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By: Robert Dale Cox
On:12-12-12
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People celebrate Christmas Day in many ways. In the days or even weeks before
Christmas Day, many people decorate their homes and gardens with lights,
Christmas trees and much more. It is common to organize a special meal, often
consisting of turkey and a lot of other festive foods, for family or friends and
exchange gifts with them. Children, in particular, often receive a lot of gifts from
their parents and other relatives and the mythical figure Santa Claus. This has led to
Christmas Day becoming an increasingly commercialized holiday, with a lot of
families spending a large part of their income on gifts and food. Many Sunday
schools, churches and communities organize special events. These can include
decorating the neighborhood or a shopping mall, putting up a Christmas tree and
planning a Nativity display, concert or performance. A lot of plays and songs have a
aspect of Christmas as a theme. Some groups arrange meals, shelter or charitable
projects for people without a home or with very little money.
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Christmas is Britain's most popular holiday and
features traditions that date back hundreds of years.
Many Christmas customs that originated in Britain
have been adopted in the United States.
The first-ever Christmas card was posted in England
in the 1840s, and the practice soon became an
established part of the build-up to Christmas. Over a
billion Christmas cards are now sent every year in the
United Kingdom, many of them sold in aid of
charities.
Christmas decorations in general have even earlier
origins. Holly, ivy and mistletoe are associated with
rituals going back beyond the Dark Ages. (The custom
of kissing beneath a sprig of mistletoe is derived from
an ancient pagan tradition.) The Christmas tree was
introduced into the royal household by Queen
Charlotte, wife of King George III, the 1840s.
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Department stores are decorated with Christmas trees, twinkling
lights and festive decorations starting in late November. Store
clerks often wear Santa hats and green and red accessories. It’s
not uncommon to see leftover Christmas decorations still decking
the halls well into February or hear Christmas music at cafes in
July.
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While China exports a lot of Christmas spirit in the form of cheap
plastic toys and mass produced ornaments, some families opt to
have a small Christmas tree during Christmas in China. Few
homes have Christmas lights strung outside or candles in the
windows. Malls, banks and restaurants often have Christmas
displays, Christmas trees, and lights. Large shopping malls help
usher in Christmas in China with tree lighting ceremonies.
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Christmas in Japan is quite different from the Christmas
celebrated in most countries in which the population has a large
percentage of Christians or a Christian heritage. Only 1/2 of 1%
of the Japanese population is estimated to be Christian, with the
majority of Japanese being tolerant of all faiths: Buddhism,
Christianity, Shinto, etc. In spite of this, the Japanese are great
lovers of festivals and celebrations, including Christmas.
December 25th is not a national holiday in Japan, although
December 23rd, which is the birthdates of the present emperor,
is. Although it is not an official holiday the Japanese tend to
celebrate Christmas, especially in a commercial way. The
Japanese celebrate Christmas Eve by eating a 'Christmas Cake'
which the father of the family purchases on his way home from
work (or his wife does in the case where he has to work on
Christmas Eve). Stores all over carry versions of this Christmas
cake and drop the price of it drastically on December 25th in
order to sell everything out by the 26th. This has resulted in a
rather interesting expression in which young girls are referred to
as a 'Christmas cakes': marriageable until their 25th birthday and
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For the majority of Australians, Christmas Down under has all the
glitter, tinsel and razzmatazz of a Christmas in New York, London
Paris or Vancouver. The major difference is one of
WEATHER....Christmas Down Under is never White. Snow has
rarely fallen if ever on this date, Down Under. We have during
past Christmases experienced all the seasonal variations of a
Summer Down Under, floods, hailstorms, cyclones and bushfires.
But 80% of the time we are blessed with blue skies and depending
on our Australian location, temperatures ranging from 25-38
degrees centigrade. Currently it is Summer Down Under and daily
temperatures range from 30-40 degrees centigrade on the
mainland. Tasmania is always slightly cooler.
Christmas is special to the majority of Australians for it is our
Summer Holiday season and students especially are "wrapping" up
their school year. That means sitting for end of Semester tests or
exams and waiting for their results, as well as getting ready for
the Summer Holidays. For the majority of Australian students this
means ...SUN....SURF....SHOPPING.