Updated on December 21, 2020
Do you know how Christmas is celebrated in the world? Listen to this song and get some ideas. Now think of a country and click here to find out information about Christmas celebrations. Can you find similarities and/or differences with traditions in your country? Write a paragraph as a comment below.
16 Comments on “CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD”
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I clicked on how South Korea celebrates Christmas,and we have some similarities like going to church and making a cake but we have the (basilopita) they have a sponge cake covered with cream.Also some of their pupolation decorate a christmas tree like we do.They have a santa claus too but there it can be seen wearing red and blue!They call him santa kullosu on the other hand we call him agios basilis.Wow!it’s very interesting seeing how Christmas is celebreated around the world
I clicked on Australia and the first thing that shocked me was that they celebrate Christmas at summer. They sometimes go out and sing the christmas carols on Christmas Eve. They also decorate their yards with christmas trees, christmas lights and sometimes the neighbors visit each other and have mini competitions for who has the most christmasy house. Australians often have Christmas Crackers at Christmas meal times The kids’ presents are also under the tree like us.They also call Santa Claus like Americans and British people. It’s interesting to know how other countries celebrate Christmas!
I decided to write about Christmas in Canada. We have a lot of customs in common with them.
Canadians like to decorate their houses with Christmas Trees, lights and other decorations as we do but they also hung Christmas stockings by the fireplace. Another similarity we have is that they believe in Santa Claus\Agios Vasillis but they also have the Santa Claus Parade.
Opposite to us they open their gifts on Christmas Eve than Christmas Morning. Also because of their weather they can enjoy snow at Christmas by going skiing and skating.
The main Christmas meal in Canada is often roast turkey, mashed potatoes and vegetables. As a dessert they eat Christmas/plum puddings and mincemeat tarts or a rich fruit Christmas Cake.
One big and funny tradition takes place on the south shore of Nova Scotia, over Christmas and it is called Belsnickeling. In this tradition people dress up in funny Santa costumes and go from house to house until the home owners guess who you were. Then the Belsnicklers are served Christmas cake or cookies.
Finally, many Canadian families have cookie-baking parties. They bring a recipe for Christmas cookies, bake them and then exchange them with the members of their family.
I enjoyed learning about Christmas in Canada.
I decided to write about how the United States of America celebrates Christmas. We have some similarities like going to church and celebrate the birth of Jesus.Also we make the basilopita and the Americans make the gingerbread houses covered with marshmallows, cream and sweets.Americans also send out Christmas cards and carol singing like us! In USA, the kids wait for Santa Claus come their homes.On the contrary, in Greece the kids wait for Agio Basili come to their homes and give them presents.In America and Greece people put some cookies and a glass of milk as a snack for Santa on Christmas Eve! It’s so interesting to learn how other people celebrate Christmas around the world!!!
Marianna G.
I decided to write about Spain.
There are some similarities with Spain and Greece on how they celebrate Christmas. Spanish children, also sing Christmas carols hoping to take money. Spanish people, usually eat meat on Christmas day. But they neither eat lamb nor pork like Greek people do. They eat turkey or hen. Nowadays, Spanish people eat seafood on Christmas. Last but not least, they celebrate the Epiphany on the 6th of January too. I enjoyed learning about Christmas traditions around the world.
I decided to write about Christmas in Hong Kong. They have a lot of customs and many as same as us, like, we both sing the Christmas carols. We also visit the Christmas markets. We also decorate our homes with Christmas trees that we decorate with Christmas balls, lights, candy canes and angels. We also believe in Santa Claus that goes with his sleigh all over the world and gives presents to the children.
On the other hand we have many differences like the Christmas cards or the people that they don’t like buy cards make them by themselves with a Chinese tecnic that they send to everybody they now not like that we send emails or messeges. They also decorate there homes with the same decor, but they decorate and some flowers that it called poinsettias flowers and tinsels. They have at last but not least the Winterfest that we haven’t. The Winterfest is a huge party that shops and theme parks get involved and they light the sky with fireworks.
