Christmas Days are near and the English are shopping for presents, decorating their homes and getting excited for the big celebration. Due to the rich variety of ethnicities in the corridors of Coventry University, the traditions and stories vary almost as much as the countries. From Europe to South Asia and from South America to Australia, everyone has something to share as to how they celebrate Christmas.
Christmas in Belgium
 In Belgium the most important part of decorations is the Christmas garland with four candles. According to Pieter Baeyaert, “the Belgian tradition commands each candle to be lit on every Sunday before Christmas, whereby all four candles are already lit on Christmas Day”.
The whole family gathers for a meal on Christmas Eve. There are not many typical dishes, though Belgians traditionally serve “cougnolle” (sweetened bread) and “la bûche de Noël” (literally Christmas log) – a very rich chocolate butter cream dessert.
Christmas Day is a family day, preceded by midnight mass on Christmas Eve and celebrated with a lot of Glühwein – a special hot wine with herbs, berries and cinnamon. Three weeks after Christmas everyone burns their Christmas trees in the village centre.
Presents are not that popular in Belgium. According to Mathias Kersschot, “Santa Claus isn’t really related to the presents, though. His figure has more of a commercial significance.”
Christmas in France
 Family is the most important thing for a lovely Christmas in France. Everyone gathers on Christmas Eve for a big dinner, which includes turkey, smoked salmon, the traditional “foie gras” (goose pate) and “noix de saint jacques” (scallops). A typical Christmas dessert, similarly to Belgium, is the famous “bûche de noel”.
Christmas presents are placed under the tree along with everyone’s shoes, and it’s "Père Noël" that gives presents to the children. Julie Bourget said: “When I was a kid we finished our dinner, left a carrot and some milk for Santa, went to bed and woke up to open the presents. But now we wait until midnight and open the presents drinking wine.”
Decorations include a Christmas tree bought in the beginning of December and decorated with the family. According to Amandine Fallie, Christmas is an entirely family holiday: “We drink beers and champagne and we spend both days with our family and exchange presents.”
Christmas in Poland
 In Poland Christmas celebrations begin in the evening of December 24. Aleksandra Styś shared: “The dinner begins when the first star rises on the sky, symbolising the Bethlehem star which guided the Three Kings”. The Polish fasts finish on Christmas Day and thus the dinner on December 24 is always meatless.
The family gathers and says a prayer. There is one extra chair left for unexpected guests. By tradition there are twelve dishes on the table. They are different depending on the region of Poland, but usually include "barszcz czerwony" (beet soup), "pierogi z kapustą i grzybami" – small cakes with cabbage and mushrooms and "karp smażony" (fried carp). A typical dish is "kutia" – a type of sweet gruel (with poppy seeds, honey, raisins and nuts).
After dinner everyone opens the presents under the tree. Then the family goes to midnight mass, where they sing Christmas songs.
Christmas in Romania
 An important part of the Christmas celebration in Romania is the sacrifice of the pork, which is a ritual where the man in the family makes the sign of the cross on the pig’s head, while saying “Let’s eat the pig.” A part of the meat is given to the poor and the rest is enjoyed during Christmas dinner.
Most dishes are made from pork. Traditional from them is “sărmăluţe” (rice and pork wrapped in cabbage leaf). Another typical dish is “salată de boeuf” (potato salad with beef). Dessert is typically the “cozonac” (a sweet sponge cake) and plenty of fruits. Beverages include a hot cup of wine or tea.
Christmas carols are popular in Romania. Carol singers go from door to door singing Christmas songs. For Romeo Bosna, Christmas is all about spirit: “I like to believe that Christmas is not something you do, it’s something you feel. It’s all about feeling right. I try to change the direction of the next year.”
Christmas in Lithuania
 In Lithuania Christmas begins in the evening of December 24 with a family dinner. The dinner commences when the first star rises on the sky, which symbolises the Bethlehem star. The family has gathered and says a prayer before they begin to eat.
The tradition commands there should be twelve dishes on the table and they often include “silkė su morkomis” (herring with carrots), mushrooms, fruits and vegetables. Lithuanians fast before Christmas and the dinner on December 24 is meatless. Traditional desserts are “kisielius” (cranberry pudding) and "Kūčiukai" – small lightly sweet cakes with poppy seeds.
“The morning of the first Christmas day we go and search for the presents under the tree”, said Rima Zilinskaite. According to her, the presents must be given from someone to someone. The two Christmas days are generally spent with the family talking and playing different games.
