Christmas Traditions Around the World

Did you know that in Denmark, Father Christmas is referred to as "Julemanden," and in Finland he lives in "Mount Ear"? It may be difficult to explain how he travels from this chilly region on his surfboard, but to Australians it couldn't happen any other way. When it comes to Christmas traditions, every part of the world has its own set of magic.

UK

Once a year, children in the UK gather by the fireplace to send their lists up the chimney to Father Christmas. After Father Christmas has read all the lists in the smoke--which pretty much takes him the month of December--he makes a little trip to the UK to deliver pressies. On Christmas Eve, the children leave mince pies and sherry for him to snack on during his journey, and then they open the little gifts in their stockings--a preface to what will come under the tree the next day. But Christmas is not just about presents, it is about feasting too--and maybe Jesus. Christmas dinner is a celebration to which people look forward throughout the year. After the feasts of Christmas are the feasts of 26 December (Boxing Day) where charitable boxes are emptied and given to the less fortunate, and carollers (singers and musicians) collect money for charity. It is also a day to give gifts to postmen and paper carriers, and to have dinner with family.

Christmas Crackers  Christmas crackers are pulled by two people before Christmas tea and contain little toys and trinkets. They make a loud pop when you pull them open.	Stockings  Father Christmas once dropped some gold coins while he was coming down the chimney. The coins would have been lost if they had not landed in some stockings that had been left out to dry. Ever since then children put stockings on their bed posts or mantels in hopes that history will repeat itself. Don't forget to leave out the mince pies and sherry  for Father Christmas.	Christmas Trees The decorating of Christmas trees became a tradition after Prince Albert had a Christmas tree set up in Windsor Castle for his wife, Queen Victoria, and their children.	Advent Wreaths  The first candle is purple and it is lit on the first Sunday in Advent. The second candle is purple and it is lit on the second Sunday in Advent The third candle is purple or pink and it is lit on the third Sunday in Advent. The fourth candle is purple and it is lit on the fourth Sunday in Advent. The optional fifth candle is white and it is lit on Christmas Day.

Australia

In Australia, the tradition of Carols by Candlelight is held every year on Christmas Eve, where tens of thousands of people light the city of Melbourne and sing their favourite Christmas songs.  People in other parts of the country also enjoy carols in the weeks leading up to Christmas, while they await Father Christmas' arrival on his surf boat, and on Christmas Day, many people enjoy a midday picnic on Bondi Beach where Father Christmas arrives. The Boxing Day Test match is a cricket test involving the Australian cricket team and the opposition national team touring Australia that summer. It begins annually on Boxing Day (26 December), and is played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Christmas Bushes  Christmas bushes or poinsettias are a Christmas symbol in many parts of the world, but they are native to Australia.	Mistletoe,  Holly,  and Fir Trees  These evergreens are a traditional part of the Christmas greenery. The holly is said to drive away evil spirits.	Candles  You will need all the candles you can find for the Carols by Candlelight celebration.	For the Barbecue or Picnic Champagne  instead of eggnog.  Pavlova  instead of Plum Pudding.

Europe

Italy Italians start celebrating Christmas eight days before Christmas Day by reciting Christmas poems and singing. On Christmas Eve, Italian children set out their shoes for La Befana--the Christmas witch--to fill with toys, candies and fruit. There is a big feast which features the dish cenone, a traditional eel dish, and celebration is abundant. Children must wait until 6 January (Epiphany) to get most of their presents.	Sweden In Sweden, Christmas Eve is the special day for feasting on ham, pork,  herring, and beans, and for gift giving. The gifts are given during Julklap (Christmas knocking), a game where people go around in the house knocking on doors and shoving in anonymous presents. The family members must find which presents are whose, or draw numbers to get one of the presents they brought before.	The Netherlands Sinterklaas arrives from Spain on a steamer (steam boat ) for his feast day on 6 December. The night before his arrival, children fill their shoes with hay and sugar for his horses, and the next morning, they find that Sinterklaas has replaced the horse treats with nuts  and sweets. Sometimes Sinterklaas visits the children with his assistant, Black Pete, and he asks if they have been good or bad.	Iceland In Iceland, there is not one Father Christmas but thirteen, one for each of the thirteen days before Christmas. On 25 December, the first Father Christmas goes home, and on 6 January the last one does; during the time in between arrival and departure, they play jokes and give gifts. A special Icelandic custom for children is to put a shoe in the window from 12 December until Christmas Eve. If they have been good, one of the Father Christmases leaves a gift and if they are bad, one leaves a potato.	Spain There is one tradition in Spain that makes this country's celebrations a bit different from the rest. It is called "Hogueras" (bonfires), and it is the observance of the winter solstice. It is characterized by people jumping over fires as a symbolic protection against illness. This fire-jumping can be seen primarily in Granada and Jaen.

