My mother is born i 1926, and her childhood Christmas in the village of Atammik, began very early on the morning of December 24.
She and her five siblings went to bed at six o'clock in the evening of the 23rd and at two o'clock they were awakened. Then there was Christmas in the little one built.
- The 23rd had we got a gift from the trade manager. We all got ship biscuits, sugar, coffee and rice. And there was something for the whole family. In the evening we were then sent to bed early. But it was hard to fall asleep because it was so exciting to see how our little house would come to look like.
- Early next morning, at two o'clock and at the latest at three o'clock we were woken up, for the adults always danced around the Christmas tree at four o'clock in the morning and we children came to at five o'clock. It took place at school. The day before we had been up together a little thing for the one we had named.
- The Christmas tree had the adults made of juniper berries. It was so beautiful. I even think they were prettier, than those you can buy today. They stood so beautifully with candles, roses and Christmas hearts that the adults made. There wasn't that much paper, so we kids were not involved in cutting. But we were allowed to have the leftovers, which the adults weren't could use for something. We put them in our school books and exchanged them each other.
Newspapers on walls
- When we had danced around the Christmas tree and exchanged our presents, it was usually a candle and A bit of mouth-watering food like figs and candy, we children went around offering coffee. And the day was spent going to coffee with each other.
- At home had we got our gift from our parents. It's not as big as it is today gift table. We usually got something we needed in advance. A couple of kamik or some clothes. But how nice it was.
- That was it exciting to offer for coffee. Because at Christmas all families had pasted newspapers the walls. Newspapers they had gotten from Nuuk. We knocked and had no time at all to look at the ones we came in because it was so exciting with all the newspaper pages on the walls. At Christmas, we really learned to read Danish, my mother laughs, because of that wasn't much of the text they understood, but the pictures were exciting.
- But there was so cozy in small homes. There were candles that we didn't normally see the homes. They were only used on special occasions. It all sparkled then beautiful.
- The whole day went by then with coffee mik at each other's. And in the evening we got something special to eat. We usually got rice pudding with berries, or we got brown beans cooked with bay leaves and with added sugar. It was just some of the best we could get. On the 25th we got usually Greenlandic food.
Christmas in Nuuk
- That was it nice to spend Christmas that way. Therefore, it was also something of a downturn, I got when I came to Nuuk in 1951. Even then people lived differently here. You were like a little more lonely.
- But it was also here, I saw a real Christmas tree for the first time. And then my own had to first Christmas tree to be eaten by sheep.
- I was kiffaq with a master painter, Ivan. Together with his children we went out to buy a Christmas tree Christmas Eve. And it was very exciting for me because I hadn't seen one such a Christmas tree before. When we got home I put it on the roof of the coal house. And so should it turn out that it was windy at night and the tree fell down.
- There was a lot great commotion outside in the morning. And I didn't wonder then that it could have anything to do with me. But when they laughingly called me, I went out. And then I saw the poor Christmas tree on the ground. There weren't many needles back on it, and around it were multitudes of sheep. And I just gave in to rant. At that time I could not see anything comical in that my first wood was to be eaten by sheep.
New Year
But back in Atammik, you are on your way to the New Year.
- The time between Christmas and New Year passed very peacefully and comfortably with coffee mik at each other's houses. They adults had a day to enjoy themselves and the youngsters had one too day.
- The 30th. December exactly midnight, a shot rang out. One single shot and no more. Back then one shot in for the old year. And then we knew that the old year was over pour. And they competed to see who could shoot first, because they got one gift from the trade manager when you were the first to fire the shot.
- On the 31st we left in church at 23.30 and at midnight the shots started to be fired and we were entered the new year. After all, you had nothing but the rifles back then. All that new ones with rockets only came long after I had moved to Nuuk, says my mother Asuba Eugenius.
