Merry Christmas!!!
Today we wanted to start a new tradition/series: Disney Day.
Our Instagram Walt Disney World tag is:
Our plan is to post about Disney one day per week here on zee blog.
As it is Christmas, we wanted to bring in something festive.
When we visited Walt Disney World at the beginning of December (2015) -
we took advantage of the "Holidays Around the World"
celebration at EPCOT.
Each country around the World Showcase has a "themed event"
that takes place several times a day.
Some of the events have 4 showings, some have 8 showings.
So make sure you grab the times guide for this.
Some of the performers are done by late afternoon --
so don't expect them all to appear all day long into the night.
The pamphlet says: "Share in the sights and sounds of the nations of
World Showcase as each country's holiday heritage
comes to life amid joyful music and time-honored tradition."
If you want to see what goes on at each country - this is really an all-day event.
It takes time to get around the Showcase, and you want to
make sure you stop for drinks and food so you don't pass out.
After each performance you can line up to take pics with the performers - so make sure you add time in for that if you want those pics. :-)
Mariachis and Dancers
Mexico has Mariachis and Dancers for Feliz Navidad, including a piñata.
They have a child from the audience try to whack the crud out of it.
When we walked by it but it was swarmed with people,
so we couldn't really get close enough for pics.
Sigrid and Julenissen
Norway features Sigrid and Julenissen -
Sigrid tells the story of Julenissen,
a mischievous Christmas gnome who visits Norwegian farms.
Chinese Lion Dancers
China has the Chinese Lion Dancers for New Year's -
they are usually two acrobats and a narrator.
Helga
Germany features Helga, talking about
German Christmas traditions and the Nutcracker.
Spoiler alert:
A full-size (costumed human) Nutcracker comes out at the end.
La Befana
Italy has La Befana, an elderly witch who arrives on
the Eve of Epiphany to give gifts to children.
(We missed out on Italy's Befana this year.)
The American Adventure
At the American Adventure Pavilion you can meet Santa and Mrs. Clause.
The story of Hanukkah is told, as well as the story of Kwanzaa.
(We missed Hanukkah this year.)
And the Voices of Liberty sing
a cappella holiday tunes inside the main building.
Daruma
In Japan the Daruma doll seller talks about Japanese New Year's traditions.
(She is hilarious, as you can see ^^^.)
Morocco Holiday Entertainment
In Morocco there is a performance about different Moroccan holidays.
(We missed Morocco this year.)
Pere Noel
In France Pere Noel (Father Christmas) talks about how
French children write letters to Santa.
Father Christmas
In the United Kingdom Father Christmas
has a bell performance and talks about how Christmas is celebrated in his country.
A child from the audience helps with the bell performance.
(I didn't really get any good pics of this, as it was already night time.)
Canadian Holiday Voyageurs
And in Canada, there is a rousing performance of holiday tunes from around Canada.
This is basically a rock concert, and was very good.
(But there was too many people to get a good pic of this.)
_____________
The great thing about Holidays Around the World is that it is
included in the price of park admission.
It isn't a ticketed event that you have to pay more to participate in -
like the Christmas party at the Magic Kingdom.
And it happens all day long -- instead of just from 7pm until midnight --
which most of us can't quite make it to midnight anymore. ;-)
Also, there are specific locations around the
World Showcase with Holiday Treats and Shopping --
so there's even more to do besides the performances!
Let us know if you have any questions about this event. :-)
And again, Merry Christmas, friends, and
thanks for visiting us today!!!
