Holiday Traditions Around the World
Holiday Traditions Around the World
By: Maya C.
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Top left; many people gather to watch the Carols by Candlelight, 2021. Top Right; a Christmas themed Pavlova. Bottom Left; Many fans gather to watch the boxing day test. Bottom Right; a family gathered to watch Carols by Candlelight.
As the December holidays are fast approaching, here are some holiday traditions around the world that you may not know about. The countries we will be talking about are, Australia, Philippines, Japan, India, and China.
In Australia a very popular event on Christmas Eve is Carols by Candlelight. Many famous singers and bands gather together to sing some Christmas Hits. The money raised is used to donate to charities.
In Australia, December falls as one of the summer months, so many will go to the beach. Cricket is a very popular sport in Australia especially during the holidays. Each year, there is a Boxing Day Test Match (December 26) is hosted which many will go to watch always being held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
In regards to food, generally seafood markets are full with huge lines on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Other popular foods include Pavlova, or Christmas Pudding.
In the Philippines Christmas is arguably the most important holiday of the year. A very popular Christmas decoration, the Parol is very common in the Philippines and can be made from bamboo strips and coloured paper.
However, Christmas is not just a day event as celebrations start in the “ber” months, starting in September. Many supermarkets and neighbourhoods will start decorating in the “ber” months. But, formal celebrations generally start on December 16th.
Top Left; the Philippine Parol lantern during Christmas Time. Top Right; Philippine Mall of Asia’s Christmas decorations, 2016. Bottom Left; Filipinos gather for ‘simbang gabi.’ Bottom right; paper parols used as decorations during Christmas time.
Christmas Eve is very important too, one common tradition is to stay awake all night. Christans go to Christmas Eve mass or ‘simbang gabi.’ This is followed by a midnight feast called ‘Noche Buena.’ In Tagalog, a merry/happy Christmas is ‘Maligayang Pasko.’
While Christmas in Japan is not seen as a celebration, Religious holiday or national holiday, celebrations have increased in the last couple of decades. While some schools close for Christmas, this is not due to the celebrations but that it is the start of New Years holiday.
Many Japanese businesses will treat Christmas as a ‘normal’ working day. If any, decorations for Christmas will be put up in the second week in November but are put away on December 26th due to the New Years decorations. Disneyland is also a popular destination in Tokyo during December. During the New Years holiday, children will usually receive gifts of money in envelopes from their parents.
In terms of food, Japanese Christmas Cake is popular, which is usually a sponge cake with whipped cream and strawberries. The ‘shortcake’ emoji (🍰) is actually also a Japanese Christmas Cake! KFC is also common as there once was a successful advertisement in 1974 called ‘Kentucky for Christmas’ which is now why fried chicken is very popular on Christmas eve/day. Sometimes fast food restaurants will even take orders in advance!
Top Left; KFC in Japan, during Christmas time. Top right; Disneyland in Tokyo during the holiday season. Bottom left; Japanese Christmas cake with strawberries and whipped cream. Bottom right; people line up outside a KFC Restaurant in Japan.
Top left, Santa riding a horse and cart. Top right; a selection of curries for the holidays. Bottom left; a Indian Christmas curry, ready to serve for the holidays. Bottom right; a Dodol, Christmas dessert with coconut, toffee and cashews.
In China Christmas is not a very popular holiday, since only around 1% of the population are Christans. Christmas is mostly celebrated in the major cities. A very popular tradition is to give apples as gifts on Christmas eve. Many shops will sell apples wrapped up in colour paper.
In Chinese, Christmas is called "Ping'an Ye" (平安夜) meaning quiet or peaceful evening. This was translated from the carol “Silent Night.” Some people will go carolling, but many have not heard of them or the Christmas Story. One popular Christmas Carol in China is Jingle Bells, which may be heard in malls or households.
To sum it up, around the world, there are many different Christmas traditions, and while this may vary from country to country. Traditions are a special part of culture, and can include food, languages, songs, and events. There are also many countries that do not count Christmas as a public holiday. These countries include; North Korea, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Mauritania.
Top left; people gather around during the holiday season. Top right; painted Christmas apples made for the celebrations of Christmas. Bottom left; a shop in China is decorated for Christmas. Bottom right; many stores are selling apples wrapped up as gifts for Christmas.
Christmas History
Christmas History
By Amelia F.
Modern-Day Christsmas in America - History Stories.
Have you ever wondered where Christmas came from? How did it all start? How did it become the Christmas we know today?
The origins of Christmas started from Roman and Pagan culture. Saturnalia, a 2 week long festival, was celebrated by the Romans to honor their god of agriculture, Saturn. On Dec 25th, the Romans celebrated the birth of their sun god, Mirtha.
