xmas world 1

8/20/2019 Xmas World 1

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Christmas Around the World



Christmas Around the World

It is interesting to see how different countries celebrate Christmas.

The USA is so multi-cultural that you will find many different ways

of celebrating Christmas. How is Christmas celebrated around the

world?



Germany



Germany

Germans loe to decorate their houses at Christmas. !any houses will

hae little wooden frames holding electric candles in their windows"and coloured #ictures of #a#er or #lastic which loo$ beautiful from

the outside at night. %ften too" they will hae an &Adents$ran'& (

a wreath of leaes with four candles. )Adent - meaning &coming& (

is the * wee$ #eriod before Christmas+. %n each Sunday of Adent"

Another candle is lit. !ost homes will also hae little wooden

&cribs& - a small model of the stable where ,esus was born" with !ary"

,ose#h" aby ,esus" and animals. Children leae letters on their window

sills for Christ$ind" a winged figure dressed in white robes and a

golden crown who distributes gifts. ather Christmas (&/er 0eihnachtsmann& - brings #resents in the late afternoon of

Christmas 1e )/ecember 2*th+" after #eo#le hae been to a church

meeting. The #resents are then found under the Christmas tree. %ne

#erson in the family will ring a bell and call eeryone to come to theroom. “Froehliche Weihnachten” “Merry Christmas!”



Belgium



Belgium

In the days of the Soiet Union" Christmas was notcelebrated ery much. 3ew 4ear was the im#ortant

time - when &ather rost& brought #resents to children.

0ith the fall of Communism" Christmas can be o#enly

celebrated - either on /ecember 25th6 or more often on,anuary 7th. This unusual date is because the 8ussian

%rthodo9 church uses the old &,ulian& calendar for

religious celebration days. S#ecial Christmas food

includes ca$es" #ies and &meat dum#lings&.



Australia



Australia

Christmas oer here in Australia seems to be more casual than

anywhere else" from all the re#orts I&e heard. 0e&ll hae brea$fastwith our immediate families" first" if we&re staying at our own house

or a hotel. It&s normally bacon" eggs" toast" and blac$ #udding )4um:+.

Then" at about ;; am" we go to a relatie&s house or they come to

ours - normally we swa# each Christmas. 0e o#en some #resents"And hae our lunch" which would be #rawns" and crab" things li$e

that. After lunch" we o#en more #resents" and e9#lore them: Then"

the &oer <=s& hae a na#" while we younger ones gie each other

little #resents" normally not more than fie to ten dollars each.

Then" we hae a swim if there&s a #ool anywhere nearby" but if there

isn&t" we go to a #ar$" or something li$e that. 0e hae our main meal at

dinner time. Tur$ey" chic$en" fish" crab" #rawns" #otato" #um#$in" #eas"

#udding -the wor$s and reminisce oer the year. Then we slee#.

And that&s all Christmas is oer here.



Italy



Italy In Italy Christmas begins on ;st of /ecember. 0e decorate the

tree" or" more often" we ma$e the >81S11>. The rese#e is a sort of

@ittle miniature of what ha##ened on /ecember 25th of the year = .C.0e #ut a big hut with !ary" ,ose#h" ,esus" a don$ey and a bow. It&s said

that ,esus was warmth during the first night by the two animals. In the

#rese#e there&s not only the holy family" we #ut also the three $ings"

she#ards" with shee# of course" fishermen" curious #eo#le some angels"

houses" lights and animals. resents are usually #ut under" or in any case

as near as #ossible to the #rese#e. %n /ec. 25th&s night #resents are

ta$en out of the wardrobe. 0e beliee that ,esus Christ in #erson comes

to bring the #resents. Christmas dinner is sered on the night of /ecember

2*th" while others ta$e it on midday of 25th. 0e gie our #resents before the meal begins. 1eryone has to hae a #resent. 0e light u#

the mantel#iece and teenagers enoy themseles with little firecrac$ers.

This is our usual Christmas and the #rese#e is #ut away only on

,anuary 7th

. “Buone Feste Natalizie” “Merry Christmas!”



Mexico



Mexico

Christmas festiities begin with >@as osadas"> nineconsecutie days of candelight #rocessions and liely #arties starting

/ecember ;B. In illages and urban neighborhoods throughout

!e9ico youngsters gather each afternoon to reenact the holy family&s

uest for lodging in ethlehem. The #arade of >Santos eregrinos>

)Holy ilgrims+ sto#s at a designated house to sing a traditional litany by which the Holy amily reuests shelter for the night and those

waiting behind the closed door turn them away. They #roceed to a

second home where the scene is re#eated. At the third sto# the #ilgrims

are told that while there is no room in the >#osada> )inn+" they arewelcome to ta$e refuge in the stable. The doors are flung o#en and

all are inited to enter.

“¡Feliz Navidad!” “Merry Christmas!”



England



England

or 1nglish children" Christmas begins in %ctober when most 1nglishchildren write their Christmas @ists to ather Christmas. 1nglish

houses are decorated two wee$s before Christmas day. The tree is

decorated with tinsel" twin$ling fairy lights" tartan ribbons and baubels.

The home is usually decorated with statues of

ather Christmas" holly wreaths" mistletoe" and welcoming lights at thewindows. 1nglish children go to bed on Christmas 1e night after

haing &The 3ight efore Christmas& read to them by their #arents and

leaing a mince #ie and some mil$ for ather Christmas )and a carrot

for 8udol#h+.%n Christmas /ay morning they rush into their #arents bedrooms and

drag their #arents downstairs to the liing room where a stac$ of

Christmas #resents lie under the tree" in stoc$ings or in sac$s.

