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Christmas Around the World Christmastime is a season recognized around the globe – in wintertime in the Northern Hemisphere, in summertime in the Southern Hemisphere. It is observed in different ways by different people: For some, it is a religious holiday; for others, it is a time to gather with family and friends; and for others still, it is a time for shopping, gift-giving, and dinner dates. Some of us at the Gwangju News started life out believing that Christmas was the time of year that Santa Claus came flying through the sky with a sleigh and reindeer, slid down the chimney at night, and placed gifts under a decorated pine tree in the living room and in stockings of only good girls and boys. For this Christmas article, the Gwangju News asked 28 individuals in our diverse international community how Christmas is observed in their home countries. — Ed.
SPECIAL FEATURE
Taiwan
Christmas is not a national holiday in Ta i w a n ; however, almost all of the Taiwanese children know about Santa and do gift exchanges or hang out with family or friends on Christmas Eve. Before Christmas, every large department store has a special Christmas sale and every shop sells Christmas items, such as big Christmas trees, Santa decorations, and Christmas cards. You can also get a festive feeling by visiting “Christmasland in New Taipei City,” which is one of the largest Christmas Festival events in Taiwan. — Yiwen Gong, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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December 2020
Romania
Christmas in Romania is a onemonth long celebration starting on December 1 – when the Christmas Sarmale (@Chef Scarlatescu) lights are lit all over the country – and ending on January 8, on Saint John’s Day. Even if we are Orthodox, we celebrate Christmas on December 25, rather than on January 7, as do many other adherents to the Orthodox Church in Southeast Europe. Popular among children, Saint Nicholas is celebrated on December 6 with great fanfare and lots of gifts. On the eve of Saint Nicholas’ Day, all children clean their boots,
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place them at the door (or window), and go to sleep waiting for "Mos Nicolae" to fill them with presents. In the morning, the most obedient of them will discover lots of little surprises, mostly sweets, tucked into their shoes, while the naughty ones will only find a symbolic rod (actually, no one gets the rod these days). One particular aspect of Christmas in Romania is related to the pig sacrifice, since pork is the main ingredient in all the traditional dishes. Each household in the countryside sacrifices a pig on Ignat Day (St. Ignatius, December 20) to prepare all the delicacies necessary for the Christmas Day celebration. The day of the sacrifice starts early in the morning with the killing itself and continues with a series of proceedings through which all the meat is carefully prepared. Food is probably the main part of any holiday in Romania, but Christmas is a true feast for the senses. With the slaughtering of the pig, a good portion of the meat is turned into smoked ham, bacon, sausages, liver sausage, pig’s trotter, and other delicious Romanian dishes such as sarmale (delicious meat-and-rice rolls wrapped in cabbage/sauerkraut, served with polenta, hot pepper, and sour cream), cozonac (a sort of sponge cake with nuts, cocoa, and Turkish delights) and, of course, mulled wine. — Melline Galani, Bucharest, Romania
USA – Pennsylvania
As a firstgeneration American, Christmas in my house when I was growing up was a very interesting time. It certainly looked nothing like any American Christmas
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