Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel Christmas travels the globe
by Shannon Harrison, managing editor

    Although the traditions and foods associated with Christmas vary with climate, culture and country, people around the globe celebrate the spirit of the day.

    The United States is so multi-cultural that people celebrate Christmas in a variety of ways. Some eat turkey while others may eat keibnasi, cabbage dishes and soups.

    Japan has celebrated Christmas since the 1930s. On Christmas Eve lovers treat each other to gifts, and children wait for Uncle Chimney. For their dinner, some Japanese wait for hours lined up outside Kentucky Fried Chicken to buy a bucket of chicken for their children because they believe there is a similarity between Col. Sanders and St. Nick. They also have a tradition of feasting on strawberry shortcake, topped with a plastic fir tree.

    Christmas in Australia and South Africa is during their summer. The celebration ranges from fowl or roast in a dinner spread out over a formal table to a casual picnic outdoors. Despite the temperate weather, Christmas trees, mistletoe, holly and European style gift-giving accompany the festivities.

    Zaire, Rumania and Poland celebrate Christmas with folk plays performed in villages. These performances all dramatize various aspects of the Christmas nativity story, complete with caricatures of Herod and his soldiers, tax collectors, the wise men, shepherds, sheep, camels, donkey, Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus.

    Jamaica, along with other Caribbean islands and some African countries, favor such Christmas festivities as masquerade and parties. In Sierra Leone, groups of children march around town with their “devils” and stop to present 12- to 15-minute performances, highlighted by devil dances.

    In Venezuela, “devils” of a different kind fill the streets shortly after midnight on Christmas Eve. Hundreds of roller-skating teens fan out about their towns for an hour or so, finally making their way to church and a special early morning Christmas mass. When they get back home they find Christmas breakfasts waiting for them, featuring hallacas—cornmeal pastries filled with spicy meat, wrapped in banana leaves and boiled.

    On Christmas Eve in Belgium, a special meal is common. It starts with a drink and nibbles, followed by a starter course such as seafood and then stuffed turkey. The dessert is la buche de Noel, cake made with cream. Father Christmas is called Saint Nicholas and brings presents to children on Dec. 6, St. Nicholas Day.

    Family presents are left under the tree or in stockings near the fireplace to be found Christmas morning. Christmas breakfast is sweet bread called cougnou, the shape is supposed to be like baby Jesus. Some families will have another big meal later that day.

    In Brazil Father Christmas is Papai Noel. For those who have enough money, a Christmas meal is chicken, turkey, ham, rice, salad, pork, fresh and dried fruits, often served with beer. Poorer people have chicken and rice.

    In Finland people believe that Father Christmas lives in the north part of Finland called Korvatunturi, north of the Arctic Circle. Children from all over the world send letters to Santa Claus in Finland.

    Everyone cleans their houses for the three holy days of Christmas—Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

    On Christmas Eve, people have rice, porridge and plum fruit juice in the morning. They then decorate a spruce tree in their home. At mid-day, the Peace of Christmas is broadcast on radio and TV from the Finnish city of Turku.

    In the evening, a traditional Christmas dinner is eaten. The meal includes casseroles containing macaroni, rutabaga, carrot and potato, with cooked ham or turkey.

    Many families visit cemeteries and graveyards to place a candle on the graves of family members.

    Children receive presents on Christmas Eve, usually by a family member dressed as Father Christmas.

    In France, Christmas is called Noel. Everyone has a Christmas tree, sometimes decorated with red ribbons and white wax candles. Fir trees in the garden are decorated with lights left on all night.

    Father Christmas is called Pere Noel. The Christmas meal is an important family gathering with meat and wine.

    Germans decorate their houses with small wooden frames holding colorful pictures or electric candles in their windows.

    They also have an Adventskaranz, a wreath of leaves with four candles, symbolizing the four-week period before Christmas. On each Sunday of Advent, another candle is lit.

    Most homes have little wooden cribs, a small model of the stable

where Jesus was born, with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and animals.
    Father Christmas, whom they call Der Weihnachtsmann, brings presents in the late afternoon of Christmas Eve after people have been to a church meeting. The presents are found under the Christmas tree. A family member will ring a bell and call everyone to the room.

    On Christmas Day, fish or goose is cooked.

    Latvians believe Father Christmas brings presents on each of the twelve days of Christmas starting on Christmas Eve. Usually the presents are put under a Christmas tree.

    The meal on Christmas Day includes brown peas with bacon sauce, small pies, cabbage and sausage.

    Father Christmas brings Portugese children presents on Christmas Eve. The presents are left under the Christmas tree or in shoes by the fireplace.

    Their Christmas meal, eaten at midnight on Christmas Eve, consists of salted dry codfish with boiled potatoes.

    Russia began celebrating Christmas with the fall of Communism. They celebrate either Dec. 25 or more often Jan. 7 because the Russian Orthodox Church uses the old Julian calendar for religious celebration days.

    Christmas dinner includes cakes, pies and meat dumplings.

    In Sweden, the most important day is Christmas Eve. The Christmas Eve meal includes ham, herring and brown beans.

    Christmas Eve is also the time when the families give each other presents. On Christmas Day, people attend an early church meeting.

    Whatever the date or practices associated with it, Christmas continues to be the most universally celebrated holiday around the globe, transcending language, culture and religious beliefs.