Holiday traditions from around the world

Holiday Christmas Traditions from around the world

Location: United States

In the Western Hempisphere, 48 contiguos States in north America, the Alaskan pensinsula and Hawaii which is an archiprlho (a group of islands)43°03’8’N 87°57’21”W=Milwaukee, WI

Holidays: Saint Nicholas,Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years

My Christmas traditions:

Making Gingerbread Cookies: Everyear around Christmas time my family and I make gingerbread cookies. We bake them, frost them then give them to friends and family. The ones that are left we eat.

Making a Gingerbread house : We also make gingerbread every year. Normally we do something crazy, which I guess isn’t part of the traditions most of the time but this year we made an actual house. Normally we give it away to realitives instead of eating it ourselves.

Getting a Christmas tree: Every year my family goes out to a Christmas tree farm to get a tree. There’s the argument of that it’s too small, or that it’s too big but we always decide on a tree and cut it down and bring it home to decorate.

Other Info: Since the U.S is such a big country there are many different traditions and ays of celebrating christmas there. My tradiions are strongly German infleuenced but that’s proably because I’m 75% German and Wisconsin is a particularly German state.

Other Stuff: This year I went ot the Chicago Kriskindle market to experience for myself a real Europian market. It was just like the ones I have seen in photo’s and on Tv. There was a large varitity authenic German foods and crafts inculding mulled wine, snitzel, and patato pancakes as well as Wooden and glass Nucrakers and decorations from the Black Forest in Germany. The only difference from an normal Christmas market was it was packed to the max with people and stalls, so much that you could hardly move! All in all though I thought it really gave me a good idea of what Christmas is like in Europe.

Sources: Me, Myself, and I

Location: France, Capital Paris, 48° 52' 0 N, 2° 19' 60 E


Holidays: Saint Nick’s day, la fete de lumieres ( a holiday honoring Mary), Christmas eve, Christmas day, Epiphany.

Traditions:

Christmas Trees: The French like the Germans and us put up and decorate a tree during Christmas time.

Gift Giving:French children put their shoes in front of the fireplace for Papa Noel to fill with gifts. He will also leave candy, fruits, nuts, and small toys on the tree.

Letters to Santa: French children write letters to Santa every year telling him what they want, and since the law in 1962 was passed all of them get written back.

Le Reveillion: In France people attend a mass on Christmas Eve, it is followed by Le Reveillion. Le Reveillion is a huge feast on Christmas Eve which is supposed to symblise an awakening to the birth of Christ and is also just a great time as many resturants and cafes remain open allnight long.

Location: Germany , Capital Berlin, 52° 31' 0 N, 13° 24' 0 E

Holidays: St. Martins day on November 11th, Saint Nicholas day, Christmas eve, Christmas day,New Years, and Epiphany or Three kings day. InGermany the Christmas season runs from the start of advent in late November to Epiphany which is on January 6th.

Traditions:

Gift Giving: On St. Martin’s day chilren receive small gifts and goodies, it is rather similar to St.Nick’s day. On St. Niholas’s day good children recive toys, apples, candy, and nuts bad ones recive switches. Children in Germany however are allowed open their presents on Christmas eve instead of Christmas day. They recive they same types of things we do on Christmas day, toys, candy, ect…

Putting up a Christmas tree:In Germany people put up and decorate Christmas trees in the same maner that we do. In some cases however people hang their Christmas trees upside down to better desplay the decorations.

Advant Wreaths and Advant Calendars: The traditions of hanging wreaths and using advant calendars to count the days until Christmas comes from Germany.

Gingerbread houses: The tradition of making and eating gingerbread houses and cookies also comes from Germany.

Santa Claus: The idea of Santa coming to houses and giving gifts to the good chldren and coal to the bad comes from Germany. In addition his apperance and many other things about him


were influenced by Germany. In fact the majortity of our Christmas traditions seem to have come from there.

