A wonderful Christmas around the world

By Sophie Watkins

A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together!

What is Christmas?

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of the Jesus Christ over 2000 years ago and it translates as ‘the Mass of Christ’.

Every year most cities in the world are dressed up with stylish, sparkling Christmas themed decorations including Christmas trees, lights, garlands and nativity scenes. Shop windows display various items, usually on a ‘snow white’ background, to remind us the season and try and give us the feeling of a white Christmas even living in a tropical country!

This is when children (as well as adults!) are getting excited of the magic of Christmas for about a month beforehand, decorating houses, organising parties, buying presents until the day finally comes. Several figures known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and Santa Claus, among other names, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season.

Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are mostly non-Christian.

Family reunions are mostly on 24, 25 and 26 December and a special meal with fine wine is served. Depending on the country’s traditions the menu will vary. Gift giving takes place on Christmas Day in most countries. Others practice gift giving are on 6 December for Saint Nicholas’ Day in Belgium or Holland, and on 6 January for Epiphany in Spain.

How do we celebrate Christmas around the World?

France: The word “noel” may come from “les bonnes nouvelles”, meaning “the good news”. Children put their shoes in front of the fireplace so Pere Noel (Father Christmas) can fill them with gifts.

The main Christmas meal, called Réveillon, is eaten on 24 December (Christmas Eve). Dishes might include roast turkey with chestnuts or roast goose, oysters, foie gras, lobster, venison and cheeses. For dessert, an ice cream chocolate cake log called “la bûche de Noël” is normally eaten. In the South of France 13 different desserts are eaten which are made from different types of fruits, nuts and pastries.

Spain: Navidad (Christmas) lasts for nearly a month, beginning on 8th December 8th the feast of the Immaculate Conception (the Virgin Mary is the patron saint of Spain) and ending 6 January with the Epiphany. Most families eat their main Christmas meal on Christmas Eve before the Midnight Mass service. The traditional Spanish Christmas dinner is ‘Pavo Trufado de Navidad’ which is Turkey stuffed with truffles (the mushrooms not the chocolate ones!). In Galicia (a region in north-west Spain, surrounded by water) the most popular meal for Christmas is seafood. On Epiphany Eve children leave shoes on windowsills or balconies or under the Christmas tree to be filled with presents by the Wise Men on the morning of Epiphany.

Sweden: Christmas season begins with St. Lucia’s Day on December 13. “Lucia” is Latin for “light”, and the “festival of lights” probably has its roots in pagan solstice celebrations. Swedish girls dress in bridal white to honour Saint Lucia.

Christmas Eve is also very important in Sweden. This is when the main meal (well really a feast!) is eaten. This is often a ‘julbord’ which like a buffet with cold fish such as herring, gravlax (salmon which has been cured in sugar, salt and dill) and smoked salmon, cold meats including turkey, roast beef and ‘julskinka’ (a Christmas ham, some cheeses, liver pate, salads and pickles, meatballs, ‘prinskorv’ (sausages), ‘koldomar’ (meat stuffed cabbage rolls), jellied pigs’ feet, lutfisk (a dried cod served with a thick white sauce) and ‘revbenspjäll’ (oven-roasted pork ribs).

But that’s the end of the meal! Now comes pudding!!! There’s ‘risgrynsgröt’ (rice porridge that’s eaten with ‘hallonsylt’ [raspberry jam] or sprinkled with some cinnamon) or a selection of sweet pastries, some more pepparkakor bisciuts and some homemade sweets! To wash all that food down you can have some ‘glogg’ which is sweet mulled wine and some coffee to finish off the meal.

Presents are normally exchanged on Christmas Eve. People often go to Church early on Christmas morning.

Italy: On Christmas Eve, no food is eaten until after Midnight Mass. Then the main Christmas meal is eaten. The meal includes Italian Christmas Cake called ‘Panettone’ which is like a dry fruity sponge cake.

Epiphany on 6 January is also important in Italy. Children believe that an old lady called ‘Befana’ brings presents for them. The story about Befana bringing presents is very similar to the story of Babouska told in Russia. Children put stockings up by the fireplace for Befana to fill. On Christmas day ‘Babbo Natale’ (Santa Claus) might bring them some small gifts, but the main day for present giving is on Epiphany.

Russia: In the days of the Soviet Union, Christmas was not celebrated very much. New Year was the important time. Now Christmas is celebrated normally on 7 January (only a few Catholics might celebrate it on 25 December). The date is different because the Russian Orthodox Church uses the old ‘Julian’ calendar for religious celebration days.

