As part of a school project for English class, I have to write a 2000 word essay on anything about Christmas. So I thought to myself, why not get other people help me instead of having to research? I've chosen to write about how people from all around the world celebrate Christmas, or any other version of this holiday. I know about North America and how it's more of a "put up christmas lights, buy a tree, go to sleep, wake up with gifts under tree, done" kind of thing, but do you celebrate differently? What are some of the traditions the people of your country, race, or religion when it comes this holiday, such as Santa Claus in North America? I pretty much know how it works in North America, but do you celebrate differently in places like Australia, Asia and Europe? Please share, it'd be great for my essay. I might even mention your names if you want.
hmmm...nice topic, mate. Normally here in England - I like to put the tree up and all the festive deco etc. On the actual day you just have to have family over for dinner - it's just tradition. The day is slow, happy and relaxed...as well as a lot of fun. The same is in France...from what I can remember. Each child gets to open one present on christmas eve and then goes to bed at around 8pm or something to wait for "papa noel." morning is near enough the same as it is everywhere else - except turkey isn't normally for dinner - it's more of soups, cakes, nuts and stuff. But in essence it's all the same
In England you put up the decorations as Kat said. Go to bed at some ridiculous time probably and get up at some stupid time really early. You open all your presents you get from your parents and then you go round to see all of your relatives and usualy stay at one of their houses for a big Christmas dinner with family and close friends of the family. You play mad games in the living room or just generaly muck around. Most people end up getting drunk The day for me goes by really quickly. Good things pass by so quickly
In my family we put all of the decorations up before Christmas and then when people have bought other people presents they wrap them up and stick 'em under the tree. On Christmas Eve everone goes to bed and leaves a stocking or bag or something out and then they are filled up with presents from the man from the pole, Santa... And then you eat the turkey, yada, yada, yada... Basically what Kat and Ginjarulez said Supposdly, it's lucky to take your Christmas decorations down before January 6th... :wth: You better mention my name! :chemist: :whistle:
Well, I am Cuban. I celebrate Noche Buena. Basicly the same as Christmas except we open our presents on Christmas Eve. (Which I'm sure even non-Cuban families do too) We invite most of the family and cook food beforehand. Sort of like a family party. We also celebrat this thing called (I'm sorry for my bad spelling) "El Tre Rey de ma-go". I'm not sure when we celebrate it. But its basicly kind of like Christmas. My mom says that Christmas is supposed to be the day that we get clothes and that the "Trey Rey de Ma-gos" give toys instead. But we do it the other way around. So, thats basicly it, I think. I'm not sure. The last time I celebrated Christmas was... last year. Edit: The "Trey Rey de Ma-gos are three guys. Maybe I'll ask my mom later for more info.
So basically the Cuban version of Santa Claus is "Trey Rey De Ma-gos"? If you could get a correct spelling of that, it'd be great for my paper. And Christmas is called "Noche Buena"? That's interesting!
I was reading some articles and when Fidel first came, Christmas and other celebrates were against the law. "The celebration of Christmas got a boost in December 1997, when the government declared Dec. 25 an official holiday to honor the January 1998 visit by Pope John Paul II to the island. The day has since been declared a permanent holiday." As for the "Tre Rey de Ma-go", I still don't know how to spell that in spanish but I found this. "In most Latin countries, it is Three Kings Day on Jan. 6 - not Dec. 24 or 25 - that small children receive their Christmas gifts. Many Christians believe the Wise Men who brought gifts to Jesus exemplify devotion and generosity. "
How yeah I know this rey de mago thing. Here, they are called "Rois de Mage". We celebrate on January 6 the "Fête des Rois" (rough traduction would be Kings Holiday). As for Christmas, we start decorating our houses around the beginning of December, and the "main piece" is the Christmas tree. During December, gifts start to "appear" under the tree. On Christmas' eve, we go to the church (well most people do), and after this, we come back home. Usually, one year, you celebrate with the family of your mother, and the other with the family of your father. As there was a period called the baby-boom (around the 50s-60s, people were getting around 8 kids...), there is a huge number of people at the party. Around 12pm, if you're lucky, Santa comes to give the gifts to everyone. We keep celebrating to around 3AM and after this everyone comes back home. Then, on Christmas day, there's an other party but smaller. On New Year's Eve, family is less important. Sure, you often see people of the same family at the same party, but it's also opened to friends . Then, on Jan. 1st, you visit your family. It lasts almost all day but doesn't really end late (well it depends). There is no special tradition on New Year's Eve/Jan. 1st, it's about having fun . That's pretty much all...