Christmas in Hungary
 In Hungary, Santa Claus does not bring the presents - he comes earlier, on December 6 and brings chocolate for the good children. For Christmas the presents are brought by the Child Jesus and/or the angels. Csilla Domotor said: “In many families even the Christmas tree is carried by the angels, but in ours it's always the children's rule to decorate the tree on the December 24.”
Hungarians also fast on the day of December 24. After the late lunch, which includes “halászlé” (carp soup, eaten with pasta), is time for presents. Afterwards, the fast is over and the celebration begins with pastries, fresh and sun-dried fruits and nuts with honey. The most typical pastry is called "bejgli" (strudel-like full of minced poppy-seeds or minced nuts).
The evening is filled with games and laughter. The religious part of the family goes to midnight mass. On the next two days people visit relatives and close friends.
Christmas in Slovakia
 In Slovakia the biggest part of the Christmas decorations is the Christmas tree, established shortly before Christmas. On the eve of December 24 the family gathers for a meal. Dinner consists of two main dishes – “kapustnica” (sauerkraut soup with mushrooms and sausages) and fish, the symbol of Jesus Christ.
Typical sweets are called “bobalki” – small dough balls with poppy seeds and honey. The table also includes apples, oranges, pineapples, bananas, nuts and other cakes. After dinner Slovaks open the presents left under the tree by the “baby Jesus”.
The celebration includes plenty of drinks. Dávid Csóka revealed: “We drink wine (otherwise we do it all the time), I don’t know what the case at other houses is, but in my family we drink “palinka” (home-made firewater from plums or pears, yummy...).”
Christmas in Ukraine
 Unlike most of Europe, Ukrainians celebrate Christmas on January 6, because the official religion is Greek Orthodox.
The tradition declares there have to be twelve dishes on the table, as they symbolise the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Traditionally, Ukrainians fast on Christmas Eve, so all food must be free of animal products. The most important dish on the table is “кутя” (pronounced kutia) which is similar to the Polish gruel with the same name. A typical Christmas drink is “узвар” (uzvar) made of dried fruit.
The typical Christmas songs are called “колядки” (koliadki), performed by the children door to door. Before or after dinner the family goes to church for a liturgy. When it comes to presents, though, Olga Kundys revealed another difference: “It was never common to give presents on Christmas. Now, with all the publicity and the TV it does become popular, but it’s not even close to being a tradition.”
Christmas in Germany
 In Germany, the preparations for Christmas begin four Sundays before December 25. From then on, Christmas markets are open with lots of traditional treats like kandierte Kastanien (sweet chestnuts) or gebrannte Mandeln (roasted almonds) and bratwursts.
In the night of Christmas Eve presents are secretly brought to the good children by the Christkind - the messenger of Jesus Christ. Petya Metodieva shared an interesting superstition: “It is said that if the sky is red in the time between first Advent and Christmas Day, the Christkind is baking ‘Weihnachtsgebäck’ (butter cookies).”
Shortly before Christmas Eve, the Germans decorate their homes. Traditionally, there is a big family dinner on this evening, with “Weihnachtsgans” (roasted goose) filled with apples, chestnuts, or prunes, and served with red cabbage and potato dumplings. Alternatively, many Germans serve the "Weihnachtskarpfen" - Christmas carp. Besides beer and “Glühwein” (mulled wine), another typical drink is the “Eierlikör” (Eggnog).
Christmas in Holland
 “For Dutch people Christmas is not the biggest holiday of the year, even though it’s still quite important”, says Julia Peeters. The biggest holiday is actually “Sinterklaas” (Santa Claus), which is celebrated on December 5th. Christmas preparations and decorations start after.
The tradition is simple – the family gathers on Christmas Eve and goes to midnight mass. The next day starts with an early morning Christmas breakfast and then continues throughout the next two days with a big feast with a lot of food and wine.
Traditional meals could include meats, roast pork, fondues or gourmetten (a style of eating that involves a grill on the table so that everyone can cook bite-sized pieces of meat and vegetables themselves). Hardly anyone prepares turkey. Dutch Christmas treats include “speculaas” (spiced cookies), “banket staaf” (pastry logs or letters filled with sweet almond paste), “kerststol” (fruited Christmas loaf) and “kerstkransjes” (Christmas wreath cookies).
