Looking at international Christmas celebrations
The United States is not the only place in the world that makes the Christmas holidays into something special. Countries scattered all across the globe each have their own unique ways of celebrating during the holiday season.
In Sri Lanka, Christmas is not just a one-day event. Janitha Nandalochana said it becomes a much larger affair.
“We have a Christmas celebration which goes on for about a week,” said Nandalochana, junior majoring in civil engineering and vice president of the International Student Council. “There are always a lot of decorations, carnivals and holiday sales.”
According to the article “A touch of Christmas around the globe” by Praveena Raman, Christians make up 10 percent of the Sri Lankan population while Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims make up the rest. Sri Lanka is known for the pride its people take in their holiday decorations. Lights in the shape of Christmas trees light up the exterior of the homes, while the interior is decorated with colored crepe paper and a Christmas tree covered with strings of light, the article stated.
Nandalochana said Christmas day is similar to other traditions as it is celebrated with gift giving and a visit from Santa Claus.
“We do have Santa,” Nandalochana said. “He is for the small kids and comes and gives gifts. A lot of kids believe in him, but it seems they are mainly Christian or Catholic because of their background.”
Raman said the main religious and social festivities in Sri Lanka take place on Christmas Eve. A very popular tradition, her article stated, is to go from house to house singing Christmas carols. The carols are either sung in English, Tamil or Singhalese.
Food is also a very important part of the Sri Lanka Christmas tradition. Raman said the Christmas cakes are a specialty in Sri Lanka. People start to make the cakes a month in advance, soaking the fruits of plums in brandy and then baking the delicious plum cakes.
Another special Christmas tradition, according to Raman’s article, is the lighting of firecrackers by every household throughout the country.
Brazil is another culture that differs in how its people celebrate their holidays.
Jordan Peterson, sophomore majoring in business, said Christmas day itself is not celebrated much in Brazil.
“Christmas day is just a like Memorial Day or Labor Day is to someone in America,” he said. “Christmas falls during their hottest time of the year. It is summertime there, so they usually will spend the day at the beach.”
Christmas Eve is the time of celebration for those in Brazil. Peterson said Brazilians’ social classes will determine how good of a holiday they will have.
“There usually is not a lot of giving gifts due to poverty there,” he said. “For the rich people, Christmas tends to be a lot larger event. The people of Brazil know who Santa Claus is, but he does not bring gifts to anyone.”
Christmas Eve is when Brazilians’ largest dinner of the year takes place, he said. Family and friends come over and join in the festivities. Peterson said the assortment of food at the dinner is what makes it unique.
“They have a variety of food from turkey, to rice and beans, and even lasagna,” Peterson said. “To them, Christmas Eve is a big deal.”
Italy also has a unique way of celebrating the Christmas holiday. According to Raman, the Italian Christmas celebrations start nine days before Christmas. The emphasis of the Italian Christmas is placed on the manger and not on the Christmas tree.
Mike Fowles, from Logan, said he lived in Italy for several years and said one of Italy’s best traditions is the delicious sponge cake eaten on Christmas Eve.
“Christmas night they have a toast at midnight. You frequently will see a sponge cake and wine,” he said. “Everyone drinks wine that night, even the little kids.”
Other Christmas food specialties include homemade pasta and an orange drink called aranciata, he said.
On Christmas Eve in Italy, the families recite prayers and sings carols. Raman said the Italians attend the Midnight Mass and then open their presents. However, Fowles said not many gifts are given, with usually one for each person.
Christmas day in Italy is usually a religious occasion. Raman’s article reports the larger celebrations occur on Epiphany (Jan. 6), which is the day the three magi came to see Baby Jesus carrying gifts.
In Scotland, Christmas is a favorite holiday centered on happiness and joy. Maxwell Lumsden, from Fielding, grew up in Scotland and said the holidays were his favorite time of the year.
“Christmas Eve is for the family,” Lumsden said. “We also have Boxing Day, which is the day after Christmas, which is used for visiting more family and handing out gifts.”
The Scottish have many beliefs unique to their country. According to the article, “Christmas Celebrations in Scotland,” written by Dhanyasree M, a favorite belief are many bees leaving a beehive on Christmas morning. The article stated early on Christmas morning all bees will leave their hives, swarming to check the Christmas celebrations, and they return to the nest in a short while. Many Scottish people tell tales of having witnessed this happening, though they cannot explain why, it stated.
Another popular tradition, according to the article, are the large bonfires. The Scottish use the bonfires to celebrate as many people dance around and play the bagpipes. Lumsden said the bonfires are a favorite for any age.
“They light up large bonfires, and sometimes they even light cars on fire,” Lumsden said.
Dhanvasree’s article stated the day following the large bonfires, the Scottish check their cold ashes at home. A foot shape in the ash facing the door foretells a death in the family whereas a foot shape facing the room announces a new arrival.
The Scottish have a traditional cake called the black bun. According to Dhancasree’s article, these cakes are original 12th-night cakes of Pagan time. These cakes are representations of Scotland’s close association with Scandinavia, it states.
Lumsden said they also have the basic traditional Christmas meal, with turkey, ham and goose.
“The Christmas dinner is a big thing in Scotland,” he said. “They do not have Thanksgiving, so this is their big holiday meal.”
But no matter where someone is, Lumsden said, “The holidays are just the best time of the year.”
-courtnie.packer@aggiemail.usu.edu