The tree and decorations are unwillingly ta$en down two wee$s after

Christmas day" as it is considered bad luc$ if they are u# longer.



Norway



Norway In big 3orwegian country $itchens in farms and illages off the

beaten trac$ the hectic #re#arations still begin wee$s before the festial

season. The smell of Christmas fills the house" bringing the children&se9#ectations u# to feer #itch. ut the children do not usually enoy

the meal ery much. Their eyes $ee# turning to the closed liing room

door" and they grow more and more im#atient with the unbearably

slow #ace with which their elders finish the meal. The children tumble

in as the door is o#ened" only to sto# short" awestruc$ by the sight of

the tree" aglow with the light from real candles" and with the neatly

wra##ed gifts hea#ed underneath. Then follows a 3orwegian ritual

$nown as >circling the Christmas tree>. 1erybody oins hands to form

a ring around the tree" and the com#any then wal$ around it singingcarols. inally" the gifts are distributed" and the children can rela9. The

rest of the eening is s#ent on fun and games and there are ca$es and

other good things to be eaten. %n the morning of Christmas /ay itself

the family goes to church. “God Jul” “Merry Christmas!”



France



France

In rance" Christmas is always called &3oDl. 1eryonehas a Christmas tree" sometimes decorated in the old

way with red ribbons and real white wa9 candles. ir

trees in the garden are often decorated too" with lights

on all night. ather Christmas is called Ere 3oDl. The

Christmas meal is an im#ortant family gathering with good meat

and the best wine. 3ot eeryone sends Christmas cards.

“Joyeux Noel”

“Merry Christmas!”



Brazil



Brazil

ather Christmas is called a#ai 3oel. !any Christmascustoms are similar to USA or UF. or those who hae

enough money" a s#ecial Christmas meal will be chic$en"

tur$ey" ham" rice" salad" #or$" fresh and dried fruits. oorer

#eo#le will ust hae chic$en and rice.

“Boas Festas e Feliz no Novo”

“Merry Christmas!”



Finland



Finland

innish #eo#le beliee that ather Christmas )Santa Claus+ lies in the

north #art of inland called Foratunturi" north of the Arctic Circle.eo#le from all oer the world send letters to Santa Claus in inland.

)It is only fair to say that the #eo#le of Greenland say that really" ather

Christmas lies in Greenland:+ 1eryone cleans their houses ready

for the three holy days of Christmas - Christmas 1e" Christmas /ay" and

o9ing /ay. Christmas 1e is ery s#ecial" when #eo#le eat rice #orridge

and #lum fruit uice in the morning. They will then decorate a s#ruce tree

in the home. At mid-day" the &#eace of Christmas& is broadcast on radio

And T from the innish city of Tur$u by its !ayor. In the eening" a

traditional Christmas dinner is eaten. !any families will isit cemeteriesand grae-yards to #lace a candle onto the burial graes of family

members. Cemeteries are ery beautiful at Christmas-time. Children

receie their #resents on Christmas 1e" usually with a family member

dressing as ather Christmas. “yvaa "oulua” “Merry Christmas!”



Portugal



Portugal

eo#le #retend that ather Christmas brings #resents to

children on Christmas 1e. The #resents are left under the Christmas tree or in shoes by the fire#lace. A

s#ecial Christmas meal of salted dry cod-fish with

boiled #otatoes is eaten at midnight on Christmas 1e.

“Feliz Natal”“Merry Christmas!”



ussia



ussia

In the days of the Soiet Union" Christmas was not

celebrated ery much. 3ew 4ear was the im#ortant

time - when &ather rost& brought #resents to children.

0ith the fall of Communism" Christmas can be o#enly

celebrated - either on /ecember 25th6 or more often on

,anuary 7th. This unusual date is because the 8ussian%rthodo9 church uses the old &,ulian&

calendar for religious celebration days.

S#ecial Christmas food

includes ca$es" #ies and

&meat dum#lings&.

“#ozdrevlyayu s $razdni%om

&ozhdestva is Novim Godom”

“a$$y Birthday Jesus!”



China



!a"an

!



!a"an

Christmas was introduced in ,a#an by the Christian missionaries"

and for many years the only #eo#le who celebrated it were thosewho had turned to the Christian faith. ut now the Christmas season

in ,a#an is full of meaning and is almost uniersally obsered. The

idea of e9changing gifts seems to a##eal strongly to the ,a#anese

#eo#le. The tradesmen hae commerciali'ed Christmas ust as our

western sho#s hae done. or seeral wee$s before the day" the storesshout Christmas. There are decorations and wonderful dis#lays

of a##ro#riate gifts for men" women" and children -- es#ecially children.

In ,a#an there is a god or #riest $nown as Hoteiosho" who closely

resembles our Santa Claus. He is always #ictured as a $ind old mancarrying a huge #ac$. He is thought to hae eyes in the bac$ of his head.

It is well for the children to be good when this all-seeing gentleman is

abroad.



or more Christmas celebrationsaround the world" isit Christmas

Worldvie'( ChristmasCele)rations

round the World" and Christmas

*raditions round the World.

http://christmas.com/worldview/


http://www.talkcity.com/santasworkshop/library/liveworld2.html



http://www.bconnex.net/~mbuchana/realms/christmas/tradindx.html









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