With Mariah Carey defrosting, the decorations being unboxed and a chill in the air, this could only mean one thing, that Christmas is close! Christmas is a time when families and friends come together to exchange and receive gifts, eat a delicious meal at a small table and tell bad jokes from cheap crackers. But Christmas isn’t just about the presents and the food, it’s about meeting your loved ones or family that you haven’t seen for ages, or even to just sit down with your family that you see every day and actually spend time together without having the distractions of school or work. Christmas is celebrated in many different ways, some people celebrate it earlier some people celebrate it later; everyone has a different tradition that makes their Christmas extra special. Christmas celebrations around the world can vary in form, reflecting differing cultural and national traditions.
In Poland Christmas or ‘’Boże Narodzenie’’, which translates to God’s birth, begins on the 6 December. On this day, well- behaved children receive small gifts, whereas naughty children receive a lump of coal or a twig, called ‘’rózga’’. Then after this, Christmas Eve begins which is known as a day of fasting then of feasting and begins at the first appearance of the star. This celebrates the first appearance of the star Bethlehem that guided the three wise men to the birthplace of Christ. Christmas Eve begins with the Wigilia feast also known as the star supper, where families share around the table the Oplatek, which is a paper- thin square wafer, made of flour and water decorated with an image of the Nativity on it. Everyone at the table (including pets sometimes) breaks off a piece of the wafer and shares a holiday greeting before passing the rest along. The passing of the Oplatek is a way for people to forgive each other for any hurts that have occurred over the year and to wish them happiness for the next one. Then the feast begins, there is no red meat served only fish, or usually carp. The supper, which includes many traditional dinners and desserts sometimes last for over two hours. As well as this, during Advent and all the way to the baptism of Jesus on January 6, the ‘’gwiazdory’’ also known as the star carriers walk through the villages, some sing carols, others recite versus and sometimes nativity scenes are performed.
Four Weeks before Christmas, in Sweden the first Sunday of advent starts the countdown to Christmas also known as ‘’God Jul’’. On this day Swedes light a candle (and blow it out after a while), this is then repeated until all four candles are alight. Families begin to decorate their houses on this day in order to get into the Christmas spirit early. The first Christmas tree in Sweden is mostly decorated with live candles and treats such as fruit and candy, apples were hung up onto he branches. However, as the years went on it become more common for families to make their own decorations with paper and straw. Some families also preferred to build a ‘’Ljuskrona’’ decorated with cut paper. Each Sunday, Swedes enjoy a cup of ‘’glogg’’, which is a hot, spicy mulled wine this is accompanied with ‘’pepparkor’’, which are gingerbread biscuits. Christmas Eve (or ‘’Julafton’’) is a day where Swedes attend church services, then return home to a traditional family dinner, known as ‘’smorgasbord’’, served with ham, pork, fish and a variety of sweets. As well as this, In Sweden, Finland and Norway St Lucia’s day is a special part of the festive season. It is a day that commemorates a woman said to be one of the Christian Martyrs. The day involves a candlelit procession, with the eldest girl in each family dressed up like St Lucia in white gowns, holding candle and a wreath. The girl will also serve the family S-shaped Lucia buns with coffee or mulled wine. Finally, on the 13th January marks the end of the Swedish Christmas and holiday season, children may celebrate this day with a ‘’Knut’s party’’.
In the Philippines, on Christmas day Ninongs and Ninangas present their godchildren, known as ‘inaanak’, with Aguinaldo. This is a gift given either as money or material items. This symbolises affection and care and serves to reinforce the bond between godparents and godchildren. Filipinos take the Christmas season seriously, with big Nochebuena parties on Christmas Eve. Many will attend Mass, called Misa de Riso in the evening, and then feast and dance into the early hours. Decorations often go big too, with the parol, a lighted star lantern, featuring prominently. The celebration of Christmas has deep influences of Catholicism, going back to the Spanish Colonial rule from 1521 to 1898. The Philippines holds the longest running festivity of the Christmas season around the world, beginning on September 1st. As well as this, after Christmas on December 28th Holy Innocent’s Day or ‘’Childermas’’ is celebrated. This is known as a day where people play practical jokes on one another (similar to April fool’s). One of the most common pranks is to borrow money without the intention of paying back so everyone is warned to not lend money out on this day. Victims of these pranks are known as ‘’Na-Niños Inocentes Ka!’’
