Life constantly adds new experiences in our life. We feel, act and reject things that come into our lives. Everything adds to our collection of “Who I am”.
“This question – asked so often – suggests that there is actually a plausible answer. Almost as if our being were a fixed thing. Our identity should be seen as an ongoing process. Rather than a static snapshot, we should embrace a flowing sense of self, whereby we are perpetually re-framing, re-organizing, re-thinking and re-considering ourselves. How different would life be if rather than asking who am I, we contemplated how we’d like to engage life?”
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/shift-mind/201006/who-am-i
I KNOW THAT MY EXPERIENCES WITH IL VOLO AND THE FLIGHT CREW HAVE ADDED ANOTHER CHAPTER TO “WHO I AM”
“I am very happy to be with Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca conducting them on this magical night under the stars in such a beautiful city, Florence! I really love these guys. They are performing such great repertoire around the world – the same music I’m singing at my own concerts,” says Plácido Domingo.
It is very interesting to know how we all got here. We already know why we all got here. Thanks to IL Volo our world got smaller and warmer. We are all here holding hands. Just before Christmas, Gina shared some Lithuanian Christmas traditions with us. In the comments I asked her to tell us why and how she left her home in Lithuania. ~Marie
I never mentioned why my family and thousand others fled Lithuania and the other two Baltic Sates because I knew that there might be some Russian readers of our blog.
Common citizens are not at fault of many of the terrible things done Nation to Nation and I know there are many Russian fans of Il VOLO.
My dad and many others were involved in politics and in resistance organizations and had to flee to avoid being arrested and sent to Siberia. We left in the middle of the night in a “cattle” train and wound up in Opel, Germany. We lived in a big gymnasium with the rest of the people that fled till people were able to buy their way out of this camp. Until then the men had to work for the Germans. After my dad got us out of there we went to Salzburg, Austria till WWII ended and the American Army came in with chewing gum and silk stockings.
Many more things transpired and eventually all displaced persons were scooped up and placed in “Displaced Persons” camps. From there we eventually got to emigrate to the States.
The Displaced Persons Act of 1948 established a quota of several hundred thousand who qualified as a “DP” to get Visas to the States.
After we went thru a screening Camp (No one with TB got to go) and eventually came on a troop ship to the US.
There were many in between events but it would make a long story.
I was young and looking back all the kids and young teenagers adjusted to all the changes but the adults and especially the men had a rough time.
Different organizations sponsored people in their cities and other DP’s that left before would guarantee that you had a place to go to. We wound up in Cleveland, OH in l950.
The Power Ball lottery was at a 9-figure, multi-million dollar status and there was ONE lucky winner in California for $447 million!! Was it you? 🙂 I rarely play the lottery, but, ah, what the heck, I bought a few tickets. Unfortunately, my alarm will still ring at 7a tomorrow morning, although I came close with the Power Ball number, it was 3 and I had 4 (for Igna’s birthday, of course!)Yes, I used the guys’ birthdays, but they were not close, except for 26, near Piero’s. 🙁
The winning numbers were:20 26 28 32 3803
Hmmm… wonder if the guys could be bought? 🙂
♥Jana
From Gina…
I check my Lotto ticket. Run to get another pair of glasses. THE NUMBERS LINE UP. I WIN! (WISH)
My first thought. I AM GOING TO ITALY.
If you ever become the LUCKY WINNER where in Italy would you go and what would you do?
Thank you for sharing this, Gina. It is so fun to see the different ways we all celebrate this grand Holiday. Gina is from Lithuania and now lives in Texas.~Marie
Christmas Eve, which is the day before Christmas Day, is celebrated in many countries worldwide. It is a Christian observance that falls on December 24 in the Gregorian calendar.
After Glen and I married and had children we spent many years at my parents house in Cleveland, Oh. The kids would cringe that they would have to eat FISH and HERRING. ~ Gina
Christmas Season is unarguably the biggest among all public holidays in Lithuania – much like in most Western countries. What may surprise you, however, that not Christmas itself, but rather Christmas Eve (“Kūčios“) is more anticipated and has more traditions, both cultural and culinary, attached to it. Authentic Christmas Eve celebrations encompass a variety of ceremonies and rituals, some of which date as far as Lithuania’s pagan times before the end of the 14th century. Today, Christmas Eve is mostly regarded as an annual occasion to gather family and friends around the dinner table.
