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Christmas Around the World
Christmas is the
birthplace of traditions: Bethlehem, Germany and England
Christmas as celebrated today, is a culmination of centuries
of traditions that are religious and secular and which came
from different countries around the world.
It is interesting to look at some of the general ways in
which Christmas is celebrated in these countries. The
traditions examined for each country will be examples of
some of the things that are unique to that country and which
are done today, or which were once done by people in those
countries.
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To begin, it is symbolic
to look at the town of Bethlehem, which is believed
to be the birth- place of Jesus. The Church of the
Nativity is located in Bethlehem and at Christmas it
is decorated with a lot of flags and other Christmas
decorations. A very large crowd usually gathers at
The Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve to watch
a dramatic procession of horsemen, led by police who
are mounted on Arabian horses.
Following the police in the procession, is a horseman
who carries a cross, followed by churchmen and
government officials. Members of the procession
solemnly enter the doors of the Church of the
Nativity and place an ancient effigy of Jesus in the
church. A silver star located deep in an underground
cave-like section of the church marks the site where
Jesus was born. A star is also set on top of a pole
in the town's square. In Bethlehem, homes of
Christians usually have a cross over the door and a
manger scene is usually set up inside the house.
In Germany, home of the Christmas tree tradition, the
Christmas tree is not seen until Christmas Eve. The
tree is usually kept in a special room, and decorated
with lights, ornaments, tinsels, angels, candies,
nuts and cookies. It is then lighted, the presents
placed underneath and then shown to the delight of
children on Christmas Eve.
In Holland, December 6 is known as St. Nicholas Day
when Santa visits the homes of boys and girls. On the
day before, December 5, children leave a shoe or boot
outside or by the fireplace for Santa Claus. If they
have been good, he places gifts and candies inside
the shoe. But if they have been naughty, children
will find twigs or a rod in their shoe.
Many traditions in England are similar to those in
the United States because such traditions originated
in England and were brought to the United States by
immigrants. The tradition of sending Christmas
greeting- cards started in England and is still
popular at Christmas, as well as the tradition of
neigh- borhood caroling on Christmas Eve. Children
also hang stockings on Christmas Eve in anticipation
of Santa Claus filling them with Christmas gifts or
treats. The holly, ivy and mistletoe are also used a
lot in Christmas decorations.
In England, the traditional Christmas Dinner is roast
turkey, goose or chicken with stuffing, vegetables
and roast potatoes. Dessert consists of Christmas
pudding with brandy sauce. A rich, fruit-filled
Christmas cake may also be enjoyed later in the day.
A tradition of pulling Christmas crackers also goes
with the serving of food on Christmas Day.
A cracker is a paper tube that contains a party hat,
riddle, toy or trinket, and is brightly colored and
twisted at both ends. It gives out a crack as the
contents pop out when it is pulled at each end. Also
on Christmas afternoon, the Queen broadcasts a
Christmas message to the nation, which is heard on
radio and television. The day after Christmas is a
holiday that is known as Boxing Day.
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