It is an established tradition for Christians to celebrate Christmas but the celebration is more varied than we think. This results from geographical separation of places. People from different countries have different Christmas traditions and there are certain aspects that make a nation's Christmas different from another. On the other hand, the holidays are not only celebrated by Christians as there are many non-Christian folks that also celebrate Christmas. Caroling, gift-giving, partying, family gatherings, and giving of personalised Christmas cards are the usual features of Christmas celebrations in different countries. There are some pronounced differences though.
Santa Claus is called Papai Noel in Brazil. You may be surprised to learn that people in Brazil observe Christmas similarly to Americans or British people. Wealthy families usually prepare a lavish meal with turkey, ham, salad, pork, and fruits. The common beverage would be beer. Those with less money would have rice and chicken.
Christmas in France is called Noël and is celebrated with lanterns, ornaments, and classic Christmas trees. French families celebrate it together with wine and meat. French people also give Christmas cards, although giving of holiday cards is much more common in the United States.
People in Hungary call Santa Clause as the winter-grandfather or Mikulas or Tel-Apo. They believe that this being visits them on December 6 and kids should put their shoes outdoors beside the door or window at night so that they could receive their gifts. The shoes then become filled with candies or toys the next morning. The catch is that you would get golden birch if you are a bad kid. The golden birch means you need to be spanked, although it is intended for fun. So if Santa gives gifts on the 6th, who gives gifts on the 24th? Hungarians tell their kids that it is Baby Jesus that gives them presents on Christmas Eve. The tradition is that kids will go to their relatives and then they return home to see their presents with an embellished tree. The tree is adorned with cookies, chocolates, and candles. A feast is served at night and it's a lavish meal with pastries, rice, fish, and so on. A midnight mass is held in every church of Hungary.
It seems kids get the most out of Christmas everywhere. They get presents and that is the best thing about being a youngster. The same thing happens in Portugal where Christmas is a time when kids receive presents from Father Christmas. As usual, the gifts are placed in the shoes near the fireplace or under the Christmas tree. People in Portugal also have a Christmas Eve feast, and the usual stuff on the table is boiled potatoes and salted dry cod-fish. People dine on the midnight of Christmas Eve, and on Christmas day, the kids open their gifts.
People in Germany celebrate Christmas by making their house pretty with holiday decorations. Electric candles are placed in the windows. People make holiday wreaths for the advent season and light one candle every Sunday of Advent. You would usually find wooden cribs for Baby Jesus. The Germans also believe in Father Christmas who brings gifts to children on Christmas Eve. Like you have heard, a church mass is done and people eat goose or carp on Christmas day.
Christmas celebrations in New Zealand are not different really from those in other countries. People put gifts under the tree and they open them on the morning of Christmas. The family gathers on Christmas day to feast on turkey or chicken and drink wine or beer.
Wherever you are in the world, Christmas is certainly a great time for families to gather and celebrate. It is the most wonderful part of the year and there's no doubt about that.
Author Resource:-
Jo is an author and publisher for 'Festive Collection' (http://www.festivecollection.co.uk), the foremost business Christmas card collection of Qubic Print Direct. Festive Collection provides one of the widest variety of custom-made business Christmas cards in the UK. If you wish to send out to your customers and colleagues these unique and made to order personalised Christmas cards they'll remember or if you like to make an extra effort and construct a completely customized card, highlight your own company logo, and name at a negligible additional charge then you ought to have a look at Festive Collection.
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