It’s so interesting learning about other countries and is enjoyable to know that you have some same traditions-customs with other countries.
George Paha.
I decided to write about Great Britain because, Greece and Great Britain have some similarities on the way they celebrate Christmas.
The British people decorate their houses with a Christmas tree and lots of beautiful lights.British children believe in Santa Claus or Father Christmas and write letters to him,like we do. The children also, leave mince pies or milk for Santa Claus to eat and drink when he arrives to their homes.
But on Christmas Day we have some differences.In Great Britain all the family gathers in a house and they eat together roast turkey with roast vegetables like carrots and peas. After their lunch they eat the Christmas cake which is a fruit cake with icing on the top. Instead in Greece, we eat pork meat with potatoes or rice and as a dessert we eat melomakarona and kourampiedes which are traditional Christmas sweets.
It is so intresting to learn about how Christmas is celebrated in other countries.
I decided to write about how people in Mexico celebrate Christmas. First of all, they celebrate Christmas from December the 12th until January the 6th. They also perform Posada and they celebrate for Joseph and Mary when they were looking for some place to stay. Posada means motel or accommodation. For the Posadas, the outside of houses are decorated with moss garlands and paper lanterns. They go to the church like we do. They have parties till Christmas Eve, they play piñatas and they fill them with candies and little presents. That’s how people in Mexico celebrate
Christmas.
I decided to write about Christmas in Brazil. They go to the church, they decorate their tree, they light up colorful fireworks and they eat turkey, salads and fruits, like us in Greece. They also play a game that is called “Secret Santa”. People have to give small gifts in December using a nickname and in Christmas Day they reveal who was their Secret Santa. In December the workers get twice than the normal amount of money because they want to help the boost of the economy. In Brazil they call Santa Claus, “Papai Noel” or “Bom Velhinho”. The children leave a sock near a window at Christmas night and if Papai Noel finds it, he will change it into a present. The most popular Christmas song in Brazil is “Noite Feliz”. Santa Claus costumes are the same in USA and Brazil, but Brazil has summer at Christmas so they wear big fur and outside is very hot.
I have chosen Armenia. They eat a lot of different food than us. On Christmas Eve they eat rice , fish , wheat and soup . Their desserts are dried fruit and nuts !!! Also they celebrate Christmas on January 6th. I ‘m very lucky that I wasn’t born in Armenia because I hate rice , fish and soup !!! Santa Claus comes on New Years Eve instead of Christmas, because Christmas day is more of a holiday in Armenia.
Christmas in Poland is as exciting as ours. We have a lot of similarities. One of them is that they go to church as we do. Secondly they decorate the city as we do. Also, they decorate christmas trees as we do. However, we also have differences. For example, Santa Claus is called St Nicholas . Also St Nicholas brings the presents on December, 6th. They make advent calentars there. Also at the table there are 12 dishes because they bring good luck. There is a myth that says that at midnight the animals can talk. One last tradition of Poland is when the children in school take part in Nativity Plays. They are very popular and often more secular .
I decided to write about Christmas in Italy.
Italian people have Nativity crib scenes that help them tell the story of Christmas as we have but in Italy they don’t put baby Jesus in the manger until the evening/night of December 24th,they often make their own nativity scenes and figures that are colorful too. The first difference is that children in Italy go out singing the Carols and playing songs on shepherd pipes wearing shepherd sandals and hats. The second difference is that Italians have a cake called Panettone that is made with dry fruits and its spongy; they usually serve it with hot chocolate after the Mass.The third difference is that Italian people have a ”Ceppo”or Yule Log which they burn through the Christmas season. Italian Merry Christmas is ”Buon Natale ”, in Sicilia ”Bon Natali” and in Latin ”Bon/Bun Nadel”. The last difference is that in Epiphany night, children think that an old lady, Befana, brings presents for them. The children put stockings up by the fireplace for Befana to fill. In Northern Italy the three kings bring you presets. ”Babbo Natale ”bring children smaller gifts ,the Epiphany day is the main day of Christmas.
