2020 Christmas Traditions Feature

In Argentina the weather is warm at Christmas. Preparations for Christmas begin very early in December and even in November. Many people in Argentina are Catholic and they also celebrate Advent. House are beautifully decorated with lights and wreaths of green, gold, red and white flowers. Red and white garlands are hung on the doors of houses. Christmas Trees are also very popular and they are often decorated by 8th December (the feast of the Immaculate Conception when Catholics celebrate when Mary was conceived). Some people like to put cotton balls on the Christmas Tree to represent snow! Any tree might be made into a Christmas Tree - not just the traditional fir tree! The Nativity scene or ‘pesebre’ is also an important decoration in Christmas Argentina. The pesebre is put near to the Christmas tree. Christmas Cards aren’t common in Argentina and although some people give and receive presents, it’s normally only between close family and friends.

The main Christmas celebrations take place on Christmas Eve. Many Catholics will go to a Mass in the late afternoon. The main meal Christmas is eaten during the evening of Christmas Eve, often about 10pm or 11pm. It might be served in the garden or be a barbecue! Some popular dishes include roasted turkey, roasted pork (in northern Argentina, some people will have goat), stuffed tomatoes, salads and Christmas bread and puddings like ‘Pan Dulce’ and Panetone. At midnight there will be the sound of lots of fireworks! People also like to ‘toast’ the start of Christmas day. Some people like to go to midnight services, but other prefer to stay at home and let off fireworks and then open

their presents under the tree. Another Christmas Eve night tradition are ‘globos’, paper decorations with a light inside that float into the sky (like Chinese Lanterns). The sky is filled with them on Christmas Eve after midnight. Some people stay awake all the night chatting and seeing friends and family and then spend most of Christmas Day sleeping.

As in The Netherlands, children in Belgium believe that ‘Sinterklaas/ St. Niklaas’ (Flemish) or ‘Saint Nicholas’ (Walloon) brings them presents on December 6th, St. Nicholas’ Day. Children put their shoes in front of the fireplace, together some for Sinterklaas like a drawing or biscuits; they might also leave a carrot for Sinterklass’s horse and something for Zwarte Piet (Black Peter, Sinterklass’s assistant). Then in the night, Sinterklaas arrives on the roof on his horse with Zwarte Piet. Zwarte Piet climbs down the chimney and leaves the presents in and around the shoes. Sinterklaas has a book in which he keeps all the names of the children and tells if they’ve been bad or good. Children are told that if they’ve been bad, Zwarte Piet will put you in his sack and take you back to Spain! Traditional foods that are left for Sinterklaas include tangerines, gingerbread, chocolate and ‘mokjes’ (cookies made in the shapes of letters. There are lots of songs that children sing about Sinterklaas. Different regions of Belgium have different customs and traditions about St. Nicholas. The visit of Sinkerlass is a separate occasion than Christmas.

Christmas is a more religious festival. In Belgium there are three official languages, Dutch (a Belgium version of Dutch is known as Flemish, this is mainly spoken in the northern area of Belgium called Flanders), French (mainly spoken in the southern Walloon Region) and German (spoken by about 1% of Belgiums in the east of the country). In Belgium Dutch/Flemish Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Vrolijk Kerstfeest’, French it’s ‘Joyeux Noël’, in German it’s ‘Frohe Weihnachten’ and in the Walloon language (spoken by somepoel in the Walloon Region) it’s ‘djoyeus Noyé’. Happy/ Merry Christmas in lots more languages. On Christmas Eve (‘Kerstavond’ in Flemish and ‘le réveillion de Noël’ in Walloon), a special meal is eaten by most families. It starts with

a drink (apéritif) and ‘nibbles’, followed by a starter course such as sea-food, and then stuffed turkey. The dessert is ‘Kerststronk’ (Flemish) or ‘la bûche de Noël’ (Walloon) a chocolate Christmas Log made of sponge roll layered with cream. The outside is covered with chocolate butter cream and made to resemble a bark-covered log. Some people celebrate Advent and have Advent Wreaths/Crowns made from fir or leylandii greenery. The wreaths have four candles and a candle is lit each week counting down to Christmas. These are very popular in Elementary/Primary Schools where an Advent song is sung when the candles are lit. Lots of children also have paper Advent Calendars with chocolate behind the doors for each day! In the weeks before Christmas, people also like to go to Christmas Markets. You might spot Santa Claus at the market! People go to buy Christmas presents, decorations and food. You can also drink jenever (gin) or Glühwein (hot wine) and eat some Smoutebollen/oliebollen (deep fried sweet dumplings) are also very popular. Going ice skating with friends is also something very common

In Bulgaria, Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. Many countries in Eastern Europe celebrate Christmas on January 7th as most Orthodox Churches use the old Julian Calendar, but the Bulgarian Orthodox Church uses the Gregorian calendar Christmas in on the 25th December. For many Bulgarians, the preparations for Christmas start with Advent which lasts 40 days in the Orthodox Church and starts on November 15th. One legend in Bulgaria is that Mary started her labor on ‘Ignazhden’, December 20th (Saint Ignatius of Antioch’s Day) and she gave birth of Christmas Eve but the birth of Jesus wasn’t announced until Christmas Day. The 20th is also the traditional ‘new year’ in Bulgarian culture. It’s traditional to eat a special ring shaped caked called ‘kolaks’ on this day. Christmas Eve (called ‘Badni Veche’) is a very important day and the main Christmas meal is eaten in the evening of Christmas Eve. The meal should traditionally have an odd number of dishes in it (normally 7, 9 or 11) and an odd number of people sitting around the table. (Salt, pepper and sugar can count as separate dishes!) Straw is often put under the tablecloth and you might even bring a wooden plough into the house and