During December, the Pagan found ways to keep the darkness away during the darkest day of the year. The Pagans lit bonfires and candles, and the Romans also incorporated this into their traditions.
Unfortunately, the Pagan and Roman cultures were lost when Christianity spread across Europe. However, because nobody knew Jesus’ birthday, they adapted the Pagan ritual as a celebration for his birthday (December 25).
During the Winter months, the Pagans decorated their homes with evergreen trees in expectation of Spring to come. Because evergreen trees stay green throughout the entire year, they believed it held magic. Strangely enough, they held the trees upside down and hanging from their ceilings. The Romans also did this and decorated their trees with pieces of metal.
Germanic Pagan tribes in Northern Europe decorated their trees with dried fruit and candles to worship the god, Woden. In the 1500s in Germany, Christian faith decorated their trees with toys, lights, and sweets.
But where does Santa Claus come from? Well, St. Nicholas came from Christianity. St. Nicholas was born in Turkey and was a bishop, who was punished for his beliefs. However, he was renowned due to his generosity towards peasants.
St. Nicholas’ most famous legend was how he saved 3 girls from being sold to slavery by throwing gold through an open window in their house. It’s said that the gold landed in a sock hanging by the fireplace to dry. This led to children hanging up socks by a fire in hopes of St. Nick throwing them a gift. On December 6, 343 AD St. Nicholas passed, and now he is honored on Dec. 6, known as St. Nicholas day.
Across Europe, different versions of St. Nicholas were adapted. In Sweden, Jultomen the elf delivers gifts in a sleigh drawn by goats. In other countries, he was known as, “Sinter Klaas.” This name was Americanized and now more commonly known as, “Santa Claus.”
However, at first Americans weren’t fond of Christmas because of its Pagan origins. Nonetheless, European immigrants brought their Christmas traditions with them to America. For example, in the 1600s, the Dutch brought Sinter Klaas with them to New York.
In the 1700s, Germans brought their tree traditions with them. Each community celebrated differently.
In 1822, Clement Clark Moore wrote the poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” for his daughters, which is now more known as Tim Burton’s, “A Nightmare Before Christmas.” Thomas Nast was hired to depict Santa Claus for a coke-a-cola advertisement in 1881. Nast depicted him as a fat, cheerful, white-bearded man in a red suit surrounded by elves. This image of Santa was set in American culture. After the Civil War in America ended in 1865, the country was looking for ways to unite its people. Ulysses S. Grant declared Christmas a federal holiday in 1870.
Clement C. Moore’s, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” poem to his daughters. Illustrated by Darley, Felix Octavius Carr in 1822-1888. Published in 1862, by James G. Gregory.
Santa Claus Through The Years; From European Saint to Blow up statue living in Malls near you
Santa Claus Through The Years; From European Saint to Blow up statue living in Malls near you
By: Rebekah M.
Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, you should know the image of the fat old man in red named Santa Claus. Over the past few decades Santa Claus has become a huge staple for the Christmas Holiday, but where did he come from? And how did he come to be the “jolly fat man” we know and love today. In this article, I will be telling you about the origins of Santa Claus and how he went from being a saint in Europe to advertising for Coca Cola
There are many stories on the origins of Santa but the most popular roots is that of Saint Nicholas of Myra. He was well known across the lands for his kindness and generosity; many of the stories told about him include depictions of him anonymously dropping dowry money into the homes of impoverished families. One story is said that on one of his nightly trips the money landed on stockings hanging above the fire to dry; this is believed to be where the tradition of hanging stockings comes from.
Other than being well known for his anonymous night habits, Saint Nicholas was also admired for his generosity and kindness. He was seen as a patron of children, as shown in other art pieces and tapestries dedicated to him. Saint Nicholas was so beloved that they set a day of celebration which they called “St. Nicholas Feast Day” which took place every December 6th. This holiday is still celebrated to this day by European countries.
The traditions of Saint Nick became less common during the revolutionary era which led him to become a figure of obscurity. That was until 1864 when an illustration was commissioned by Thomas Nast depicting Santa carrying a sack of toys. This initial drawing was the base inspiration for Coca Cola’s depiction of Santa Claus in 1931, depicting him as a large man in all red with a bright face and white beard. This was Coca Cola’s start to the Christmas advertising in the 30s during the Great Depression in the US. Although Coca Cola did not create Santa Claus, contrary to belief, they did play a big role in the launching of the Santa Claus figure all around the world.
Santa Claus, whether it be just a figure adults engrave into your mind as a child, is definitely a big staple of the Christmas season as well as a reminder of our younger days when we still believed in the legend of Santa Claus.
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