Christmas Around the World
December 25, 2015
“Merry Christmas!” (English)
“Fröliche Weihnachten!” (German)
“Linksmu Sventu Kaledu!” (Lithuanian)
“Meri Kurisumasu!” (Japanese)
“¡Feliz Navidad!” (Spanish)
“Eid Milad Majid!” (Arabic)
Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. During the Christmas season, many people set up Nativity scenes that show the baby Jesus surrounded by his parents, visitors called the Magi, shepherds, and various animals. © John Nordell, Getty Images
The Christmas season is a special time of year for many people around the world. There are more than 2 billion Christians worldwide, celebrating Jesus Christ’s birth with a multitude of traditions from early December through early January. Most Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25, but the exact date of Jesus’s birth is unknown. People in different places share some Christmas customs. For example, many people attend special church services, exchange presents, put up Christmas trees and other decorations, and share a big meal. Some customs are unique to a particular group or region. Christmastime can be especially exciting for children, who may get time off from school and receive presents from Santa Claus or other Christmas figures. (Have you ever heard of La Befana? Or how about the Weihnachtsmann? If not, don’t worry; you soon will.) Following is a description of just some of the many, varied customs observed around the world. Perhaps some of them will be familiar to you.
Germany is known for its unique Christmas markets. Town squares fill with booths selling holiday foods and handmade gifts. According to tradition, children in southern Germany receive gifts from the Christkind (Christ child) on Christmas Eve. In northern Germany, gifts come from the Weihnachtsmann (Christmas man).
In the United Kingdom, children look forward to receiving presents from Father Christmas. Popular Christmas foods and beverages include plum pudding and wassail, an alcoholic punch dating from the Middle Ages.
French children are especially lucky, receiving gifts from both Saint Nicholas, on December 6, and Père Noël (Father Christmas), on Christmas Eve. The French eat a rich chocolate cake called a bouche de Noël, shaped like a Yule log, a huge log traditionally burned by northern Europeans.
In Italy, an old woman called La Befana flies through the sky on a broomstick on January 6. She stops to leave children gifts as she searches for the baby Jesus.
In Eastern Europe, Christmas celebrations have been mainly religious. Children receive gifts from Svatý Mikulaš (Saint Nicholas) and the baby Jesus in Slovakia; and from the Star Man, the baby Jesus, or an angel in Poland. A type of Christmas scene called a putz, a miniature Christmas village, is popular in Moravia, in the Czech Republic. Many Polish families share an opłatek, a wafer resembling a Communion wafer. After the head of the family breaks the opłatek and asks God for peace, those present eat a piece of the wafer.
In the United States and Canada, people decorate with Christmas trees and other greens, place presents under the tree, and mail greeting cards. Caroling is popular in some places. Children receive gifts from Santa Claus, and stores hire people to dress up like Santa and visit with children. A traditional Christmas dinner may include roast turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. In Atlantic Canada, some people eat lobster for Christmas. Many people in Quebec follow French customs. Some African Americans combine Christmas with Kwanzaa, a holiday that lasts from December 26 through January 1.
In Mexico and Brazil, children receive gifts from the Three Kings or the Magi on January 6, known as Día de los Reyes or Three Kings Day. In Brazil, Papai Noel (Santa Claus) also has been part of Christmas celebrations since the 1950’s. Mexicans celebrate a nine-day Christmas festival called Las Posadas. From December 16 through 24, they reenact Mary and Joseph’s search for lodgings on the night of Jesus’s birth.
In Egypt and Ethiopia, members of the Coptic Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox churches observe Christmas on January 7. In Egypt, Christmas is mainly a religious festival. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians fast for 40 days before Christmas.
In South Korea and Japan, outdoor light displays are extremely popular. A minority of South Koreans are Christians, but Christmas is a national holiday. Santa Claus is called Santa Haraboji (Grandfather Santa) or Santa Kullosu. Japanese children receive gifts from Santa-san. Businesses and schools remain open, and Christmas dinner usually is restaurant take-out food. A famous Christmas celebration takes place every year at Tokyo Disneyland.
In Australia, which lies south of the equator, Christmas falls during the summer. Many people go to the beach. Australian cities sponsor huge caroling events led by famous local singers.
North, south, east, and west, people celebrate the Nativity in their own special way. But if none of these traditions appeal to you, perhaps you can follow the prescription of Buddy the elf, from the 2003 comic Christmas movie Elf:
“First we’ll make snow angels for two hours, then we’ll go ice skating, then we’ll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse cookie dough as fast as we can, and then we’ll snuggle.”