put it behind the door! These are meant to help you have good crops during the next year. There’s a special round and decorated loaf of bread called ‘pita’ which has a coin baked in it. If you find the good you’re meant to have good luck for the next year! The bread is normally cut by the oldest person at the meal and hands it around the table. It’s normally a rich vegetarian meal and includes dishes made of different such as beans soup, ‘sarmi’ cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, peppers stuffed with rice, boiled wheat with sugar and walnuts, different kinds of pastries (cheese, pumpkin and sweets pastries soaked in syrup), some kolaks, lots of fruits and nuts like dried plums, dried apricots, oranges and tangerines and ‘oshav’ a dried fruit compote. Walnuts are especially popular. If you walnut is delicious you will have a good year, but if it’s empty or has a small nut you’ll have a bad year!

It’s traditional that the table is left with all the food on it until the morning of Christmas Day. Some people think their ancestors might like something to eat during the night! On Christmas Day some families will have another big meal, but this time there will be meat, normally some kind of pork. Following the meal some people will go to a Midnight Mass service. You might also hear Koledari (carol singers) which are normally young men who go carol singing dressed it traditional clothing. The singing can only start after midnight. The singers often go round singing all night, so the sun never catches them! When they reach a house they sing ‘the house song’ praising and wishing the house well. Having the Koledari visit your home is meant to be good luck. The songs are often in two parts with half of the singers singing the song and then the other half repeating it back. After the singing, the head of the house will give the Koledari food to thank them for singing. The special foods include ‘Koledni gevreci’ (round buns) and ‘banitsa’ (a layered pastry filled with cheese). Santa is known as ‘Dyado Koleda’ (Дядо Коледа) which means Grandfather Christmas. In Bulgarian Merry Christmas is ‘Vesela Koleda’.

Christmas in Chile is very warm as it’s in the middle of summer! However, it shares many of the same Christmas customs as the USA. People like to decorate their houses with Christmas Trees and lights. Having Christmas lights is a fairly recent development with more people being able to afford them. Sometimes neighbors compete to see who can have the best and most lights! Nativity Scenes are also an important decoration. They have little clay figures (called ‘pesebre’) in them. Many Catholics in Chile celebrate Advent and also go to special church services for nine days before Christmas, known as a Novena. Christmas Eve is the most important day over Christmas. Families and friends gather together for a big meal in the evening, eaten about 9pm or 10pm. Many people like to have ‘asado’ (barbecue) and chicken, turkey and pork. The Chilean Christmas Cake is ‘Pan de Pascua’ which is quite like Panettone.

A popular Christmas drink is ‘Cola de Mono’ (or monkey’s tail) which is made from coffee, milk, liquor, cinnamon and sugar. After the meal, some people like to go to a church service. At midnight everyone opens their presents! Children sometimes go round each others houses with their new toys - even in the middle of the night! In Chile, Santa is called ‘Viejito Pascuero’ (Old Man Christmas) or sometimes ‘Papa Noel’ (Father Christmas). Christmas Day is a more relaxed day which is spent with family and friends. If you live near the coast, many people will go to the beach.

In Colombia, Christmas celebrations and preparations start on the evening of the 7th December which is known as ‘Día de las Velitas’ or ‘Day of the little Candles’. Houses and streets are decorated with candles, lanterns and lots of lights. There are also big firework displays and music to dance to and foods like ‘buñuelos’ and ‘empanadas’. This day is celebrated by Catholics around the world as The Feast of the Immaculate Conception but is especially popular in Colombia. From December 16 until Christmas Eve, many Colombians take part in ‘novenas’. These are special times when family, friends and neighbors come together to pray in the days leading up to Christmas. They are known as the ‘Novena de Aguinaldos’ (Christmas Novena) and often a different house hosts the meeting every night. As well as the prayers, people sing carols and eat lots of yummy foods! You can find out more about Novena de Aguinaldos on the Hispanic Culture online site. People like to decorate their

homes with Christmas Trees and other decorations. It’s very common for there to be candles (normally red and white) and other lights displayed in windows or on balconies. Another very important Christmas decoration in Colombia is a nativity scene or ‘el pesebre’. In early December, children write a ‘Carta al Niño Dios’ (letter to the baby Jesus) asking for what presents they would like. The letter is placed in the pesebre. They hope that Jesus will bring them presents on Christmas Eve. The main Christmas meal is eaten on Christmas Eve night and it’s called ‘Cena de Navidad’. The dishes often include ‘lechona’ (pork stuffed with rice and peas), ham, turkey or a chicken soup called ‘Ajiaco Bogotano’.

Other popular foods around Christmas are ‘Buñuelos’ (cheesy fritters), arepas (a thick dish made from corn) and ‘hojuelas’ (a fried pastry with sugar and jam). A very popular Christmas dessert is ‘Natilla’ which is a set custard. After the Christmas Meal, many people will go to a Midnight mass Church Service. Some people stay up all night, so Christmas Day is a day for relaxing and eating up leftovers! On the 28th December people celebrate Innocents Day, which is like April Fools Day, with lots of jokes and fun. TV stations often show bloopers and funny mistakes people have made in the previous year.