Christmas Markets: Most large villages and cities in Germany have Christmas or Kriskindle Markets. Markets generally open at the beggining of advant and are open through Christmas. The Vendors at these markets sell a dazzling array of foods, drinks, and decorations for the local population and tourists to enjoy. Christmas tres or nativity secens often take up the center of the Chistmas market and are often lavishly decorated.

Other information: Christmas in Germany is really a mix Christan and Pagan traditions. For instance in Germany men often don hideous masksand animal skins and roam around town to scare away demons for the following year.

Location: England , Capital London, 51° 30' 0 N, 0° -8' 60 W

Holidays: Christmas eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day.

Traditions:

Christmas Carols: During Christmas time many groups of carolers roam the streets singing and raising funds for varios charities.

Christmas Pudding: Every year people in Britian make Christmas pudding the same exact way. The whole familly works together to make it following special instructions and drop a silver coin in it before baking it ( yes they bake pudding ).Whoever finds it when it is served is supposed to be blessed with wealth, health, and hapiness for the year to come.

Christmas tree: Although originally from Germany the tradition of getting and decorating a christmas tree has spread like wildfire through England.

Gift Giving: In England it is good old Santa Claus who stuffs stockings and puts presents under the tree for the little kids.

Other Info: Boxing day is a holiday celebrated in England and most of the contries in the Commonwealth that falls on the day after Christmas. It originally began as a day to distribute toy and food donations to the poor for the hoiday season. But as time went on it changed and now is more of a extended Christmas afternoon. People usually and eat Christmas dinner left overs, play with presents, and watch soccer. Nowidays it also dubbles as a type of Black Friday event too.


Location: Russia, Capital Moscow, 51° 30' 0 N,0° -8' 60 W

Holidays: Christmas Eve, Chrismas Day ,Epiphany, and New Years

Traditions:

The Holy Supper: Family’s get together to celebrate Christmas and eat the Holy supper. The holy supper is basically a big Christmas dinner in which 12 different types of food are eaten.

Feast of the Nativity: Nieghbors, family, and friends get together and go house to house singing, eating, and drinking for a whole day.

Other Info: Christmas in Russia is celebrated on January 7th instead of December 25th.

In Soviet Russia religiose celebrations were banned. In response to this the Russians invented Ded Moroz or “Grandfather Frost” to replace Santa Claus. Ded Moroz came and delivered gifts on New Years instead of Christmas and therefore was not illegal. To this day New Years is more important in Russia than Christmas.

Location: Ukraine, Kyiv also spelled Kiev, 50° 25' 60 N,

30° 31' 0 E

Holidays: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day,and New Years.

Since Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union so they have the same New Years celebrations as well. They also have the same Christmas traditions a Russia. Basically their holiday celebrations and traditions are the same.

Location: Italy, Capital Rome, 41°54’_’N 12°27’__”E

Holidays: New Years, Christmas eve and Christmas day

Source: Christmas in Italy , World book Inc., 1979


Traditions:

Making nativity scenes : Just as Christmas trees are the focal point of Christmas time in america the Nativity scene is the focus of Christmas in Italy. Nativity scenes really began in Italy in the early 1200’s when a man named St. Francis organized a live renactment of the birth of Christ. Afterwords and particualry after his death it caught on. During the 160’s the idea of making wood or clay nativity scenes caght on with the nobility. They proceeded to hire the best artists of the time and tried to make theirs bigger and better than everyone elses. They not only made the scenes about Christ’s birth also about other bible stories.

Christmas Markets:

Christmas Markets in Italy are often held in public squares and have generally more of a party atmosphere than their german counterparts to the North. The markets are normally centered around an open square with various venders and musicians. In th center and around the sides. There is often a large nativity scene for the public to admire.

Other Information :

Christmas really began in Italy. Despite the fact that Christ was born in Judea his birthday was first celebrated nearly 300 years later in Rome when the Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity. The preists of the time decided to celebrate his birthday on the feast day of the old pagan god Mirthras which was on december 25th. In fact Christ most likely wasen’t even born on Christmas.

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Holiday traditions from around the world