Christmas Celebrations around the World
Christmas is celebrated all over the world to commemorate the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ. Based on the culture and traditions followed in different countries, the festivities may vary from one country to another.
Christmas Celebrations in Different Countries
United States of America: In the U.S., Christmas is the next biggest festival after Thanksgiving Day. The Christmas Eve is observed on December 24, a day before the actual festival. It’s not an official holiday, but people do indulge in festivities like decorating Christmas trees and adorning their homes with these trees, figures of reindeers, Santa Claus, and snowman. At night, parents hang up stockings on the fireplace to make children believe that Santa Claus would come the next morning and fill these stockings with gifts.
Christmas is an official holiday, and people indulge in festivities and exchange of gifts with their near and dear ones on this occasion. They organize a family gathering and celebrate the day with a feast comprising turkey, beef, mashed potatoes, fruitcakes, and pudding. Several communities, schools, and churches hold events like putting up a Christmas tree or enacting a play with the Nativity scene which depicts the birth of Jesus Christ.
United Kingdom: The people of U.K. spread love and warmth by gifting presents and sharing festive meals on this special occasion. They decorate their homes with Holly, Ivy, and other evergreen trees.
Baking cookies at home is a tradition followed during this time in U.K. People indulge in a midday dinner with their family and friends who gift Christmas crackers. The crackers are cardboard tubes covered by decorative pieces of paper, which look like sweet wrappers. When the crackers are split open, you will hear a loud noise.
The dinner enjoyed by the people of U.K. during this festival includes turkey, roast goose or beef, and plum pudding with an added flavor of brandy.
Australia: December 25 in Australia falls during summer holidays. So, most of the celebrations are organized outdoors. The most popular event is known as Carols by Candlelight in which people gather to light up candles at night and sing carols. The Catholics attend Midnight Mass which is usually held at midnight on December 24.
On this special day, Australians adorn their homes with ferns and evergreens and flowers like Christmas Bellflower and Christmas Bush. Some families do use Christmas trees for decorations. They attend church services during the day. People enjoy a midday meal which comprises ham, roast turkey, and plum pudding drenched in brandy.
The Australians participate in outdoor activities like swimming, bicycle riding, surfing, beach volleyball, and tennis on this day. They love to indulge in barbecues on this festive occasion.
Canada: The festivities in Canada include attending church services, exchanging gifts with friends and family, and sharing a special meal. On December 24, a Midnight Mass is held and pork pie is served to those who attend the Mass. Then they have a grand dinner which lasts until the next morning.
Christmas Day is a national public holiday in Canada. People often consume a large amount of food and drinks on this day. They have ham and eggs for breakfast. For lunch, they have roast turkey, and vegetables with cranberry sauce. One of the popular dishes they have during this festive occasion is ‘Boulettes’ made of small meatballs. Plum pudding is one of the primary desserts savored during this festival.
A special highlight of the celebrations in Canada is wearing masks in pantomime. It is a popular tradition that has originated from Newfoundland. Putting on such masks, people visit houses during the 12 days of the festival, asking for candies and sweet treats. They believe that Santa Claus would visit their homes and leave behind gifts for kids in their stockings.
China: Christmas in China is known as the Holy Birth Festival. The celebrations include home decoration with evergreens and posters. People put up a Christmas tree in their homes, which is known as the ‘tree of light’. They decorate the tree with lanterns and red paper chains. Flowers are also used to decorate the tree. People paste red pagodas on the windows. Decorating houses with paper lanterns is quite popular in China.
India: The festivities in India start with the Midnight Mass on December 24, which is attended by the Catholics. Once the Mass is over, people celebrate with a feast of delectable dishes. The next day, they offer gifts to their loved ones and celebrate the festival by sending their warmest greetings with ecards.
On this festive occasion, plays highlighting the Nativity scene are enacted by communities, churches, and Christian schools. Such events are followed by the singing of carols. It is believed that Santa Claus would visit houses on Christmas Day to distribute gifts and candies to kids. In shopping malls, you will often find the staff dressed as Santa Claus in order to entertain children and the shoppers. You will also witness caroling processions taken out in the streets.
France: The celebrations in France start from December 5. This day is known as St. Nicholas Eve. A day before this festival, people ring church bells and sing French carols. Kids put their shoes in the hearth, hoping that they would receive gifts from Pere Noel who is considered to be Father Christmas in France.
The churches and cathedrals are lit up with candles on Christmas Eve. People ring bells and sing carols. There are puppet shows and performances held in churches, which depict the birth of Jesus Christ. The Midnight Mass is held on this day. This is followed by a late supper known as ‘Le Reveillon’. The supper includes ham, poultry, cake, fruits, and wine.
On Christmas Day, people attend church services and participate in a feast comprising delicacies like the traditional Buche de Noel and a Yule log-shaped cake filled with buttercream.
Germany: The Germans usually start preparations for this festival since the beginning of December. On the four Sundays prior to the festive occasion, they create wreaths with pine and fir branches, which are adorned with four colored candles. Each candle is lit up every Sunday. This is followed by Christmas songs. People also celebrate by eating spicy cookies. Baking bread and cakes filled with candied fruits is an important part of the celebrations in Germany.
The festivities in Germany also include the decoration of Christmas tree with silver stars, colored glass ornaments, and strings of lights. A golden angel is kept at the top of the tree. The family members create a manger scene under the tree, which features the stable where Jesus was born.
On the 12th night of this festival, kids get dressed like the Three Kings who visited Jesus Christ when he was born. They go around the cities and town, carrying a star on a pole and singing carols.
In some regions of Germany, children leave behind their shoes filled with hay and carrots outside the entrance of their homes. They believe that St. Nicholas’s horse would feed on the carrot and hay as he rides by. In return, St. Nicholas would leave apples, candies, and other goodies for children.
This is how Christmas is celebrated all over the world.
|