Christmas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is more of a religious festival than being commercial. Most people won’t have any presents. Christmas Eve is very important with Churches having big musical evenings (many churches have at least 5 or 6 choirs) and a nativity play. These plays last a very long time. They start at the beginning of the evening with the creation and the Garden of Eden and end with the story of King Herod killing the baby boys. People taking part in the play really like to show off their ‘best’ acting skills and tend to go over the top and ‘ham it up’! King Herod and the soldiers are often figures of fun (like pantomime ‘baddies’) and Mary is often well advanced in labor before she arrives! The birth of Jesus is timed to happen as close to midnight as possible and after that come the shepherds, the wise men and the slaughter of the innocents. This means the play normally finishes about 1am. However, in some places there will be further sing-

ing until dawn! The Christmas day service then starts at 9am with lots more singing. On Christmas day, most families try to have a better meal than usual. If they can afford it, they will have some meat (normally chicken or pork). The rest of the day is spent quite quietly, maybe sleeping after a busy and late night on Christmas Eve! People go back to work on the 26th (Boxing Day). In the Lingala language, which is spoken in the DRC and some other African countries, Happy/ Merry Christmas is ‘Mbotama Malamu’.

In Croatia, preparations for Christmas start on 25th November which is St Catherine’s day. People also celebrate Advent. Over 85% of people in Croatia are Catholics so Advent is an important time for them. It’s traditional to have an Advent wreath made of straw or evergreen twigs which has four candles. The wreath symbolizes endlessness and the four candles symbolize different parts of history and life: • First Candle (purple): creation - hope; • Second Candle (purple): embodiment - peace; • Third Candle (pink): redemption - joy; • Fourth Candle (purple): ending - love; A fifth candle is sometimes added in the center which is lit on Christmas Day! You can buy wreaths, but many people like to make them. People also often have a paper Advent Calendar. As well as St Catherine’s day, other saints days are celebrated in Advent in Croatia. On the 4th December it’s St Barbara’s Day; on the 6th December it’s St Nicholas’s Day and on 13th December it’s St Lucia’s/Lucy’s day. On St Nicholas’s Eve (5th), chil-

dren clean their shoes/boots and leave them in the window. They hope that St Nicholas will leave them chocolates and small presents in their boot. If children have been naughty, Krampus (a big monster with horns who sometimes travels with St Nicholas!) leaves them golden twigs to remind them to behave. On St Lucia’s Day people often sow wheat onto small plates. The grassy sprouts that grow (called Christmas wheat) are put underneath the Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve. Christmas Trees are very popular and are normally decorated on Christmas Eve but some put them up and decorate them on St Nicholas’s Day. In Croatia they’re traditionally decorated with ornaments in the shapes of fruits. They used to be real fruits or persevered candied fruits that were sometimes covered in

gold! There’s an old Croatian tradition that young men gave their girlfriends a decorated apple at Christmas. In rural parts of the country, it is still customary to bring straw into the house on Christmas Eve as a symbol of future good crops. A yule logs called a ‘badnjak’ (also the word for Christmas Eve) was traditionally brought into the house and lit on Christmas Eve. But not many people have fireplaces these days! Presents are normally exchanged on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Many people like to go to a Midnight Mass service. In Croatian Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Sretan Božić’. Happy/ Merry Christmas in lots more languages. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are mostly celebrated with close family. On Boxing day friends and extended family visit each other. On Christmas Eve, most people eat dried-cod called ‘bakalar’ or some other kind of fish as it’s considered as meat fast (so you can’t eat meat). The main Christmas Day is often turkey, goose or duck. A popular side dish is sarma (cabbage rolls filled with minced pork meat).

During the evening of the 5th December, children are very excited and watch for St. Nicholas (Svatý Mikuláš) to arrive. He normally is accompanied by one or more angels and one or more devils. He asks the children if they’ve been good all year and also asks them to sing a song or recite a poem, and gives them a basket of presents, often containing chocolate and fruit. If you’ve been naughty, the devil might give you a lump of coal. Like in the The Netherlands and some other European countries, St Nicholas’ Day is a very separate holiday than Christmas. In the Czech language Happy/ Merry Christmas is ‘Veselé Vá noce’. Happy/ Mer r y Christmas in lots more languages. The main Christmas celebrations are on Christmas Eve. Some people fast during Christmas Eve in the hope that they will see a vision of ‘the golden pig’ appear on the wall before dinner! This is meant to be a sign of good luck! The Czech traditional Christmas dinner is eaten during

night or on Christmas Day. There’s a superstition in the Czech Republic that says if you throw a shoe over your shoulder on Christmas day, if the toe points towards the door, you will be married soon!

the evening of Christmas Eve. The meal often consists of fish soup (made of carp), and fried carp with potato salad. Ježíšek ‘Little Jesus’ (the Czech version of Christkindl) brings presents during the Christmas Eve dinner and leaves them under the Christmas Tree. Czech children have their dinner in a different from where the tree is located. When they hear the bell ring (usually after the children have finished eating their main meal but when they are still at the table), that means that Ježíšek had been and has left their presents under the tree. The presents are normally opened right after dinner. Religious families also usually sing Christmas carols by the tree, and go to church either at mid-

Some people in Denmark give and receive extra Advent presents on the four Sundays of Advent. Different types of Advent candles and calendars are popular in Denmark. A Kalenderlys (calendar-candle) is an Advent candle and most people have one of these types of candles. A Pakkekalender (gift calendar) is also a fun way to countdown to Christmas Eve. There are 24 small gifts for the children in the calendar, one for each day until Christmas Eve. Julekalender (christmas calendar) is a television series with 24 episodes. One episode is shown each day in December with the last one being aired on Christmas Eve. The first Julekalender was shown on TV in Denmark in 1962. The two main Danish TV channels DR and TV2 both show different versions of Julekalender each year. The theme of the stories in the Julekalender normally follow a similar storyline, with someone trying to ruin Christmas and the main characters saving Christmas! As well as the TV series, both DR and TV2 produce paper advent calendars to go along with the stories! DR is the oldest TV channel in Denmark and it’s paper calendar is called Børnenes U-landskalender