France In France, Christmas is referred to as Noel and Father Christmas as Père Noël. Traditionally gifts were brought by Pere Noël on 6 December, but in modern practices they are brought on Christmas Eve. The children leave their shoes out for little presents, and eat the traditional dessert Bûche de Noël (Yule log).	Germany German children are visited by both Christkind--the messenger of the Christ Child--and Weihnachtsmann (Christmas Man), both of whom deliver gifts. Traditional gifts are often little dolls made of fruit. The Christmas tree is the focal point of the season and it is put up on 23 December.	Greece In almost every home in Greece, the main symbol of the season is a shallow wooden bowl  with a piece of wire suspended across the rim. From the wire hangs a sprig of basil  wrapped around a wooden cross,  and once a day a family member--usually the mother--dips the cross and basil into some holy water and sprinkles it into each room of the house.	Norway At Christmastime, a little gnome called Nisse guards all the farm animals, and plays tricks on the children if they forget to place a bowl of special porridge for him.  Everyone has either a spruce  or a pine  tree in their living room decorated with white lights,  tinsel,  Norwegian flags  and other ornaments ; and before the presents are opened, the family dances in a ring around the tree whilst singing traditional Norwegian Christmas carols.	Finland The Christmas festivities in Finland are preceded by a visit to the famous steam baths, after which Christmas tea is served at 17.00-19.00 in the evening. Christmas gifts may be given out before or after the tea. The children do not hang up stockings, but Father Christmas and his elves come in person to give out presents.

 

The United States/Canada

Christmas in the U.S. and Canada is similar to that of the UK: because of the diversity, there are traditions from all over the world. Most children go to bed with hopes that Santa Claus will pay a visit and leave presents under the tree. Santa comes through the chimney after landing with his eight tiny reindeer (plus Rudolph!) on the roof; indeed, he does leave presents, usually under the tree and in the stockings on the mantel. Children leave out biscuits and milk for Santa Claus, and carrots and sugar for his reindeer. After opening presents on Christmas Day morning, families typically celebrate with a feast of turkey or ham.

United States German Americans in Pennsylvania make landscapes of greenery, called putzes, beneath their Christmas trees to depict the birth of Jesus. The Mississippi River is lit up by bonfires Christmas Eve so that Papa Noël will be able to find his way to the homes of the local Cajun children. In the Southwestern United States, Mexican Americans hold festivals called posadas that recreate the search for a place to give birth to baby Jesus. Most people celebrate special holiday rituals in their homes, and each year as Christmas approaches, many families attend church pageants that tell the story of Jesus' birth. They attend church on Christmas Eve and open their gifts that evening. Others wait until the next morning to exchange gifts. Despite the difference in cultures, many North Americans have a unified holiday spirit: decorations go up, holiday cards  are sent, and communities decorate public Christmas trees.

Canada English Protestant Canadians tend to celebrate their Christmas UK style: their big day is 25 December, when they feast on turkey and plum pudding. The French Catholic population generally attends midnight mass on Christmas Eve, then hold a Christmas feast known as Réveillon. Many Dutch Canadians begin their Christmas on 6 December, when children leave their shoes filled with grain for Father Christmas’ horse, Sleipner. Ukrainian Canadians celebrate with the Eastern Orthodox tradition of feasting on a 12–course dinner and distributing gifts on 6 January. In Newfoundland and Labrador, an old English custom called mummering--singing in disguise --is once again becoming popular. Regardless of these varied customs, Canadians share the traditions of most modern Christmas celebrations around the world: they decorate Christmas trees,  attend church, shop for and exchange gifts, and join in Christmas feasts.

Latin America

Latin America consists of a large religious population so the focal point of the season is the manger or nativity scene  (known as naciminento). 

