Christmas
Source: https://www.history.com/news/christmas-traditions-history
Christmas is a word that comes from Portuguese which means “birth”. Christmas is a Christian holiday that is celebrated annually by Christians on December 25th to commemorate the birthday of Jesus Christ. Christmas is celebrated in the evening religious service on December 24th, and the morning religious service on December 25th. Besides, there are several Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on January 6th.
In general, when entering December, people start buying Christmas equipment such as Christmas trees, lights, balls hanging on the Christmas tree, socks, and many more. After buying Christmas equipment, people usually decorate their house with Christmas utensils. Besides, not a few people have plans to go abroad just to celebrate Christmas because there is a long holiday during the Christmas celebration. So, most people don’t want to bother buying Christmas utensils and decorating their own homes. Usually, people go on vacation to other countries because each country has its way of celebrating Christmas.
Christmas celebrations in each country are different and have their uniqueness. In this article, I will only discuss several countries such as the United States, Australia, Japan, England, and Germany.
1. United States
Source: https://nusadaily.com/food/gingerbread-ini-masih-teman-hangat-bercakap-bersama-sahabat.html
In the United States, people will be busy decorating their homes with Christmas decorations. The atmosphere of Christmas will be very festive and will be seen in the streets, malls, and offices. Besides, traditional Christmas foods such as gingerbread can be found very easily. A few days before Christmas, the Americans will go to church to celebrate Christmas and the Americans usually send Christmas cards to friends and relatives.
2. Australia
Source: https://twistedhistory.net.au/2015/12/24/first-carols-by-candlelight/
In Australia, there is an event that is very popular and only celebrated during Christmas, namely Carols by Candlelight. Carols by candlelight is an event where people in Australia light up candles together at night and sing Christmas carols outside. Besides, because Christmas in Australia occurs in the middle of summer, most families in Australia like to spend Christmas with outdoor activities such as swimming, surfing, and bicycle riding.
3. Japan
Source: https://karsendakakkoii.blogspot.com/2018/12/
In Japan, Christmas is known as a time to spread happiness so that the night is considered the most romantic day where young couples in Japan will spend time together and exchange gifts. The Christmas celebrations in Japan seems similar with Valentine celebrations. Besides, food during Christmas in Japan is different from Australia where there is gingerbread in Australia, while in Japan there is KFC which makes a special campaign during Christmas so that the KFC campaign has become a tradition in Japan during Christmas celebrations.
4. England
In England, the day before Christmas, people are very busy wrapping gifts, baking cakes, and hanging socks over the fire. On the night before Christmas, the family will get together and listen to someone talk about “A Christmas Carol” alternately. The day after Christmas is known as boxing day where people will give small gifts of money to mail bearers, news sellers, and people who have helped them during the year. The food that is found in England during Christmas is also different from Australia and Japan. Food in the UK is turkey, roast beef, goose, vegetables in the form of Brussels sprouts, and desserts in the form of Christmas pudding, mince pies, etc.
5. Germany
Source: https://www.daringgourmet.com/stollen-german-christmas-bread/
In Germany, people will make garlands of spruce or pine branches with 4 colored candles. Every week the Germans will light the candles contained in the wreaths, sing Christmas carols such as O Tannenbaum, Ihr Kinderlein Kommet, and Stille Nacht (Silent Night). In addition, children would write letters to ‘das Christkind / Christkindl’ asking for gifts. Usually, the letters would be left on the windowsill. Furthermore, there is a tradition called “Sternsinger”, which is singing songs and raising money for charity from house to house. Food during Christmas in Germany is goldfish, geese, and desserts in the form of stollen (yeast bread).
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