Christmas in Bulgaria
 Bulgarians also fast before December 25 and the Christmas Eve dinner is meatless. By tradition, the meals have to be an odd number (7, 9, 11 – three of the holy numbers) or 12 (for the twelve Apostles of Christ).
Traditional dishes include “чушки с боб” (chushki s bob) – peppers with beans and nuts, “сарми” (sarmi) – rice and meat wrapped in cabbage leaf, similar to the Romanian, and “тиквеник” (tikvenik) – sheets of pastry with pumpkin and walnuts. There are fresh and dried fruits, nuts and popcorn, wheat with sugar and ritual round bread, called “питка” (pitka).
The tradition commands the dinner to be left untouched on the table throughout the evening. Radina Choleva explains: “We leave the food on the table because we believe the dead would come over to eat the leftovers.”
Christmas Day begins with the opening of the Christmas presents. The fast is over and dinner includes pork steaks and “баница” (banitza) – sheets of pastry with eggs and cheese, as well as a lot of wine and plumb-based home-made alcohol called “ракия” (rakiya).
Christmas in Australia
 Australians carry out a very different Christmas celebration. Since the climate doesn’t really allow for growing Christmas trees, they are usually artificial. Christmas Day often happens to be the hottest day of the year and a lot of famillies do a barbecue with steaks, sausages and chicken drumsticks.
Nadia Baird said: “When I was younger Christmas meant visiting the familly and the cousins, often swimming in the pool and then going inside for lunch and opening presents together.”
A lot of families go to church either on Christmas Eve or the day. On December 25, similarly to the English, Australians get the Queen’s speech broadcast. Other traditions are also similar – desserts include pudding and trifle and some families might do a roast turkey or lamb.
Nadia added: “Christmas in Australia like most western countries is about the commercial aspects like buying presents for people and going late night shopping in the city with all the decorations up and the window displays.”
Christmas in Mexico
 Christmas is far more interesting in Mexico, where families are large and celebrate together. Suaris Falcon said: “All the family eats together, I mean around 100 people. My mom has thirteen sisters, so nephews, boyfriends, cousins, daughters, everyone is invited.”
The celebration starts with the Christmas afternoon meal, which is a buffet where everyone brings a plate of their own cooked food. That is followed by men playing games and women preparing dinner, which includes soup with four kinds of cheese, turkey and different cakes. A traditional Mexican dish is “bacalao a la vizcaina” – dried salted cod with potatoes, tomatoes, onions, olives, capers and bright red bell peppers.
The interesting part begins after, when Mexicans play drinking games and dance. Traditional drinks include tequila, corona and cocktails such as margaritas and cuba libres. Typical dances are reggeaton, salsa and duranguense – a North Mexican dance. The party also includes karaoke and generally finishes around 5 or 6 am.
Christmas in the Philippines
 Christmas is the most important holiday in the Philippines, although it’s quite different than our idea of a celebration. The Filipinos traditionally place the Parol (a big star made of bamboo and colored papers decorated with blinking lights from the inside, which symbolises the Bethlehem star) in front of their homes.
At dawn most people wake up to attend the dawn mass. After the mass, people usually eat the "puto bumbong" – a rice cake mixed with sugar, margarine and coconut milk cooked inside a fire-heated bamboo trunk.
The dinner brings the family together. “We call this gathering the Noche Buena”, said Michelle Christine Macutay, “during which traditional Filipino Christmas dishes will be served”. Typical food includes the "quezo de bola" – a ball-shaped cheese wrapped in a red package and the "lechon" – a whole roasted pig marinated with milk and other ingredients, as well as fruit salads with native fruits dressed with milk, cream and cheese.
Images’ sources:
Australia – http://thespicemom.files.wordpress.com
Belgium - http://www.ecosalon.com
Bulgaria - http://media.snimka.bg, http://www.picvalley.net
France - http://www1.accsnet.ne.jp, http://i.telegraph.co.uk
Germany - http://seo-smo.de, http://koch.germanblogs.de
Holland - http://www.herdaily.com
Hungary - http://www.gdszeged.hu, http://www.receptbazar.hu
Lithuania - http://www.jovita.lt
Mexico - http://stat001.ameba.jp, http://data.motor-talk.de
Philippines - http://media.photobucket.com
Poland - http://ugotuj.to, http://fredi.uwielbiam.pl
Romania - http://www.retete-prajituri.eu
Slovakia - http://z.about.com, http://dobrejedlo.pluska.sk
Ukraine - http://www.easypedia.gr Labels: journalism |
