Christmas
Around the World
Christmas in the Birthplaces 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
therefore 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.
To begin, it is symbolic to look at the town of
Bethlehem, which is
believed to be the birthplace 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 see a dramatic parade procession of
horsemen, led by police who are mounted on Arabian
horses. Following the police in the procession is a
lone 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 atop 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, or elsewhere, and decorated
in secret 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 Germany,
Dec. 6 is known as St. Nicholas Day when Santa
visits the homes of boys and girls. On the day
before, Dec. 5, children leave a shoe or boot
outside or by the fireplace for Santa Claus. If they
were good, he places gifts and candies inside the
shoe. But if they were naughty, children will find
twigs or a rod in their
shoe. Dinner on Christmas Day includes roast goose,
long loaves of bread filled with raisins, nuts and
dried fruits. Other sweet delicacies are also
enjoyed.
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
neighborhood 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 the British or 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 also a
holiday that is known as Boxing Day.