How is Christmas celebrated around the globe?’ Do you get excited when Christmas is near? Then, you must know how your favorite festival is honored around the world. I’m sure; you will be left spell bound!
But before that, do you know why it’s celebrated? Let us tell you. It takes place to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ because he sacrificed a lot for the people so that they could escape the evils of the corruption and once again reconnect with God, the supreme power. Thus, his death was a way of connecting people to the god !!
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Let’s see how Christmas is celebrated all over the world:
#1. Christmas Celebrated In France
In many places of France, the most loved festival Christmas is celebrated starting with St. Nicholas Day on December 6. Children are happy as they receive abundance of sweets and little gifts. That’s not enough! Cities in France are beautifully decorated especially the Alsace region where it said that the premier decorated Christmas trees showed up in the fourteenth century. On the eve of Christmas, kids are seen leaving their polished shoes in front of the chimney and wish that the Father Christmas fills their shoes with immense sweets. Also, the festival day is a national holiday and families come together for a humungous feast. Are you ready with your polished shoes for the upcoming Christmas?
#2. Christmas Celebrated in Italy
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A nativity scene, a ‘presepe’ is generally set up in churches, town squares and in houses many times in Italy as it’s the most pivotal part of the festival celebrations. The display of the nativity scene with a crib filled with straw has originally come from Italy and is now a common sight in numerous countries around the world. ‘Babbo Natale’, that’s how the father of Christmas is called in Italian gives out presents to children on the festival day. Although, gifts are given to a lot of families on January 6 which is known as the day of Epiphany. People greet each other ‘Merry Christmas’ to each other.
#3. Christmas Celebrated in Germany
Many Christmas markets are placed on main squares in a lot of cities in weeks coming near to the festival. In December, houses of people are embellished with lights and ornaments; nevertheless, the festival tree is usually set up in the houses in the morning time on December 24. All the shops shut down early on the eve of Christmas so don’t forget to do your shopping till lunchtime. Get up on time and don’t forget to start with your shopping free for Christmas!
#4. Christmas Celebrated In Singapore
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About two in ten people in the country Singapore hold faith in the religion of Christianity. The festival is way too commercialized in Singapore and tiny fairy lights are used as decorations by the people. Although, the marvelous decorations are seen everywhere in the main shopping area which is called Orchard road. So, have you planned your trip to Singapore yet?
#5. Christmas Celebrates in the United States
In the United States, Christmas is celebrated on two dates, namely, December 25 and 26. Also, innumerable families come together for a festive meal post exchange of gifts. December 26, which is known as the boxing day, friends and families visit each other to give gifts. It is their custom to send Christmas cards and some people just write ‘Merry Xmas’ on the cards. They write ‘Xmas’ because ‘X’ means the cross and ‘Xmas’ stands for Christmas.
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Christmas is my favorite festival. Who doesn’t love Christmas? It is that time of the year where the city is filled with lights, color and celebrations. People are happy and making merry. All of the people meet their families and friends. There is no stress and every person is hopeful of a bright future. They all wish for good things to arrive next year. There is music, food and alcohol everywhere. At home or at work people celebrate humanity, the birth of Christ and all that the God symbolizes. It is the most happening time for adults as well as the kids. Kids enjoy the festival as they get to eat a lot of good food and they can spend time with family members who may not be living around. Kids love the gifts and going to church for carols. They love the idea of Santa coming home at night to keep gifts for them. at least, this time of the year the kids behave well.
There are different Christmas celebrations around the world. We celebrate it differently at my home. We first meet all the family members and friends a week before Christmas and then we go out of the city or the country to celebrate it. We go to different countries and then celebrate Christmas the way they do. We become one of them and live like them. This teaches our children to respect other people and their cultures along with ours. They should know the real meaning of Christmas which they cannot know here at home. Children learn better when they see things and observe so when we go to new places they learn new things by observing the people. Hence, we enjoy and learn altogether. The family gets to spend time together. The rest of the year we all stay busy in our work or hanging out with our friends that we forget to spend time with the family. During Christmas, the family bonds well and the family becomes stronger. I am sure families across have similar Christmas celebrations around the world. Love, kindness, compassion and peace is what we all preach and we should follow. It is the duty of the parents to teach the kids and enjoy as much as possible. The snow, the tree decoration, and opening of gifts create memories that we cherish throughout our lives.
Christmas is one of the most loved festivals in the world. Scouting the internet about how Christmas is celebrated around the world, I came across several traditions but the ones I found the most interesting are mentioned below.
The one that tops my list is Austria which has its unique way of observing it. Rather than dressing up as Santa and distributing gifts, Austrians take to streets to be terrified by Santa’s evil companion, Krampus. As per German folklore, Krampus beats naughty children and takes them with him. That is some Christmas for you.
You may very well already know, Australia is the only country in the world where Christmas is observed in the summer season, but what you may not know is that their way of celebrating Christmas is also quite different. Rather than a traditional meal, most Aussies prefer a delicious BBQed one. Even their depiction of Santa is a bit different as his sleigh is pulled by kangaroos instead of reindeers.
In Venezuela, which is predominantly a Roman Catholic nation, people make it a point to visit church every morning in the 10 days before Christmas. But since this is a special occasion, they do something different during this time. In Caracas, the national capital, they travel to church early morning on roller skates. Yes, it’s true. The authorities even clear roads so churchgoers can find a safe passage to their nearby church.
Sweden has a 50-year old tradition of erecting a giant Gävle Goat on the first day of Advent in the middle of the Gavle Castle Square. However, what’s more interesting than it being erected is it being taken down. In just 50 years, it has been burnt down or damaged more than 35 times. While sometimes people drive into it, mostly it is arsonists who set it ablaze.
People might have different ways of celebrating Christmas, but one thing is for sure that it is fun no matter where you go.