It's officially Christmas Eve. I hope that all of my readers are at home with their families during this special time of year when we celebrate Jesus Christ's birthday. So we all know how we in the USA celebrate Christmas, but people in celebrate this holiday different all over the world. So, today I thought it would be nice to see what people in other regions do when the Christmas season rolls around.
Days Till
It is: 1 days till Christmas
It is: 8 days till New Year's
It is: 12 days till My Birthday
It is: 25 days till Martin Luther King Jr. Day
In the Spotlight:
Before the Christmas season comes to an end, I wanted to bring to your attention some of my favorite Christmas songs that I've been listening to countless times this year. Take a look:
Pentatonx is an acapella music group, and let me just say that they sound awesome, especially singing this song, called "Mary, Did You Know?"
This next song, "Christmas the Whole Year Round", is sung by young singer/songwriter/actress Sabrina Carpenter. I first learned about her from the Girl Meets World TV series on Disney Channel. Check it out:
Topic of the Week by
Christian Ryan
Christmas
is almost here and all of us in the United States are celebrating the
birth of Jesus Christ (at least, that's what we should
be doing...hint, hint!), decorating trees, singing Christmas carols,
waiting for Santa Claus, gift-giving, “giving
Christmas away” (again,
hint, hint!) by helping and giving to those who are unfortunate and
singing about figgy pudding (actually, I don't know anyone who
actually knows what figgy pudding is.). But those are things we do
here in America. What do people do in other parts of the world when
they celebrate Christmas? Well, let's take a journey around the world
to see what other cultures do when the festive season comes around.
Canada
Because Canada sits directly above the United States, it makes sense
that many traditions there are similar to ours. People sing Christmas
carols, they decorate trees and their children wait eagerly for Santa
Claus to deliver presents on Christmas Eve. However, Canada also is
home to a tradition known as “mummering”. People participate in
this tradition by dressing up in costumes and going up to someone's
door in a disguised voice ask, “Are there any Mummers in the
night?” The person inside the house must guess who the person (or
people) who at the door is. If they guess successfully, the host
accepts the mummerers into the house where they make merry and eat
sweet treats. But if they fail, the host must join in the mummering
fun!
Hawaii
While technically a part of the United States, Hawaii also
technically is not (I mean, we're separated by almost 3,000 miles of
Ocean). Hawaii often takes on a culture of its own. Before
missionaries from the mainland introduced native Hawaiians to
Christianity, native Hawaiian people had their own celebration around
Christmastime called Makahiki, and it continued for an entire four
month period! They would worship the earth, have feasts and games and
would not have war with each other. Today, Christmas is celebrated in
a more tropical fashion – poinsettias grow wild and free on the
island while people get together and have picnics on the beach. They
have Hawaiian versions of Christmas carols, such “The 12 Days of
Christmas”, and even some of their own, like “Here Comes Santa in
a Red Canoe”. By the way, if you're looking for Santa in Hawaii on
Christmas Eve, don't look to the sky, but to the sea – Hawaiian
children believe that Santa comes in a red canoe pulled by dolphins!
Mexico
Now
we head just south of the American border to Mexico, where people say
“Feliz Navidad”, which is Merry Christmas in Spanish. Though some
people celebrate Christmas on the 25th
like we do, many celebrate from December 12th
to January 6th!
Between the first day of “Christmas” and the 24th,
children partake in Posada, which is the Spanish word of “inn”.
Children will go to nine such “inns”, where they are given a
candle and a board with clay figurines of Mary riding a donkey and
Joseph. They also stop by the houses of friends and neighbors to sing
special song about Mary and Joseph being unable to find a suitable
place to stay. After being told there is no room for them to stay at
many of the houses they visit, they arrive at the house where they
are welcomed in. There, they pray, give thanks and have parties with
food, games and fireworks.
Brazil
Instead of calling him Santa Claus, he is referred to as Papai Noel
(meaning “Good Old Man”) in Brazil. Brazilian children leave
socks on their windows so that “Papai Noel” may leave goodies
inside them. During this time of year, Catholic Brazilians attend the
Missa do Galo, or Midnight Mass Service, which finishes at 1:00 in
the morning! People in Brazil also often attend on Christmas Day.
Scotland
Did you know that people couldn't even celebrate Christmas in
Scotland until the 1950's? It was banned 400 years before because it
was deemed to support Romanism. It became an official Scottish
holiday in 1958, but it is still generally treated as low-key today
in this country. Even still, many a Scottishman (and woman) know how
to keep Christmas in their own special way. One such tradition is
performed on Christmas Eve is the burning of branches from rowan
trees. They burn the branches to represent ill feelings toward
friends and loved ones that have been tossed out for this special
time of year. Some children in Scotland leave pillowcases out for
Santa Claus to fill with goodies instead of stockings.