Traditionally, twelve dishes are to be served on a Christmas Eve table (symbolizing twelve months of the year) and the dinner is to start once the Western star rises. To date, I am not sure what the Western star is, but the twelve dish rule is generally much easier to observe 🙂
So what are the typical 12 dishes that you would find on a Lithuanian Kūčios dinner table?
1, 2, 3 and maybe more. Various herring salads
Not even kidding – you will find on average 3 types of dishes containing herring on a typical Lithuanian Christmas Eve table. Herring with beets, herring with carrots, herring with apples, herring with hot potatoes – you name it. I personally LOVE herring and Christmas Eve is a good occasion to get a year’s fill of it.
Herring & Beet Salad
Herring Terrine
… and more herring
4. Christmas Eve Cookies (“Kūčiukai“)
I translated the name of this pastry as “cookies” for the lack of a better word. Kūčiukai (sometimes called šližikai) are crouton-sized dough bits made of plain flour, water and poppy seeds and baked exceptionally for Christmas Eve only. Once baked, they become rock-hard within a day, yet are served as a table centerpiece because of old traditions. What is Christmas Eve without a cracked tooth!
Yet do make Kūčiukai if you plan to have truly Lithuanian Christmas Eve.
Kūčiukai
5. Poppy Seed Milk
Another special for Christmas Eve, poppy seed milk is something like Lithuanian eggnog. It is often served alongside with Christmas Eve cookies – something like breakfast cereal, only for dinner.
6. Cranberry Kissel Drink Kissel is found in many Eastern European cuisines, and it is usually a berry or fruit flavoured thick starchy dessert. In Lithuania, however, kissel is thinned down to a consistency of a drink, and its cranberry variety is a favorite in winter and during Christmas season. Traditionally, cranberry kissel is made by boiling cranberries, straining them, thickening the hot liquid with starch and adding sugar to taste. As a shortcut, you may heat up ready-made cranberry juice and drizzle some starch suspended in a small amount of water to thicken the juice. Voila – you have a kissel.
Cranberry Kissel Drink
7. Communion wafers Catholicism is the dominant religion in Lithuania, and sharing community wafers during the Christmas Eve dinner is common. Usually a wafer is passed around the table, and each family member breaks and eats a piece, whishing the others a good year ahead. Thus it is not strictly a dish, but one of a better known traditions. One usually can buy wafers from their nearest church.
Communion Wafers
8 and on. The Rest
The remaining of the twelve dishes (and lets face it – twelve is the minimum, rather than the exact count, nowadays) vary from table to table, from family to family. Here a several of the most common ones:
Potato salad – or as Lithuanians call it, “white salad”, is a favorite in various celebrations, not only in Christmas season.
White Salad
Cold cuts – ham, roasts, or beef tongue with condiments. Traditionally, meat is not allowed on the Christmas Eve table due to Advent observances, but this is often no longer the case nowadays.
Beef tongue cuts
Aspic – a savoury collagenous jelly made with meat and set in a mould. Served with mayo, horseradish or vinegar.
Aspic
Tangerines – tropical fruits, of course, are far from traditional, but in the latter decades tangerines in particular became very common on the Christmas Eve table. Grocery stores also seem to stock up on them in December in anticipation of the demand. Culinary globalization in action!
Tangerines on Christmas Eve table
Chocolate and candies – our family’s Christmas Eve tradition was to serve a certain Lithuanian candy brand “Griliažas” – something like peanut brittle covered in chocolate.
Candies “Griliažas”
You may by now have come to an impression that Lithuanian Christmas Eve table mostly consists of salads, appetizers and snack-like dishes – and you would be right. Hot courses, such as roasted turkey, goose or cepelinai are usually reserved for the Christmas day lunch. Nevertheless, the Eve dinner is very rich and filling, and the New Year resolutions for weight loss usually start on Christmas Eve.
Peaceful Christmas, everyone! ~Gina
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
