Christmas Around the World
Christmas in Japan
• Christmas has only been widely celebrated in Japan for the last few decad
es. It's still not seen as a religious holiday or celebration as there aren't ma
ny Christians in Japan.
• In Japan, Christmas in known as more of a time to spread happiness rather
than a religious celebration.
• The traditional Japanese Christmas food is Christmas cake
Christmas in France
• In France, children leave out t
heir shoes or socks in front of
the fireplace, hoping Père Nö
el will fill them to the brim wi
th little presents, sweets, frui
t, nuts and anything else that
will fit in there. Children with
small feet must feel shortcha
nged.
• Le Reveillon, the big Christma
s meal in French families will
often take place late on Christ
mas Eve
• The Burning of the Yule Log.
An old tradition is that the l
og was carried into the home
on Christmas Eve and sprinkl
ed with red wine to make the
log smell nice when it was bu
rning.
Christmas in Canada
• Many Canadian families have cookie-
baking parties. They bring a recipe fo
r Christmas cookies, bake them and t
hen exchange them with the membe
rs of their family. At the end of the pa
rty, each family goes home with a var
iety of different cookies to enjoy over
the Christmas season.
• Canadians like to decorate their hous
es with Christmas Trees, lights and ot
her decorations. There's often Christ
mas stockings hung by the fireplace, r
eady for Santa!
• People in Canada send Christmas Car
ds to their friends and family.
Christmas in Germany
• A big part of the Christma
s celebrations in Germany
is Advent. Several differen
t types of Advent calendar
s are used in German ho
mes.
• Christmas Trees are very i
mportant in Germany. The
y were first used in Germa
ny during the late Middle
Ages. If there are young c
hildren in the house, the t
rees are usually secretly d
ecorated by the mother of
the family. The Christmas
tree was traditionally brou
ght into the house on Chri
stmas Eve.
Christmas in New Zealand
• In New Zealand, Christmas comes in the middle of th
e summer holidays.
• Lots of people like to spend time of the beach, camp
ing or at their Baches (holiday homes) for Christmas.
• Children in New Zealand leave out carrots for Sant
a's reindeer and Santa might be left a beer and some
pineapple chunks!
• Many people have a Christmas Tree in their homes a
nd decorate it like people in the USA or UK. Kiwis als
o have their own special Christmas Tree, the Pōhutu
kawa. It can grow to be a very large tree and has brig
ht red flowers which are popular decorations and als
o feature on Christmas cards. The earlier it flowers, t
he hotter the summer is meant to be; and the longer
it flowers, the longer summer will be!
Christmas in The Netherlands
For most children in The Netherlands, t
he most important day during Decemb
er is 5th December, when Sinterklaas
(St. Nicholas) brings them their present
s!
On the evening that Sinterklaas arrives
in The Netherlands, children leave a sh
oe out by the fireplace or sometimes a
windowsill and sing Sinterklaas songs.
They hope that Sinterklaas will come d
uring the night with some presents. Th
ey also believe that if they leave some
hay and carrots in their shoes for Sinter
klaas's horse, they will be left some sw
eets or small presents.
Christmas in China
In China Santa Claus is called
'Shen Dan Lao Ren' and has gr
ottos in shops like in Europe a
nd America. The post men mig
ht dress up as Santa when deli
vering letters before Christma
s! A tradition that's becoming
popular, on Christmas Eve, is g
iving apples. Many stores hav
e apples wrapped up in colore
d paper for sale.
Christmas in Vietnam
• In Vietnam, Christmas E
ve is often more import
ant than Christmas Day.
Christmas isn't an offici
al public holiday and m
any people think it's onl
y a holiday for Christian
s.
• All churches, and some
Christian homes, will ha
ve a nativity crib scene
or 'creche‘
Thanks for attention!
