Christmas Around the World

AROUND THE WOLD AT CHRSTMAS ELLA ADAMS, 604 AND CHARLIE CHOU, 503 Every December!

Hello everyone! Our names are Ella Adams and Charlie Chou. We would like to tell you about holiday traditions.

Let' s start with Germany. Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve. Krampus Night comes the night before "The Feast of St. Nicholas " and scares naughty children.

Next up is China. China ' s small population of Christians calls Christmas Sheng Dan Jieh or Holy Birth Festival. They decorate their homes with evergreen plants, posters, bright paper chains, and a Christmas tree, which they call a Tree of Light. The Tree of Light is decorated with paper lanterns, flowers, and red paper chains that symbolize happiness.

For Madagascar, on Christmas Day people (even strangers) greet each by saying 'Arahaba tratry ny Noely!' which means 'Merry Christmas ' . Malagasy families like to eat Christmas dinner together in large groups and dress up in their best clothes.

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Italians celebrate Christmas Eve with a large feast known as La Vigilia on December 24th. Traditionally, Italian Christmas Eve dinner is a meat-free meal. According to an old Catholic tradition, it’ s meant to purify your body ahead of a religious celebration. So, instead of meat, it' s all about seafood. As with many other cultures, the dishes served during the holiday season vary from region to region.

In Brazil, Christmas Eve is the main event of the holiday season. Since 54 percent of the population is Catholic, many Brazilians attend midnight mass. They also exchange gifts and celebrate the holiday with large family gatherings the night before Christmas. Brazilians gather on the night of the 24th, and it' s a big party!

For a very long time, Christmas has not been celebrated by North Korean people—except for underground Christians. The regime works hard to ensure information about religious holidays does not enter the country, and its citizens remain unaware people are celebrating and belting out Christmas hymns across the world.