Christmas around the World
For you Christmas may be giving the perfect gift, hoping to get a sneak peek of Santa, eating a variety of delicious foods, or hoping it snows. While these are some of the ways we enjoy celebrating Christmas other countries may celebrate the birth of Christ a little differently.
“I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” is a popular Christmas song in America, but not in Australia. Since Australia’s seasons are opposite from ours Christmas is in the summertime. On Christmas day you can find families, even Santa, at the beach enjoying the warm day. Many Australian families enjoy a nice Christmas Day outdoors barbequing.
In England children write letters full of wishes to Father Christmas. After writing the letters the children throw them in the fireplace so their wishes will go up the chimney. On Christmas families will enjoy a feast of turkey, Brussels sprouts and a special plum pudding. Inside the pudding is a silver charm. Whoever get’s this charm will have good luck throughout the next year. After dinner, families will gather around the TV to watch the Queen deliver her Christmas speech.
In America Christmas is a time of feasting. In Ethiopia and France Christmas Eve is a day of fasting. After a day of fasting people of Ethiopia will attend mass at 4 in the morning to celebrate Ganna, or Christmas Day. Unlike many countries Ethiopia does not celebrate Christmas by exchanging gifts.
Christmas celebrations in France begin on St. Nicholas Eve, December 5th. On St. Nicholas Eve French children place not their stockings, but their shoes by the hearth. Pere Noel, or Father Christmas, fills the children’s shoes with gifts. After a day of fasting on Christmas Eve French families attend midnight mass. After mass, French families enjoy, le revillon, a nighttime fest. Before heading to bed French families leave a burning candles and food out in case Mary and Baby Jesus pass by.
On Christmas Day, French families enjoy a fest followed by the traditional buche de Noel.
St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 6th in Germany. On St. Nicholas Day children write letters to either St. Nicholas or the Christ Child. Children fill their shoes with carrots and leave them outside the front door for St. Nicholas’s horses. If have been good that year you can expect apples, nuts and candies from St. Nicholas. On Christmas Day, German families enjoy a roast goose, turkey or duck.
Many countries celebrate Christmas in similar ways and some countries celebrations are a little different; but we all enjoy the joys of the Christmas season!
Source: TLC How Stuff Works
Published 12/05/11