(Children’s U-Country Calendar). It’s been making the calendars for over 50 years and profits from the sale of the calendar go to help poor children in a developing country. The calendar made by TV2 is called julekalender and profits from that calendar go to help Julemærkefonden, a children’s charity in Denmark. You can also support Julemærkefonden when you send Christmas Cards in Denmark. Every year a set of Christmas stamps /stickers /seals called julemærket are sold in December to help raise money for the charity. You use a normal postage stamp as well, the julemærket stickers just make the post look more Christmassy! You can out more about julemærket on https://www. julemaerket.dk Christmas Parties are held from

1st November to 24th December where everyone has a good time! Making cakes and biscuits is popular in the time before Christmas. Gingerbread cookies and vanilla ones are often favorites. In Denmark most people go to a Church Service on Christmas Eve about 4.00pm to hear the Christmas sermon or talk. It’s also an old, traditional custom to give animals a treat on Christmas Eve, so some people go for a walk in the park or woods and they might take some food to give the animals and birds. You might also go for a walk to give you an appetite for the Christmas meal! When they get home the main Christmas meal is eaten between 6.00pm and 8.00pm. It’s served on a beautifully decorated table. Popular Christmas foods include roast duck, goose or pork. They are served with boiled and sweet potatoes, red cabbage, beetroot and cranberry jam/sauce. St. Lucia’s Day (or St. Lucy’s Day) is also celebrated on December 13th, although it’s more famous for being celebrated in Denmark’s neighbor, Sweden. In Danish Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Glædelig Jul’.

In France, a Nativity crib is often used to help decorate the house. French cribs have clay figures in them. During December some towns and cities, such as Marseilles, have fairs that sell Nativity figures. As well as having the normal Nativity figures in them, French scenes also have figures such as a Butcher, a Baker, a Policeman and a Priest. In French Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Joyeux Noël’. In Breton (spoken by some people in Brittany, Northern France) it’s ‘Nedeleg Laouen’ and in Corsican it’s ‘Bon Natale’. Happy/Merry Christmas in lots more languages. Yule Logs made out of Cherry Wood are often burned in French homes. The log is carried into the home on Christmas Eve and is sprinkled with red wine to make the log smell nice when it is burning. There is a custom that the log and candles are left burning all night with some food and drinks left out in case Mary and the baby Jesus come past during the night. In France, Father Christmas / Santa Claus / St. Nicholas is

types of Fruit, Nuts and Pastries. Epiphany, called Fête des Rois in French, is also celebrated in France on January 6th. A flat Almond cake is eaten called ‘Galette des Rois’. The cake has a toy crown inside and is decorated on top with a gold paper crown.

called Père Noël (Father Christmas). In eastern France he is accompanied by Le Pere Fouettard, a man dressed in black. He might be the same person as Zwarte Piet in The Netherlands. The main Christmas meal, called Réveillon, is eaten on Christmas Eve/early Christmas morning after people have returned from the midnight Church Service. Dishes might include roast turkey with chestnuts or roast goose, oysters, foie gras, lobster, venison and cheeses. For dessert, a chocolate sponge cake log called a bûche de Noël is normally eaten. Another celebration, in some parts of France, is that 13 different desserts are eaten! All the desserts are made from different

In France, a Nativity crib is often used to help decorate the house. French cribs have clay figures in them. During December some towns and cities, such as Marseilles, have fairs that sell Nativity figures. As well as having the normal Nativity figures in them, French scenes also have figures such as a Butcher, a Baker, a Policeman and a Priest. In French Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Joyeux Noël’. In Breton (spoken by some people in Britta-ny, Northern France) it’s ‘Nedeleg Laouen’ and in Corsican it’s ‘Bon Natale’. Happy/Merry Christmas in lots more languages. Yule Logs made out of Cherry Wood are often burned in French homes. The log is carried into the home on Christmas Eve and is sprinkled with red wine to make the log smell nice when it is burning. There is a custom that the log and candles are left burning all night with some food and drinks left out in case Mary and the baby Jesus come past during the night. In France, Father Christmas / Santa Claus / St. Nicholas is

People in Ghana celebrate Christmas from the 20th of December to the first week in January with lots of different activities. Many people travel to visit their relatives and friends in other parts of the country. Over 66 languages are spoken in Ghana and all these language groups have their own traditions and customs! December is also the start of the cocoa harvest (the bean that make chocolate) in Ghana. Ghana is the worlds second biggest cocoa producer. I really like some fair-trade chocolate that’s made with cocoa from Ghana! Christmas Eve night is the time when the celebrations really start with Church services that have drumming and dancing. Children often put on a Nativity Play or other drama. Then choirs come out to sing and people come out in front of the priests to dance. Songs are mostly sang in the languages that the people understand best. This makes them feels that God speaks their language. Sometimes these services and dancing go on all night long!

to pray for a good and safe New Year. People may also use that time to remember those who died during the previous year and pray that the difficulties that they may have encountered over the year don’t carry on into the New Year.