Germany
While
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas in these parts, is a big
part of Christmas in Germany, some German children write letters,
asking for presents, to “Das Christkind”, or “The Christ
Child”. Though the names are similar, Jesus Christ and the German's
Christ Child are not the same, as Christ Child is often described as
a young girl, and
Jesus was definitely male. The Christ Child is said to deliver
presents on December 6th,
which is also known as Saint Nicholas Day; it is on this day when St.
Nicholas is said to visit the homes of children and leave presents
behind for them. Father Christmas delivers presents on the 24th
of December, just like he does in America.
Bethlehem
Everyone
knows that Jesus, the true reason for this season, was born in
Bethlehem, but have you stopped and wondered how Christmas is
celebrated here today? Bethlehem is a busy place to be during the
Christmas season because many different denominations and religions –
Armenians, Catholics, Ethiopians, Greek Orthodoxes and etc. –
celebrate this holiday in different ways throughout the month of
December. It makes sense that Bethlehem would have a longer Christmas
celebration than most – the festivities begin on the December 25
and ends around the 18th
for some denominations. During Christmastime, cities and decorated
with lights and other adornment and parades are conducted through the
streets; many of these concessions pass by the place where Jesus is
believed to have been born.
South
Africa
When
the word “Christmas” is said, snow, pine trees and winter weather
come to mind. But Christmas in South Africa is anything but. Since
South Africa is located in the Southern Hemisphere, Christmastime
comes around in the summer, where the climate is warm and flowers and
other flora is plentiful. As you'll find out if you go to South
Africa during Christmastime, many of their Christmas traditions
resemble those from the UK because of the historical affiliations
between the two countries. In this region of the world, it is common
to enjoy the summer weather by camping during the holidays. Instead
of Santa Claus, many from South Africa refer to the jolly old man as
'Sinterklaas', like the Dutch do. A favorite Christmas meal consists
of either duck, roast beef, turkey, mince pies or suckling pigs with
a side of yellow rice, raisins and vegetables.
Russia
In
Russia, the holidays (Christmas and the New Year) are usually
considered to be the time between December 31st
and January 10th.
On Christmas Eve, Russians like to have a special meal where
Sauerkraut is the primary dish. On the side, onion rings, shredded
carrots, cumin and cranberries are often served. While Christmas is
commonly celebrated in Russia (though on January 7th
by most people in this region), it was not always this way. During
the time of the Soviet Union, New Years celebrations were more
common.
China
In a place like China, which makes so many of our Christmas products
(in addition to just about everything else sold in America), you
might be surprised how few people here are familiar with Christmas
themes and traditions, especially Christian themes. In fact,
Christmas is usually only celebrated in larger cities. One Chinese
Christmas tradition that's becoming increasingly well-received is
giving apples on Christmas Eve. This is because Christmas Eve is
called “Ping An Ye” in the Chinese language, which means “silent
night”. “Ping An Ye” sounds similar to the Chinese word for
apple, “Ping Guo”.
Japan
Did
you look forward to escaping school during Christmas break as a kid?
Well, Japanese children don't get that privilege – Christmas is not
a national holiday here! So businesses and schools are still in
operation on the 25th
of December. It isn't even usually celebrated to remember Christ's
birth here, because most people in this region are not Christian.
Instead, Japanese usually see Christmas as a time to spread
happiness. A favorite Christmas dessert of the Japanese is a type of
Christmas cake – usually a sponge cake that is covered in
strawberries and whip cream. During Christmastime, it is common to
see young couples strolling through Christmas-decorated cities and
towns and exchanging gifts with each other, making it almost like
more festive version of Valentine's Day.
Australia
Finally, we reach Australia,
where Christmas comes during the summertime and just like those of us
in the Northern Hemisphere, families cherish being together and home
on this day. They also enjoy decorating trees and their yards and
gardens with Christmas lights. Each State capital city holds a large
Candles by Candlelight services where famous Australian singers are
invited to help everyone sing Christmas carols. These services are
widely broadcast so that even those who can't be at the services can
still enjoy them. As can be expected, having Christmas in the summer
doesn't make people want to drink hot chocolate or hot dinner meals.
Instead, Aussies prefer to have either a cold Christmas dinner or
barbecue a meal. Common favorites are prawns and lobsters, as well as
many customary English dishes.
We have traveled around the
world to see what people are doing for the most wonderful time of the
year. With that said, how do YOU
celebrate Christmas?
MERRY
CHRISTMAS!
Disclaimer: The images
above are not my own unless otherwise indicated. If you own one of
the above images and want it removed, please notify me via my email.
References:
