still looks like a Medieval town and is easy to walk through.

Thursday 

Our buses arrived in Lower Assisi at Santa Maria degli Angeii (St. Mary/Queen of the Angels) Church, which is built over the Portiuncula where St. Francis often prayed. It is far down the hill away from where the royalty and commoners lived - it is where the lepers and outcasts lived. 

We had Mass in the Church and then has time to pass through the Portiuncula's Holy Door and visit the small chapel marking the location where St. Francis' died.

The buses then took us up the hill. After lunch we met with Fr. Ken Cienik. He is a Franciscan Friar of Atonement and a family friend from the US; he is currently living in Assisi.  We enjoyed our first of many cannolis on this trip from Gran Cafe with him - along with gorgeous views of the city. 

The sunset over the Basilica of St. Francis was amazing that evening. 

Friday

In the morning we walked to the Basilica for Mass at the Tomb of St. Francis 

It rained and thunder-stormed a lot this day - so we spent time playing in the hotel rooms and exploring the interior of the Basilica of St. Francis. And eating more cannolis :)

Many of the nights the students gather at a church for praise and worship of our Lord. Brian and I take turns going while the other one stays with the kids - in theory they are sleeping by this time. I went to the first half of the Festival of Praise this evening and when I returned a little after 9pm Brian whispered that the kids had just fallen asleep. Francis then stood up in his pack & play and said, "Eis!" (Eis is German for ice cream). Ellie then sat up on her mattress on the floor (she falls out of bed if we leave it on the frame) and says, "Buddy, we cannot get gelato now!"  Needless to say, they weren't asleep yet. Thankfully this was the exception as most nights they passed out quickly after dinner. 

Saturday

We walked to Santa Chiara (St. Clare) for Mass. Here the Cross of San Damiano, that spoke to Francis telling him to rebuild God's church, hangs in the side chapel. 

The views overlooking Assisi outside of Santa Chiara's are perfect for taking pictures!

But you've got to watch your step - and your face - when it starts to rain!

We went on a walking tour with Sr. Joan Paule to San Damiano, where St. Clare had her convent and had died.  It is also where Francis composed his famous The Canticle of the Creatures.

After lunch, we had a student watch our kids and Brian and I hiked up to the hermitage where St. Francis used to pray.   After we had time to pray, a shuttle brought the kids and babysitters up. After some time at the top, we started the hike down - but that didn't last long and we ended up getting a ride the rest of the way down.

We had Mass that evening (for Sunday) at the Cathedral of San Rufino. This church holds the font where both Francis and Clare were baptized. 

Before dinner we packed our bags and they were loaded on the bus so we could depart before 6 am the next morning. 

Sunday

It was a 13 hour (with stops) bus ride home. The kids did great. We arrived home to a snow-covered Gaming and a hot meal from our neighbors, who had also started our fireplace so we had some heat in the house! Ellie chose to skip school the next morning to play in the first snow of the season - rebel ;)

Photo credit: All of the amazing, high-quality photos were taken by one of our favorite students, Shannon!