Other people celebrate Christmas Eve with fireworks and parties. On Christmas day the Churches are very full. People come out dressed in their colorful traditional clothes. After the Church service on Christmas morning, people quickly go back to their houses to sTraditional food includes stew or okra soup, porridge and meats, rice and a yam paste called ‘fufu’. During the Christmas period children’s parties, employees’ end of year parties, etc. are mostly celebrated in the hotels, at the beaches, school parks and community centers with good wishes for all people on earth. Some Ghanaians also go to Church on the 31st December to thank God for sending Jesus and

• Christmas in Canada has many different customs and traditions because of the country’s diverse population. Most people celebrate on December 25th. • The Santa Claus parade has been held every Christmas in Toronto since 1905. Almost 1,800 people take part in the parade, and about 500,000 people line the parade route. • Every Christmas, homes in Labrador City in Newfoundland have a Christmas lights competition. Homeowners also try to outdo each other with huge ice sculptures and light displays in their gardens. • Also popular is the festival of lights at Niagara Falls. The waterfalls are decorated with over 2 million lights, and visitors can also enjoy concerts and fireworks over the falls. • Turkey or ham is the traditional Christmas meal for most English speaking Canadians. Other popular seasonal foods include mince pies, plum pudding and a rich Christmas fruit cake. • Attending midnight mass is customary among French speaking Canadians, as well as attending feasts on Christmas Eve. A stew made from pigs’ feet is a traditional Christmas meal in parts of Quebec.

• Every year, the Canadian province of Nova Scotia gives a Christmas tree to the US city of Boston. The tree is in appreciation for help given by Boston residents after a ship exploded in Halifax in 1917. • Mummering is a popular tradition at Christmas in Canada, in parts of Newfoundland. Children go from door to door, sing and dance, and are given snacks and a drink. • Cookie, or biscuit baking parties are very popular in Canada around Christmas. Cookies are baked and recipes are exchanged, and each person at the party leaves with a selection of cookies. • In Quebec, people celebrate Epiphany on January 6th. One tradition is baking a cake with a bean in it, and whoever finds the bean is named the king or queen of

the feast. “Hot cockles” was a popular game at Christmas in medieval times. It was a game in which the other players took turns striking the blindfolded player, who had to guess the name of the person delivering each blow. “Hot cockles” was still a Christmas pastime until the Victorian era. “White Christmas” (1954), starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, was the first movie to be made in Vista Vision, a deep-focus process. “The Nutcracker” is the name for the ballet performed around Christmas time each year. “The Nutcracker Suite” is the title of the music Tchaikovsky wrote. ”Wassail” comes from the Old Norse “ves heill”--to be of good health. This evolved into the tradition of visiting neighbors on Christmas Eve and drinking to their health. A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard.

According to a 1995 survey, 7 out of 10 British dogs get Christmas gifts from their doting owners.

Austria shares many Christmas traditions with its neighbor Germany, but also has many special Christmas customs of its own. During Advent, many families will have an Advent Wreath made from evergreen twigs and decorated with ribbons and four candles. On each of the four Sundays in Advent, a candle is lit and a carol or two might be sung! Most towns will have a ‘Christkindlmarkt’ (Christmas market) from late November or early December, selling Christmas decorations, food (like gingerbread) and Glühwein (sweet, warm mulled wine). Cities like Vienna, Innsbruck and Salzburg have huge markets and people from all over the world visit them. Every town will also have a large Christmas Tree in the town square. In homes, trees are decorated with gold and silver ornaments and stars made from straw. Christmas in Austria really starts around 4.00pm on Christmas Eve (‘Heilige Abend’) when the tree is lit for the first time and people come to sing carols around the tree. The most famous carol is Silent Night (‘Stille Nacht’), which was written in Austria in 1818.

The national pop radio station Ö3 has special Christmas ‘jingles’ and plays Christmas music from 4.00pm on ‘Heilige Abend’. It’s used by many people as the ‘soundtrack’ to the start of Christmas Traditionally the Christmas tree is brought in and decorated on Christmas Eve. Decorations include candles (now often electric) and sparklers. For children other important decorations are sweets, such as small liqueur-filled chocolate bottles, chocolates of various kinds, jelly rings and ‘Windbäckerei’ (meringue, usually in the form of rings, stars, etc.). Some children believe that the ‘Christkind’ decorates the tree. The Christkind also brings presents to children on Christmas Eve and leaves them under the tree. (The Christkind is described as a

golden-haired baby, with wings, who symbolizes the new born Christ.) Some children might also get a present from St Nicholas on December 6th. In Austria, St Nicholas is often accompanied by the Krampus, He a big horned monster clothed in rags and carries chains. He’s meant to punish children who have been bad! The main Christmas meal is also eaten on Christmas Eve. It’s often ‘Gebackener Karpfen’ (fried carp) as the main course; this is because Christmas Eve was considered a ‘fasting’ day by many Catholics and no meat could be eaten. However ‘Weihnachtsgans’ (roast goose) and roast turkey are becoming more popular. Dessert can be chocolate and apricot cake ‘Sachertorte’ and Austrian Christmas cookies ‘Weihnachtsbaeckerei’ like ‘Lebkuchen’ (honey gingerbread) and ‘Vanillekipferl’ (almond cookies made in the shape of a horse shoe). Some ‘really cool’ people, or those who live in the mountains, might go skiing on Christmas Day. Skiing on New Year’s Day is also popular.

The Falkland Islands are in the South Atlantic Ocean about 300 miles from the east coast at the bottom of South America. They are a British Overseas Territory even though they’re about 8,000 miles away from the rest of the UK! The Islands cover an areas of about 12,200 sq km (4,700 sq miles) but only have a population of around 3,000 people. But there are about 150,000 sheep! About two thirds of the population live in Stanley, the capital of the Islands. The rest are mainly farmers and live out on the Islands in what’s called ‘the camp’. Because they’re in the southern hemisphere, it’s summertime at Christmas with long sunny days. The Islands share many Christmas traditions with the UK. There are very few trees on the islands (it’s very windy!) but people still have Christmas Trees, although they’re normally artificial ones. Lamb is the main Christmas dish as there’s lots of sheep on the Islands! It’s very expensive to fly in turkey from South America or the UK!

A pantomime is put on every year by the local dramatic society. Traditionally the Governor of the Islands (the Queen’s official representative on the Islands) goes on the last night and is gently made fun of! Children living in the camp get a small parcel of presents flown to them from Stanley. Santa’s helper elves have to fly to the remote farms around the camp to deliver the presents! On Christmas Eve people gather to sing Christmas carols under the ‘whale bone arch’ (made the from the jaw bones of two blue whales) which is next to the Christ Church Cathedral in Stanley. There’s also a Christmas morning service. The Cathedral is the southernmost Anglican cathedral in the world.

There’s a British Military base on the Falkland Islands which is home to about 2000 military and civilian personnel. The chaplain at the base takes services at the base and around the Islands at Christmas time. The Boxing Day horse races are very important and are held just outside Stanley on the race course. It’s a very popular event for people who live on the Islands, especially in Stanley. The meeting has been held more than 100 times. It used to be a time when many people would only see each other during the whole year! Horses used to be the main way of getting around the Islands. Although there are more roads and cars now, taking part in the races is still very competitive. Some people have been riding in the races for decades! The most important race is ‘The Governor’s Cup’. As well as horse races, there’s the mile running race where people of all ages take part! Some of the soldiers based on the Islands also like to take part

Christmas is very important in the Palestinian territory of the West Bank as it contains Bethlehem, the town in which Jesus was born. Bethlehem is about six miles (10 kilometres) south of Jerusalem. Bethlehem means ‘house of bread’ and back in history was famous for growing wheat which was made into bread. Only about 20 % of Palestinians are Christian, but many Muslim Palestinians are also proud that Jesus was born in a Palestinian Territory! On Christmas Eve there is a parade through the town. This is very important to the Christian part of the population. There are bagpipe bands in the parade, which you might not expect! Playing the bagpipes is a tradition left over from when the British army occupied the area between 1920 and 1948. People also dress up as Santa Claus and give out sweets. The streets and main square are decorated with lights. Perhaps the most famous part

of Christmas in Bethlehem is the church service of the Mass of the Nativity. It is held on Christmas Eve afternoon/evening/midnight in the Church of the Nativity. The Church is built over the place where it’s traditionally thought that Jesus was born. There’s a small door into the Church called the door of humility. The church was built, by the romans, about 500 years after Jesus was born. The most holy part of the church is the Grotto of the Nativity, which is under the main altar. A silver star marks the place where Jesus was meant to have been born. It had been prophesied in the Bible that the Jewish Messiah or Savior (who Christians

believe Jesus is) would be born in Bethlehem. The Church is administered by three churches, the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Mass service is led by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Jerusalem. Many local political people go to the service, Christians, Muslims and Jews. The church is crowded and lots of frankincense, one of the gifts bought to the baby Jesus, is burnt. People also sing Christmas Carols on Christmas Eve evening in Manger Square, a large paved courtyard in front of the Church. The Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic Churches don’t celebrate Christmas on December 25th, but rather January 6th & 7th. They hold services on those days. Christmas is more widely celebrated in the Palestinian Territories than it is in Israel.

In Slovakia, Christmas celebrations begin with Advent. Many Slovaks are Roman Catholics so this is the start of the important spiritual preparations for Christmas. Slovaks also celebrate St. Nicholas’ day on the 6th December. In Slovakia he is known as Svätý Mikuláš. He comes on the evening of the 5th December and gives presents to good children. Young children place their shoes near the door so Svätý Mikuláš can fill them with sweets and fruit. During Advent there are lots of preparations to be made for Christmas. This includes cleaning the house, baking, shopping and buying the Christmas Tree. Carps are also sold on the streets from big tanks (carp is eaten in the main Christmas meal). Christmas Eve is the most important day during Christmas for Slovaks. It is called ‘Stedry den’ (the Generous Day). The actual evening is called ‘Stedry vecer’ (the Generous Evening) and the Christmas season is called ‘Vianoce’. Slovak Christmas Trees are decorated with colored lights, fruits, hand-made decorations made of wood, baked goods made

with honey in the form of Angels and other religious symbols and sweets. Christmas Trees are kept until January 6th, the Feast of the Three Kings (Epiphany). Then the children are allowed to finally eat the candies and other sweets from the tree. Christmas gifts are brought to children by the Ježíško (Baby Jesus). Family gifts are put under the Christmas Tree. A common tradition is that the children have to leave the room when the presents are being brought by Jesus. When they are there a bell is rung. The children then run to the Christmas Tree to try and see the Baby Jesus but they always narrowly miss him! Then the present are opened. Most people open their presents after the main Christmas meal, although some open them before they eat!

On Christmas Eve morning the carp is killed and gutted (or some other kind of fish is taken out of the freezer!). During the day the supper is cooked. It used to be the custom to fast (not to eat anything) all through Christmas Eve. This was a direction given by the Catholic Church. It was said that if you manage to get by without food for the whole day, you will see a little golden pig in the evening (after the Midnight Mass service)! The main Christmas meal is known as the ‘velija’ and consists of 12 dishes (the number of dishes symbolizes the number of Jesus’s disciples). The table is prepared with a white table cloth with straw and sheaves of wheat at each end. Christmas dinner begins with Oplatky small bread wafers and a blessing. The main Christmas supper varies between regions and families. It normally has lots of courses including a fish dish and ‘Kapustnica’. Kapustnica is a thick cabbage soup with sausage, meat, dried mushrooms and cream. Every family has its own recipe. Some recipes include ingredients that might seem unusual such as dried plums and apples.

In China, only about one percent of people are Christians, so most people only know a few things about Christmas. Because of this, Christmas is only often celebrated in major cities. In these big cities there are Christmas Trees, lights and other decorations on the streets and in department stores. Santa Claus is called ‘Shen Dan Lao Ren’ and has grottos in shops like in Europe and America. The post men might dress up as Santa when delivering letters before Christmas! More young people are celebrating Christmas in cities where Christmas parties are becoming popular and it’s also a time where young couples will be gifts for each other, a bit like Valentine’s day. In Chinese Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Sheng Dan Kuai Le or 圣诞快乐’ in Mandarin and ‘Seng Dan Fai Lok or 聖誕快樂’ in Cantonese. Happy/Merry Christmas in lots more languages. In China, Santa is known as ‘Sheng dan lao ren’ (Traditional:

聖誕老人, Simplified: 圣诞老人; means Old Christmas Man). Only a few people have a Christmas Tree. If people do have a tree it is normally a plastic one and might be decorated with paper chains, paper flowers, and paper lanterns (they might also call it a tree of light). The Christmas Trees that most people would see would be in shopping malls. The strange thing is that most of the world’s plastic Christmas Trees and Christmas decorations are made in China, but the people making them might not have decorations like them in their own homes at Christmas! A tradition that’s becoming popular, on Christmas Eve, is

giving apples. Many stores have apples wrapped up in colored paper for sale. People give apples on Christmas Eve because in Chinese Christmas Eve is called “Ping’an Ye” (平安夜), meaning peaceful or quiet evening, which has been translated from the carol ‘Silent Night’. The word for apple in Mandarin is “píngguǒ” (苹果) which sounds like the word for peace. Some people go Carol singing, although not many people understand them or know about the Christmas Story. Jingle Bells is a popular Christmas song in China! People who are Christians in China go to special services. Going to Midnight Mass services has become very popular.

In Montenegro, Christmas Eve is on 6th January and Christmas Day is on the 7th January because the main Orthodox Churches still use the old ‘Julian’ Calendar. In the Orthodox Church, Advent starts on 28th November and last for six weeks. During Advent, some people fast and they don’t eat food that comes from animals (meat, milk, eggs, etc.). The countries of Serbia and Montenegro share many of the same Christmas traditions. Christmas Eve is called ‘Badnji dan’ during the day and ‘Badnje veče’ after sunset. It’s a time where families prepare for Christmas. Many don’t eat food that comes from animals on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve morning, it was traditional for men to go out into the woods and cut a type of Yule Log called a ‘Badnjak’ (Christmas Eve tree), normally from an oak tree. Now more people live in towns and cities, they can just

buy a Badnjak from the market! The Badnjak is brought into the house on Christmas Eve evening and is meant to burn through the evening and night. Outside churches, there are often large bonfires where people gather in the early evening on Christmas Eve. There are sometimes nativity and Christmas plays put on either outside or inside the churches. People can bring special Badnjak to put on the bonfires. There are two Orthodox Churches in Montenegro. The Serbian Orthodox Church and the Montenegrin Orthodox Church. They have different main Cathedrals and have two

large bonfires outside them on Christmas Eve. ‘Cesnica’ is a special kind of bread made at Christmas and it’s made in a round shape. The bread is passed around and each member of the family gets a piece. There is a coin hidden in it and whoever gets the coin will be particularly fortunate in the next year! At the main Christmas meal you might also eat ‘pecenica’ (roast pork), ‘sarma’ (cabbage stuffed with rice and ground meat) and different kinds of cakes! Under the dinner table there should be some straw as a symbol of the stable/cave where Jesus was born. When the straw is spread out, some people make the noise of a chicken! Clucking like a chicken symbolises that Jesus wanted people to follow him like one big family (like chickens gather together!). It’s also common for a handful of walnuts to be spread on the straw.

Christmas in Switzerland shares many of the customs from its neighbors Germany and Austria. But it has many traditions of its own! Advent marks the start of the Christmas preparations. Advent calendars and crowns are both popular. In some villages, there are ‘real’ advent calendars with different houses decorating an ‘Advent Window’. On the day when it’s your house with the advent window, you hold a party for the villagers in the evening. There’s food, mulled wine (called Glühwein) and music. Christmas markets are very popular in towns and cities where you can buy all kinds of Christmas foods and decorations. There are big light displays and you can enjoy some more hot Glühwein! There are many local traditions of parades and carol singing in Switzerland. In the Bernese Oberland region, there are processions starting on Christmas Day and finishing on New Year’s Eve. They’re known as the ‘Trychle’ as people parade wearing a big Trychler (cow bell) or carrying drums and normally wearing masks. They walk through the streets making lots of noise and

