Xmas Traditions Around the World

I'm posting this from the domestic airport in Buenos Aires in early December, and like the Christmas decorations are up. This got me thinking:  How is Christmas celebrated around the world?   Never one to let a question go unanswered, let's begin in:

Japan

Japan has only a small percentage of religious Christians, but many Japanese enjoy the spirit of gift-giving and decorating home and stores in tribute to the seasonal festivities.  Instead of Santa Claus, Japanese children look to a legendary Buddhist monk named Hotei-osho, known for bringing children gifts, and making sure they behave. ​

Ethiopia

​Ethiopia’s calendar differs from our western calendar, which is why they celebrated the year 2000 seven years after we did, and why Christmas takes place on January 7th.   They also have a different clock, but that’s another story.   Christianity in the country dates back to the 4th century AD, and its famous rock churches were built as a new Jerusalem by Ethiopian kings.   The Xmas church ceremony has three rings of prayer:  men and boys sit inside a ring of women and girls, with a choir on the outside circle.    Candles in hand, worshippers also walk around the church three times during mass.    Instead of turkey dinners, traditional feasts involve injera (the pancake-like bread of Ethiopia) and various stews and curries.

Scandinavia

Many North American Xmas traditions derive from Scandinavia, with Santa Clause living in Greenland or Finland, depending on whom you speak to. Millions of people have written letters and posted it to Santa’s address, just outside of Rovaniemi on the Finnish Arctic Circle (write to: Santa Claus' Main Post Office, Santa Village, FIN-96930 NAPAPIIRI).  Yuletide has always had special significance in the Scandinavia, where traditions were formed to hold off the dark, cold days of winter.  The Yule log was an entire tree, fed into the fire over the course of the winter, with much ceremony.  In Finland, Xmas dinner is preceded by a visit to the sauna to bathe and clean for the meal.   Candles are important throughout the region as a means of ushering in the warmth of light during a dark time of year.

Bulgaria

​The Bulgarian Christmas Eve dinner consists of 12 courses, with each course representing a month of the year.    Made with nuts, beans, vegetables and sweets, no meat is served.  Tradition has the family seated on straw, and sitting down and getting up at the same time.   In the past, boys and single men would visit houses singing carols for the health of the families (and maybe the eye of a maiden too).

Brazil

Around the country, in churches, homes and shops, many Brazilians set up nativity scenes called Presèpio, named after the bed of straw Jesus slept on in Bethlehem.   Father Christmas is known as Papa Noel, flying in from Greenland to pass out gifts, dressed in silk because it’s too hot to be robed in furs.   Religious Catholics head to Missa do Galo, the midnight mass named after the rooster that announces the coming day.    Even the streets of Rio de Janeiro are quiet on Christmas Eve, as families gather for their Ceia de Natal feast. Like most days in Rio, Christmas Day is a perfect time to hit the beach.

Philippines

The only major Christian nation in Asia also celebrates its Misa do Galo, a tradition dating to its Spanish occupation.   Unlike Brazil however, this mass takes place nine days before Christmas, and involves reading the story of Jesus. On Christmas Day, masses are held hourly so that everyone has a chance to attend.   Pastore are plays based on the birth of Christ, performed at many religious services.  Children go carolling for tips and treats and setting off fireworks, with another tradition being the making of lanterns, a symbol of the guiding star.    Xmas dinner involves a lavish feast, often started after midnight when the family returns from midnight mass. ​

Russia

The inspiration of Santa Claus, St Nicholas, holds a special place in the heart of Russians.   Revered as a saint since the 11th century, his name adorns many churches, and is commonly passed onto Russian boys.   During the communist era, the role St Nick was transformed into Grandfather Frost, enabling traditions to be kept without antagonizing the atheist principles of the time.  Similarly, Christmas trees became New Year’s Trees, although both traditions have reverted with the fall of the Soviet Union.   Russians also talk about Babouschka, a woman who roams the countryside in search of Christ, giving gifts to children as she does so.   Eastern Orthodox Russians customarily fast until after the first church service on Christmas Eve, and their feast contains no meat.   One traditional dish is called kutya, a sweet porridge symbolizing hope and happiness, eaten from a common dish.

Vietnam

Christians are a minority in Vietnam, but Christmas is celebrated as one of the four major holidays of the year (along with New Year, the Buddha’s birthday, and the mid-autumn festival).   Jesus Christ is known as Kito, and Christmas is a big cause for celebration, although this was not always the case.   During communist rule, Christmas was relegated to the home and was not the public spectacle.  As the country modernized and liberalized, Xmas has returned with a bang, with the usual lights and decorum proudly displayed throughout cities, shops, villages and homes. ​

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and all the best for the silly season!