The festive season is here! Beautifully adorned Christmas trees and lights are brightening up houses around the world as families prepares to celebrate the most popular holiday of the year.
Around the world, Christmas is a festive time enshrined in tradition and each country has its own unique way to commemorate this fundamentally Christian celebration.
In keeping with the religious tradition of Christmas, the nativity scene is widely used internationally in households, churches and shopping centres to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas—the birth of Jesus Christ.
Australia is no exception when it comes to celebrating the joys of Christmas. It is a special time of year as families and friends come together to give and receive gifts, share good company and, more often than not, over-indulge in great food and drink.
Throughout Australia, it almost seems that Mother Nature is playing along with the red and green Christmas colour theme, as a generous smattering of colourful poinsettia blossoms appear over the landscape at the beginning of December. The poinsettia plant is not just a symbol of Christmas festive times in Australia, however; it is also deeply planted in the history of Christmas in America. Over a century ago, Dr Joel Poinsett, the first US ambassador to Mexico, brought the radiant red, star-shaped poinsettia to America.
The Mexicans tell the following legend about the poinsettia. A little girl, Maria, and her brother Pablo were so poor that they had no gift to give the Christ child at their church’s Christmas manger scene. Along the way they picked green plants and when they set them up around the child, the plants turned a beautiful red and looked like a star. Poinsettia plants are still a very popular decoration today in America.
Here are a few unique Christmas traditions from around the world that you could easily incorporate into your Christmas traditions.
Père Noël in France
Children in France leave their shoes by the fireplace on Christmas Eve so that Père Noël can fill them with presents. This is one international tradition that is easy to include into your annual celebration.
Christmas rice from Brazil
There are no white Christmases in Brazil. In the southern hemisphere, Christmas falls in the middle of summer and Papai Noel typically dons his silk suit to keep cool. The warm weather doesn’t stop Brazilians from eating a traditional meal of turkey or ham. One of their side dishes is rice cooked in milk and flavoured with cinnamon – “Christmas Rice”. Surprise your family with a new side dish this year and add a little Brazilian flair to your Christmas dinner.
Paper decorations from China
Even though China doesn’t have a large Christian population, Christmas is still a popular celebration. Children, awaiting a visit from Dun Che Lao Ren, decorate their tree with homemade paper goods, including flowers, chains and lanterns. Spend an afternoon with your family making some traditional Chinese decorations for your tree.
Christmas cake from India
Although India has a very diverse population, Christmas is a national holiday for everyone. In the southern regions of India, Christmas cake is the dessert of choice. These cakes are usually prepared a week in advance. They are easy to make and are a great addition to your Christmas meal.
Christmas in January for Russians
Christmas in January? Russia’s largely Orthodox population celebrates Christmas on January 7, as the Orthodox Church follows the Julian calendar. The Russian Christmas dinner is meatless and features a dish called Kutya, which is a blend of berries, nuts and honey. On January 7 you and your family can make Kutya in honour of the Orthodox Russians who are celebrating their Christmas.
Australia is easily recognised as a wonderful melting pot of cultural diversity. With all of these great ideas, you could transform your Christmas this year into a truly diverse experience for all your family and friends. If you’re happy to keep the theme a little closer to home, you could research your ethnic heritage and the customs you might be still practising if you hadn’t been born in Australia.
Have fun experimenting and create some new traditions this year.
Happy Christmas!
