Govanhill Shopkeepers Share Their Festive Traditions
As the nights draw in, the lights get twinklier and we all start to coorie down for the winter months, we wanted to explore the diverse cultures in the area and discover how our neighbours are preparing for the coming festivities.
By Devon McCole
Govanhill is full of folk from all over the world, many of whom have an entrepreneurial spirit. Taking a stroll through the area offers a chance to meet folk from the many different cultures and communities who call Govanhill home. Just off Victoria Road on Calder Street, is the ever popular Polish Daisy Grocers, managed by Patrycja Wnuk. For Patrycja, the holidays are all about family, celebrating Christian faith, and eating traditional Polish food. In Poland, the big family meal is on the 24 December, and the lanes of Polish Daisy Grocers are heaving in the run up, as families clear out stocks of traditional Polish goods such as ham and pickles.
Patrycja says: “Apart from the dates, we celebrate the same. We build snowmen if it snows, and we give gifts and eat lots of good food. Instead of turkey or chicken, we cook carp, which is a very traditional food for the holidays. We also love to make mushroom soup, and eat lots of cake, especially poppyseed cake!”
In Italy, Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and families get together for dinner and drinks. However, there is a unique Italian tradition celebrated on the 5 January – Epiphany Eve. Italian folklore tells of La Befana; an old woman who delivers gifts to well-behaved children, while those who have misbehaved will wake up to a lump of coal in their shoe.
Michelangelo Onorati, owner of CIBO on Victoria Road said: “Christmas is about getting together with the family, but La Befana is mainly something we do for the kids. Christmas in Italy is just as big as it is here. Although there is a Catholic element to the holiday, it’s all about getting together with family.”
You can find a lot of traditional Italian foodie products at CIBO, such as panettone which can be served warm with cream, as well as Christmas hampers. These have a mix of sweet and savoury Italian handpicked goods, but customers can also make their own.
Further up Victoria Road is the Transylvania Coffee and Shop, which is unmissable with their epic display of Christmas decorations. As Romanian Orthodox Christians, the owners of Transylvania Coffee also celebrate St. Nicholas Day on 6 January. Before St. Nick comes to deliver his gifts, children must clean their boots or legend has it, he will leave a stick for parents to use on unruly children!
Daniel E Radu, from Transylvania Coffee said: “In our home country everyone goes house to house and there is always someone waiting with a glass of wine for you, often a glass of Black Maiden (the Romanian signature grape). There is usually a big table that seats everyone – we have around thirty people at the table. Milk Café here in Govanhill has kindly let us use the space this year for our family to come, since we have so little room at home for them all!”
Read more: Behind the Portrait - Daniel Radu
Many traditional Transylvanian foods will be on sale at the shop this winter, including cozonak (sweet Christmas bread), palinka (triple distilled spirit), a choice of wines, cabbage rolls and more.
People of the Muslim faith don’t celebrate Christmas. Their big annual celebration is Eid, the date of which changes with lunar cycles (this year it was July). There are two Eid celebrations but the big one follows the holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims fast between dawn and dusk. Ramadan is a time for reflection and charity. Much like Christmas, Eid which follows it, is a time to celebrate with family and indulge in lots of traditional foods, like warming curries kabli pilaf, a dish of spiced rice with dried fruit and meat.
Ahmed Munir of the Khan Superstore on Victoria Road said: “Ramadan is sacred to us, we fast to save food, to save water and to save the world. We ask ourselves ‘how does it feel to be hungry and less fortunate than others?’. We put ourselves in the less fortunate person’s shoes. It is about being a good humble human being.
“Ramadan is not a ‘happy’ time for us, it is to help others and feel closer to God. We celebrate Eid after, and this is when everybody is happy. Everyone is together, it’s a special time, and of course everybody enjoys the food.”
For Ahmed Munir the shop is busy during festive times, with people buying traditional Afghani food. It is custom for large numbers of loved ones to drop in and family members will typically be seated at a huge table in the heart of the home, with a colourful spread of food laid out.
Govanhill is pretty unique in that so many cultures share these streets. No matter where you’re from though, the theme of giving and sharing is something that all festive traditions have in common. Ultimately, no matter what or how we celebrate, the festive period is all about community, family and togetherness – something that feels especially important in the moment and during the coming winter months. If you know someone who might be alone this Christmas, why not pop around or invite them over for mince pie or festive treat.