In Austria, one of their Christmas traditions is for the Krampus to come and visit naughty children on December 6. The half- man, half- goat visits naughty children brandishing sticks and chains looking for children who have not been on their best behaviour that year, to chase after them or even drag them away. However, children who have been good receive a visit from St Nicholas where he gifts them a gold branch to represent their good deeds. Another Austrian Christmas tradition is for families to gather and decorate their own Christmas tree with sparklers and candles. Then families open one living room window to allow the ‘Christkind’ to enter their house and bring present to them, in books and pictures, the ‘ChristKind’ is pictured as a child with blond locks and a halo, then children wait outside the room to hear a bell ring, which signifies that the ‘ChristKind’ as come. Other Austrian Christmas traditions include, making your own ‘Adventkarnz’ (also known as advent wreath), which is made out of fir branches and four small candles. Finally, during Christmas time, lots of native food is cooked and sold at the different Christmas markets. Some examples are the Weiner Schnitzel; which consists of breaded and fried veal or pork cutlets. The Rouladen; which are beef or pork rolls filled with bacon, onion or pickles.
In England, Christmas traditions came from Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert who made putting up a Christmas tree popular, which was a tradition that came from his native country Germany. On the day of Christmas, people exchange gifts based on the Christian tradition associated with Saint Nicholas, and the wise men who gave the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, to the baby Jesus. A traditional English Christmas usually includes a roast turkey, roast potatoes, stuffing, roast carrots and parsnips, Yorkshire puddings and maybe if you want to have them some Brussel sprouts. Then after dinner, most of the family sit down to watch the King’s speech, which is a yearly Christmas tradition and serves as an opportunity for the king to provide a personal message to their subjects. It is a way for them to share their reflections on certain issues they have had to face this year and offer hope and guidance for the New Year. Afterwards, families serve up Christmas pudding, which usually contains a silver coin, and it is said that whoever finds the coin receives good luck and wealth for the next year.
In Poland Christmas or ‘’Boże Narodzenie’’, which translates to God’s birth, begins on the 6 December. On this day, well- behaved children receive small gifts, whereas naughty children receive a lump of coal or a twig, called ‘’rózga’’. Then after this, Christmas Eve begins which is known as a day of fasting then of feasting and begins at the first appearance of the star. This celebrates the first appearance of the star Bethlehem that guided the three wise men to the birthplace of Christ. Christmas Eve begins with the Wigilia feast also known as the star supper, where families share around the table the Oplatek, which is a paper- thin square wafer, made of flour and water decorated with an image of the Nativity on it. Everyone at the table (including pets sometimes) breaks off a piece of the wafer and shares a holiday greeting before passing the rest along. The passing of the Oplatek is a way for people to forgive each other for any hurts that have occurred over the year and to wish them happiness for the next one. Then the feast begins, there is no red meat served only fish, or usually carp. The supper, which includes many traditional dinners and desserts sometimes last for over two hours. As well as this, during Advent and all the way to the baptism of Jesus on January 6, the ‘’gwiazdory’’ also known as the star carriers walk through the villages, some sing carols, others recite versus and sometimes nativity scenes are performed.