Venezuela People in Venezuela usually put out pesebres, small figures made from clay to show the Nativity scene, on 16 December. Early morning church services, called Misa de Aguinaldo, are also common from 16 December up until Christmas Eve. After Mass on Christmas Eve, a great feast is served.	Argentina In Argentina, red and white garlands  are used to decorate houses. After attending Midnight Mass, Argentinians have a meal, toast each other, dance and go out to see fireworks. The meal may be roasted pork or turkey, stuffed tomatoes, mince pies, Christmas bread, and puddings. Drinks such as fruit ciders and juices are used for the toast. Christmas gifts are opened on Christmas Eve right before bedtime.	Chile In Chile, Father Christmas is known as Viejito Pascuero, and he travels to Chile every year with presents. When he delivers the presents, he will see the pesebres that have been placed by the tree to show the Nativity story. The traditional Christmas dinner includes chicken soup with stuffed potatoes; onions, corn on the cob, and Christmas bread (pan de pasqua), which is made with candies and fruits.	Mexico The primary Christmas celebration in Mexico is called La Posada: a religious dramatization of the search for baby Jesus' birth place. During the procession, the participants carry images of Mary and Joseph and go from house to house seeking a place to stay; during midnight mass lullabies  are sung to to the baby Jesus. On Christmas Day children receive gifts as well as candies that are stuffed into a piñata.  If they were good, they also receive a gift on the 6 of January from the Three Wise Men.	Brazil Christmas traditions in Brazil come from the various ethnic groups who make up the country. The main decoration, the Nativity, is called the Presepio, but the main attraction for children is Papai Noel, who comes--dressed in silk--from Greenland to distribute Christmas gifts. Christmas festivities, which include folk dancing and singing, continue until 6 January, which is called Three Kings Day.

Africa

On Christmas Day, carollers from all over Africa sing traditional tunes; the people roast meats, exchange gifts and have family gatherings. In Ethiopia and Egypt, Christians celebrate on the 25th of December in their calendar,  which is the 7th of January for most of us. The focus of the celebrations is religion, and although gift giving is not uncommon, it is much more modest; in poorer communities, presents are often necessities such as school supplies, soap, and clothes.

Traditional Feasts In East Africa, the Christmas Day feasts always focus around roast goat, of which the local markets are often rapidly sold out. In South Africa, families enjoy braais or barbecues on the beaches with paper hats, mince pies, turkey and plum pudding. In Ghana, Christmas dinner is fufu and okra soup and in Liberia rice, beef and scones. Zimbabweans make sure there is plenty of bread, jam and tea to go with their goat meat.	Religious Ceremonies Going to church is generally the main focus of Christmas celebrations in Africa. Nativity scenes are re-enacted, carols are sung and sometimes dances are performed. In many countries, music and dance follow the Christmas Eve mass. In the Gambia, for example, people parade with fanals: large lanterns in the shapes of boats or houses.	Decorations Decorating shop fronts, mango trees, churches and homes is a common practice for the Christians of Africa. You may see fake snow  decorating store fronts in Nairobi, palm trees with candles or lights  in Ghana and oil palms with bells  in Liberia.

Asia

South Asia In India, Christians decorate their homes with banana or mango trees, and small oil lamps ; they decorate their churches with red flowers during the season, and poinsettias  for midnight mass. They give Christmas gifts to friends and family and charity to the poor. In South India, Christians have adopted the Hindu Diwali decorations--lit clay lamps  on rooftops and walls--as decorations for the Christmas season. In Pakistan, 25 December is a public holiday in the memory of Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. In Christian homes, Christmas is celebrated by wearing new clothes,  visiting family and friends and exchanging gifts and cards.  The church service on Christmas Day is called 'Bara Din' or the 'Big Day". In Bangladesh, Christians cut banana trees and replant them in pairs along the paths that lead from their homes to the Church. The leaves of the trees are bent to form an arch. Bamboo poles  with oil-filled holes are tied to these arches. These bamboos burn to illuminate their way to the Church for the special service.

Southeast Asia Christianity is the main religion of the Philippines, and therefore Christmas is a big festival. Celebrations begin nine days before Christmas, and they include the Misa de Gallo, the Panunuluyan pageant--similar to the Mexican Posada--and the Pastore or Nativity play. Minstrels perform during the holiday season and end it with singing the song Maligayang Pasko, or Merry Christmas. On Christmas Day, mass is held every hour so that everyone can attend. In Vietnam, Christmas is one of the four most important festivals. On Christmas Eve, Christians attend the midnight mass and then go back to their homes to enjoy chicken soup or turkey, and sometimes Christmas pudding. On Christmas Eve, the children leave out their shoes for Father Christmas to fill with surprises.

External Links

• BBC.co.uk: This article describes some of the unique traditions of a European Christmas.
• About.com: What you need to know about an Icelandic, African, and other cultural Christmases.
• SantasNet.com: Christmas traditions, recipes, songs, carols, and more.
• TheKoala.com: An overview of Christmas in Australia and personal accounts of celebrations.
• Wikipedia.org: Why do we celebrate boxing day?
• GeoCities.com: All about Christmas around the world (starting with you!).
• CaliforniaMail.com: Christmas traditions and recipes.
• Encarta.msn.com: All about how Christmas is celebrated in the United States and Canada.
• iSnare.com: An article about Christmas in Central and South America.
• PortHarbor.com: A few traditions from a few countries.