People then eat ‘sochivo’ or ‘kutia’ – a porridge made from wheat or rice served with honey, poppy seeds, fruit (especially berries and dried fruit like raisins), chopped walnuts or sometimes even fruit jellies! Sauerkraut is main dish in the Christmas Eve meal which can be served with cranberries, cumin, shredded carrot and onion rings. It might be followed by more pies or porridge dishes such as buckwheat with fried onions and fried mushrooms. Dessert is often fruit pies, gingerbread and honey bread cookies and fresh and dried fruit and more nuts.

Greece: the Feast of St. Nicholas on 6 December is a celebration of the patron saint of sailors and fishermen. Boats are decorated with blue and white lights (colors of the Greek flag) and become places to have parties. St. Basil is the Greek “Santa Claus” (not St. Nicholas), and St. Basil’s Day (January 1st) is the time for gift giving.

Going to a Midnight Mass Service is very important for most Greeks. In Greece, presents are often brought to children by Aghios Vassilis (Saint Basil).

Egypt: about 15% of people are Christians. Most Egyptian Christians belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church and they have some very unique traditions for Christmas.

For the 40 days before Christmas Coptic Orthodox Christians fast (don’t eat any meat products except for fish). This is called ‘The Holy Nativity Fast’. The Coptic month leading to Christmas is called Kiahk. People sing special praise songs on Saturday nights before the Sunday Service. Christmas Day isn’t celebrated on the 25 December but on 7 January (like in Ethiopia and by some Orthodox Christians in Russia and Serbia). Santa is called Baba Noël.

The United Kingdom: Most families have a Christmas tree in their house for Christmas. The decorating of the tree is usually a family occasion, with everyone helping. Nativity Plays and Carol Services are also very popular at Christmas time. The Church that I go to always has a Carols by Candlelight Service where the church is only lit up by candles. In the UK, the main Christmas Meal is usually eaten at lunchtime or early afternoon on Christmas Day. It was traditionally roast goose, although it’s common to have turkey now, roast vegetables and stuffing Dessert is often Christmas pudding. Mince pies and lots of chocolates are often eaten as well! The dinner table is decorated with crackers for each person and sometimes flowers and candles.

Armenia: The Armenian Apostolic Church still uses the old Julian Calendar, Christmas is celebrated on 6 January. Santa Claus Gaghant Baba/Kaghand Papa traditionally comes on New Year’s Eve (31 December) because Christmas Day itself is thought of as more of a religious holiday in Armenia. Favourite and traditional foods in Armenia include Anooshaboor (Christmas Pudding), Khozee bood (glazed ham) and dried fruits. Every house is ready with lots of sweets because anyone might knock on the door and come in for a party!

Brazil: Santa Claus is called Papai Noel.

Favourite Christmas foods in Brazil include will be chicken, turkey, ham, rice, salad, pork and fresh and dried fruits. Many people start the Christmas celebrations on Christmas Eve with fireworks and a big churrasco (BBQ).

Philippines: Most Filipinos are Christians with about 80% being Roman Catholics. It’s the only Asian country with so many Christians. During Christmas Eve evening, Christians go to church to hear the last ‘simbang gabi’ or the Christmas Eve mass. This is followed by a midnight feast, called Noche Buena which is a big, open house, celebration with family, friends and neighbors dropping in to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Most households would have several dishes laid out and would normally include: lechon (roasted pig), ham, fruit salad, rice cakes (bibingka and puto bumbong are traditional Christmas foods) and other sweets, steamed rice, and many different types of drinks.

China: 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 know what they are for!!! Only about one percent of people are Christians, so most people only know a few things about Christmas. Because of this, Christmas is often only celebrated in major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing.

South Africa: Traditional ‘fir’ Christmas trees are popular and children leave a stocking out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

The Christmas meal is either turkey (or duck), roast beef, mince pies or suckling pig with yellow rice and raisins and vegetables, followed by Christmas Pudding or a traditional South African desert called Malva Pudding or Lekker Pudding. People also like to pull Christmas Crackers! The meal is often eaten outside in the summer sun! If it’s really hot they might even have a BBQ or ‘braai’.

Even though we all celebrate Christmas with our own tradition food is always the trigger to reunite altogether in any culture and share it with family and friends. Remember never worry about the size of your Christmas tree, in children’s eyes they are all 30 feet tall!

Merry Christmas folks!