Four Weeks before Christmas, in Sweden the first Sunday of advent starts the countdown to Christmas also known as ‘’God Jul’’. On this day Swedes light a candle (and blow it out after a while), this is then repeated until all four candles are alight. Families begin to decorate their houses on this day in order to get into the Christmas spirit early. The first Christmas tree in Sweden is mostly decorated with live candles and treats such as fruit and candy, apples were hung up onto he branches. However, as the years went on it become more common for families to make their own decorations with paper and straw. Some families also preferred to build a ‘’Ljuskrona’’ decorated with cut paper. Each Sunday, Swedes enjoy a cup of ‘’glogg’’, which is a hot, spicy mulled wine this is accompanied with ‘’pepparkor’’, which are gingerbread biscuits. Christmas Eve (or ‘’Julafton’’) is a day where Swedes attend church services, then return home to a traditional family dinner, known as ‘’smorgasbord’’, served with ham, pork, fish and a variety of sweets. As well as this, In Sweden, Finland and Norway St Lucia’s day is a special part of the festive season. It is a day that commemorates a woman said to be one of the Christian Martyrs. The day involves a candlelit procession, with the eldest girl in each family dressed up like St Lucia in white gowns, holding candle and a wreath. The girl will also serve the family S-shaped Lucia buns with coffee or mulled wine. Finally, on the 13th January marks the end of the Swedish Christmas and holiday season, children may celebrate this day with a ‘’Knut’s party’’.
In the Philippines, on Christmas day Ninongs and Ninangas present their godchildren, known as ‘inaanak’, with Aguinaldo. This is a gift given either as money or material items. This symbolises affection and care and serves to reinforce the bond between godparents and godchildren. Filipinos take the Christmas season seriously, with big Nochebuena parties on Christmas Eve. Many will attend Mass, called Misa de Riso in the evening, and then feast and dance into the early hours. Decorations often go big too, with the parol, a lighted star lantern, featuring prominently. The celebration of Christmas has deep influences of Catholicism, going back to the Spanish Colonial rule from 1521 to 1898. The Philippines holds the longest running festivity of the Christmas season around the world, beginning on September 1st. As well as this, after Christmas on December 28th Holy Innocent’s Day or ‘’Childermas’’ is celebrated. This is known as a day where people play practical jokes on one another (similar to April fool’s). One of the most common pranks is to borrow money without the intention of paying back so everyone is warned to not lend money out on this day. Victims of these pranks are known as ‘’Na-Niños Inocentes Ka!’’
In Austria, one of their Christmas traditions is for the Krampus to come and visit naughty children on December 6. The half- man, half- goat visits naughty children brandishing sticks and chains looking for children who have not been on their best behaviour that year, to chase after them or even drag them away. However, children who have been good receive a visit from St Nicholas where he gifts them a gold branch to represent their good deeds. Another Austrian Christmas tradition is for families to gather and decorate their own Christmas tree with sparklers and candles. Then families open one living room window to allow the ‘Christkind’ to enter their house and bring present to them, in books and pictures, the ‘ChristKind’ is pictured as a child with blond locks and a halo, then children wait outside the room to hear a bell ring, which signifies that the ‘ChristKind’ as come. Other Austrian Christmas traditions include, making your own ‘Adventkarnz’ (also known as advent wreath), which is made out of fir branches and four small candles. Finally, during Christmas time, lots of native food is cooked and sold at the different Christmas markets. Some examples are the Weiner Schnitzel; which consists of breaded and fried veal or pork cutlets. The Rouladen; which are beef or pork rolls filled with bacon, onion or pickles.
In England, Christmas traditions came from Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert who made putting up a Christmas tree popular, which was a tradition that came from his native country Germany. On the day of Christmas, people exchange gifts based on the Christian tradition associated with Saint Nicholas, and the wise men who gave the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, to the baby Jesus. A traditional English Christmas usually includes a roast turkey, roast potatoes, stuffing, roast carrots and parsnips, Yorkshire puddings and maybe if you want to have them some Brussel sprouts. Then after dinner, most of the family sit down to watch the King’s speech, which is a yearly Christmas tradition and serves as an opportunity for the king to provide a personal message to their subjects. It is a way for them to share their reflections on certain issues they have had to face this year and offer hope and guidance for the New Year. Afterwards, families serve up Christmas pudding, which usually contains a silver coin, and it is said that whoever finds the coin receives good luck and wealth for the next year.
Emily Holland
18/12/2024
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