How yeah I know this rey de mago thing. Here, they are called "Rois de Mage". We celebrate on January 6 the "Fête des Rois" (rough traduction would be Kings Holiday). As for Christmas, we start decorating our houses around the beginning of December, and the "main piece" is the Christmas tree. During December, gifts start to "appear" under the tree. On Christmas' eve, we go to the church (well most people do), and after this, we come back home. Usually, one year, you celebrate with the family of your mother, and the other with the family of your father. As there was a period called the baby-boom (around the 50s-60s, people were getting around 8 kids...), there is a huge number of people at the party. Around 12pm, if you're lucky, Santa comes to give the gifts to everyone. We keep celebrating to around 3AM and after this everyone comes back home. Then, on Christmas day, there's an other party but smaller. On New Year's Eve, family is less important. Sure, you often see people of the same family at the same party, but it's also opened to friends . Then, on Jan. 1st, you visit your family. It lasts almost all day but doesn't really end late (well it depends). There is no special tradition on New Year's Eve/Jan. 1st, it's about having fun . That's pretty much all... [/b][/quote] I'm Canadian, I know how we do it here.
At my house, we set up our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. We don't really do a whole lot of decorating around the house. We just put up little Christmas knick-knacks around the house in different rooms just so we can say we decorated, I guess. We put lights on the outside of the house, and we put lights on the tree. We went from using regular, white lights to using multicolored chaser lights (where the lights seem to "chase" each other as they're blinking) and now, instead of putting stupid, little ornaments on the tree, we just put big, stupid ribbons. lol. On Christmas Eve, my sister and I get to open one present, but we don't get to choose which present. So, usually, my parents pick out the worst gifts they got us. Which saves us from being disappointed on Christmas day, I suppose. On Christmas day, we wake up and have breakfast, and then we open the gifts one by one. Around 3pm, after having lunch and cleaning up wrapping paper and stuff, we go to my grandmothers for Christmas dinner, and we exchange some gifts there. Usually my grandma gets me and my sister toiletries, which is to be expected... she's a grandma. Then we come home and leave the tree up until about one week into the new year, and we take it down. O Joyous time of year.
Oooo so many celevrations on January 6th.....also known as my birthday. Celebrate all those and my birthday! Especially now that I'll be 18!
I'm Canadian, I know how we do it here. [/b][/quote] LMAO . I just wanted to share it with the other people . And sometimes there are also different traditions for different part of countries .
People here usually put up their Christmas tree on the first of December but a lot of lazy people put it up later, like me . Our Christmas is in summer and everyone is on holidays for the whole of December and January. The whole month is just having fun and wrapping presents, decorating, looking at lights on other houses and whatever else people want to do... you know… The usual Christmas stuff and just what people do on normal holidays. Christmas ever... there is ALWAYS carols on TV and they are so boring and only little kids like them so we usually just sit around and do what we do on a normal night. On Christmas day we usually wake up around 7 and open presents and everything. Then we have breakfast and just hang out a home for a bit doing what ever. The whole family gets together at lunch and we eat, give out presents, catch up with everyone, and go swimming. In the afternoon, we go home and go see all our neighbours (I have a really close neighbourhood), see what they got for Christmas and drink a lot. Then you get wasted, eat more food, and go home and sleep. That’s what my family does anyway. It's crazy! Anything else you want to know?!
well... usually... we put up a sad tree... seriously, it frowns... and then we open presents... well, this is all AFTER we eat... and we eat a lot... the problem is, we are all so full by the time present opening comes that there is just no energy left... we flop on the couch... unzip our pants... and exhale... oh and, tv always plays an important role... verrry important... sadly, today we just can't have a tree... out of laziness... MAN. my family is weird... wow...
Swimming on Christmas. I wish I could do that. I'd probably freeze to death if I tried it here. [/b][/quote] I want to have Christmas in winter I like snow (I think )
You'd like snow for probably.....a few hours? Then you have to shovel it. Then you pull out your back from all the bending over and get frostbite from the cold. It sucks.
You'd like snow for probably.....a few hours? Then you have to shovel it. Then you pull out your back from all the bending over and get frostbite from the cold. It sucks. [/b][/quote] You want me to add up things : then, after you just shoveled the feet of snow blocking the entrance, there's a damn truck that comes and plows the snow of the steet into your entrance, so you gotta shovel the 2 feets of snow now blocking it! In those times, your back hurts, you're gonna get frostbite, and you wanna KILL the guy driving the truck. [rant mode off]
You want me to add up things : then, after you just shoveled the feet of snow blocking the entrance, there's a damn truck that comes and plows the snow of the steet into your entrance, so you gotta shovel the 2 feets of snow now blocking it! In those times, your back hurts, you're gonna get frostbite, and you wanna KILL the guy driving the truck. [rant mode off] [/b][/quote] I don't care . I still want snow!! I got an idea - I don't shovel the snow, my parents do . It all works out well in the end! And Mark, you can say my name if your thing if you want/need to . I want to be famous!