Eating right during holiday festivals around the world - Ensalada de Navidad

Vibrant Life, Nov-Dec, 2003 by Tina Sapra, Georgia E. Hodgkin

November through January marks one of the busiest, most important holiday seasons of the year around the world. During this time nearly every country in the world has special holidays, which are full of revelry, celebration, and solemn religious observance. These holidays often signal the end of one year and the beginning of a new one. Family and friends play a significant role in the celebrations as they gather to enjoy traditional, perhaps less-than-healthy, meals. This article brings healthy recipes for these festive times from three countries: Vietnam (Tet--New Year's), Mexico (Navidad--Hispanic Christmas), and India (Diwali--festival of prosperity).

For the majority of the Vietnamese, Tet, or New Year's, evokes a magical period when everyone forgets any misfortune from the previous year. Rich or poor, young or old, everyone celebrates Tet with solemnity, yet cheerfulness. Its emphasis is on the triumph of human over animal and of good over evil. Gifts are exchanged between family members with time for fireworks, thus making it a festival of lights. The menu is rich in hand-picked fruit, vegetables, and cakes; especially sweet rice cake. One Tet specialty item is banh chung, which is a square cake made of glutinous rice, green beans, and other ingredients, and then wrapped in doung leaves and boiled. Vietnamese women enjoy preparing pickled onions, bamboo shoot soup, and preserved fruits for this holiday.

The festival of lamps, Diwali, is an ancient tradition that has been celebrated in India for ages. It symbolizes the victory of light over darkness and is a festival of wealth and prosperity. Everyone wears new clothes, and gifts are exchanged between friends and family members. Fireworks are burned, and a lavish feast is made at home. Sweets and vegetarian food are usually the custom. Naan (Indian bread), lentils with curry, rice with milk, richly cooked vegetables, and coconut drinks are special festive foods.

Christmas celebrations in Mexico begin with Las Posadas, which is filled with candlelight processions that begin December 16. Los Posadas tells the story of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus. Fireworks, singing, and dancing lead up to a special treat. Blindfolded children attempt to break a pinata. Using sticks, the children whack a brightly colored papier-mache likeness of an animal or toy or a clay pot filled with peanuts, sugarcane, oranges, and/or candy. After the pinata is broken, guests enjoy a meal of delicious foods, such as tamales, bunuelos (sweet fritters), churros, and chocolate caliente. Following the sumptuous dinner, gifts are exchanged, and families attend religious ceremonies.