are meant to scare the evil spirits away! The ‘Urnäsch Silvesterkläuse’ processions take place in the Appenzell Ausserrhoden, especially in the villages around Urnäsch. They take place from December 31st to January 13th and date back over 200 years. The people (known as Kläuse in the processions) wear costumes, masks and head dresses. They go from house to house singing and making lots of noise to wish people a good new year. ‘Star Singing’ is also very popular among children. They go carol singing from the last week of Advent until Epiphany, carrying a large star infant of them. The star represents the star that the Wisemen followed when they visited the baby Jesus. In Switzerland St Nicholas is

known as ‘Samichlaus’ and he might visit you on 6th December. You might also be fortunate enough to have some presents from the baby Jesus (or Father Christmas) on the 25th and on Epiphany (6th January) you might be visited by the Befana (in South Switzerland) and/or the Three Kings (in the rest of Switzerland). That’s a lot of present bringers! Christmas Trees are popular in Switzerland and are often bought and decorated on Christmas Eve. Some people like to use real candles on the tree, which are traditionally lit on Christmas Eve (when the presents are being opened!) and on New Year’s Eve (for good luck). The main Christmas meal is eaten on Christmas Eve and popular foods include a Christmas ham and scalloped potatoes with melted cheese and milk baked into it. Desert is often a walnut cake and Christmas cookies. Cookies are very popular to buy and make. Each family has their own recipes and favorites. Another popular food, especially for parties, is fondue (a pot of

melted cheese which you dip bread in - and you might have to kiss the person on your left!).

In Vietnam, Christmas Eve is often more important than Christmas Day. Christmas isn’t an official public holiday and many people think it’s only a holiday for Christians. In Ho Chi Minh city (which is the largest city in Vietnam and used to be called Saigon) people (especially young people) like to go into the city center, where there is a Catholic Cathedral. The streets are crowded with people on Christmas Eve and in the city center cars are not allowed for the night. People celebrate by throwing confetti, taking pictures and enjoying the Christmas decorations and lights of big hotels and department stores. Lots of cafes and restaurants are open for people to enjoy a snack! Not many people in Vietnam are Christians, but some people like to go to

Midnight Mass services to watch the Nativity plays and hear Christmas music. Vietnam used to be part of the French Empire and there are still French influences in the Christmas traditions. All churches, and some Christian homes, will have a nativity crib scene or ‘creche’. Many Catholic churches have a big scene with nearly life size statues of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the shepherds and animals. In some areas of Ho Chi Minh city, usually in Catholic parishes, people have big crib scenes in front of their houses and decorate the

whole street, turning it into a Christmas area! These are popular for people to visit and look at the scenes. Also like in France, the special Christmas Eve meal is called ‘reveillon’ and has a ‘bûche de Noël’ (a chocolate cake in the shape of a log) for desert. Vietnamese people like to give presents of food and at Christmas a bûche de Noël is a popular gift. Other Christmas presents aren’t very common, although some young people like to exchange Christmas cards. It’s very hot for Santa in Vietnam and it can’t be very comfortable wearing all that velvet in a hot country! Santa is called ‘Ông già Noel’ (it means Christmas old man).

In Lebanon, 35% of the population follow a form of Christianity called Maronite Catholic. These Christians build manger scenes in their homes called a Nativity Crib. The crib is more popular than a Christmas Tree. It’s traditional for the scene to be based around a cave rather than a stable. It’s often decorated with sprouted seeds such as chickpeas, broad-beans, lentils, oats and wheat that have been grown on damp cotton wool in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The crib scene then becomes a focus for the prayer of people in the house. Other common Catholic traditions such as going to a midnight mass service are also celebrated in Lebanon. In the capital city, Beirut, big and glamorous Christmas parties are held in major hotels and lots of people like going to them, even if they’re

not Christian. Western-style commercial displays of poinsettias, Christmas lights, holly and community Christmas trees are also becoming more popular, although some people don’t like them as they think they are too commercial. When people visit each other houses over the Christmas period, sugared almonds are often eaten with strong cups of coffee. In Lebanon most people speak Arabic, so Happy/ Merry Christmas is Eid Milad Majid (‫)ديجم داليم ديع‬ which means ‘Glorious Birth Feast’ or you could say Kul

‘am wa enta bi-khair which means ‘may every year find you in good health’. French is also spoken so you could wish people Joyeux Noël! Happy/Merry Christmas in lots more languages. In Lebanon, Santa Claus/ Father Christmas is known as Baba Noël.

Christmas in Nigeria is a family event, a time when lots of family members come together to celebrate and have fun. Most families, that live in cities, travel to the villages where their grandparents and older relatives live. Many different languages are spoken in Nigeria. In Hausa Happy/Mer r y Christmas is ‘barka dà Kirsìmatì’; in Yoruba it’s ‘E ku odun, e ku iye’dun’; in Fulani it’s ‘Jabbama be salla Kirismati’; in Igbo (Ibo) ‘E keresimesi Oma’; in Ibibio ‘Idara ukapade isua’ and it’s Edo it’s ‘Iselogbe’. Many families will throw Christmas parties that will last all night long on Christmas Eve! Then, on Christmas Morning, they go to church to give thanks to God. Homes and streets are often decorated. Most homes will have an artificial

rice, fried rice, vegetable salad and some type of stew.

Christmas tree. Children love to play with firecrackers at Christmas. The church choir may visit the church congregation in their homes to sing Christmas carols to them. Christmas cards are sent to friends and family members. Presents are exchanged amongst family members and some families may take their children dressed in new outfits to see Santa Claus. In addition to serving turkey, a traditional Christmas meal in Nigeria may include beef, goat, sheep, ram or chicken. Other dishes might include pounded yam, jollof