I decided to write about China.
China has very few similar traditions wth Greece . They decorate chistmas trees but not with glass balls but with paper chains, flowers and lanterns. Also the people that make these decorations don’t usually have them in their houses. Not many people in China are christians so this happens only in major cities. They also give presents but not regular presents like toys,books and clothes, they give apples. The groccery stores sell apples wrapped in colored paper and the people who buy them, put them under the christmas tree for the kid to open.
In Argetina the weather is usually warm at Christmas.Preperations begin early in December and sometimes in November.In Argentina many people are Catholic so they celebrate Advent.
In Argentina they decorate their houses like us, with Christmas trees, lights and wreaths of red,gold,green and white flowers. An important decoration is “pesebre”.It’s usually under or next to Christmas tree.
In Argetina Christmas cards aren’t usual and they give presents only between close friends and family.
Special Christmas celebrations start at Christmas Eve. Many Catholics go to a mass in the late afternoon.
The food that they usually have is roasted turkey, roasted pork (in northern Argentina, some people will have goat), ‘vitel toné’ (slices of veal served with a creamy anchovy and tuna sauce), stuffed tomatoes, salads and lots of different sandwiches like ‘pan de atun’ (special tuna sandwiches), ‘sandwiches de miga’ (sandwiches made of thin white bread without the crusts – they can be single, double or multi-layered!) and ‘torre de panqueques’ (a sandwich ‘cake’ made from several layers of tortillas with different fillings).
Dessert can be Christmas bread and puddings like ‘Pan Dulce’ and Panetone as well as fruit salad, ice cream and different sorts of pies. There will also be sweets like chocolate raisins, sugar-coated peanuts or almonds, ‘mantecol’ (a semi-soft nougat made from peanut butter) and different kinds of ‘turron’ (hard nougat).
At midnight,if you look at the sky you wwil se a lot of fireworks.People also like the ”toast” start of Christmas Day.Some people go out to midnight services,clubs and parties, some other prefer to stay inside and open their presents under the Chritsamas tree.
We have Santa Claus but in Argentina children believe at ‘Papá Noel’ (Father Christmas) or ‘El Niño Diós’ (the Baby Jesus) will give them their presents at Christmas Eve.However some other children believe at Reyes Magos’ (The Three Wise Men) will bring their gifts and they wait until Epiphany (6th of January)!!
Another Christmas Eve tradition are ”globos”.This tradition it looks like Chinese Lanterns, paper decorations with a light inside that float into the sky!!
In Argentina they say so Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Feliz Navidad’!!!
I clicked on how they celebrate Christmas in Russia because I want to know more things about my second country.There Christmas is not a very big,loud and fancy celebration.It’s more like a relaxing and family day after the huge New Year party!They celebrate it at January 7th.People decorate real trees and eat and drink a LOT.Kids dance and sing around the Christmas tree, calling Дед Мороз,in other words Santa Claus or Grandpa Frost and his granddaughter Снегурочка in other words the one who helps him the Snow Maiden.Beyond all that the main thing they do in Russia is celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.The day of the birth of Christ.That’s why everyone goes to church.
I clicked “Christmas in Mexico” and I learned many interesting things.
In Mexico they celebrate Christmas from December 12th to January 6th. From Christmas Eve (December 12th) they celebrate “Posadas” .This celebrates the part of a Christmas story were Mary and Joseph looked for somewhere to stay. Kinds are giving candles and painting with Mary riding a donkey. There is also another type of Christmas known as “Pastorelas”.This is another story that says that the Shepherds tried to find litlle Jesus,and devil tried to stop them.But at the end they got there and helped Mary with giving her food and finding warm clothes for little Jesus. They also gave presents to the baby.