About Christmas

Christmas as we know it today is probably the most celebrated 

holiday in the world, our modern Christmas is a product of 

hundreds of years of traditions.

Here are some traditions from different regions and, along the 

way, learn about the history of this most cherished of 

holidays. 

In the United States, in Washington, DC, the focal point of the 

season is the lighting of the tree on the Ellipse. A large tree 

represents the nation with smaller trees representing each 

state. While in New York City, holiday shoppers stop to watch 

skaters on the ice beneath the tree at Rockefeller Center while 

others gaze in awe at the magnificent Neapolitan Baroque 

figures on the Angel Tree at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

The South has a long Christmas tradition going back to the 

first English Christmas at Jamestown. Today in New Orleans, 

thousands of carolers gather each year in Jackson Square for a 

huge community sing while bonfires are lit all along the 

Mississippi River. 

 
In Mexico, the familiar Bible story about the birth of Christ is 

reenacted, as Joseph and Mary's long - ago search for shelter. 

For nine consecutive nights in the festive ritual of Las Posadas. 

"Posada" means inn, or lodging, in Spanish. The Posadas is a 

procession that begins as soon as it gets dark When the 

procession reaches the house chosen for that evening, it 

divides into two groups, one representing the holy pilgrims, 

the other the innkeepers. The pilgrims line up behind the angel 

and the children bearing the figures of the Holy Family, and 

they file through the house until they arrive at a closed door, 

behind which the innkeepers have stationed themselves. The 

pilgrims knock on the door and call out in song, asking for 

shelter. A chorus of voices on the other side asks: "Who 

knocks at my door so late in the night?" The pilgrims respond, 

"In the name of Heaven I beg you for lodging - my beloved wife 

can no longer travel, and she is weary." But the response is an 

unfriendly refusal. "This is no inn. Go Away!" After repeated 

requests for shelter, the pilgrims explain who they are, and 

that Mary will soon give birth to a baby. The innkeepers relent 

and welcome the exhausted travelers: "Enter, holy pilgrims. 

Come into our humble dwelling and into our hearts. The night 

is one of joy, for here beneath our roof we shelter the Mother 

of God." Everyone enters the room and kneels in prayer, after 

which the party moves out to the patio for fireworks and fun. 

Baskets of holiday sweets, called colaciones, have been 

prepared along with other food and drink. 

 
In Australia, the holiday comes in the middle of summer--it's 

not unusual for some parts of Australia to hit 100 degrees 

Fahrenheit on Christmas day. Many Australians still look to 

their British roots at this special time of year and a traditional 

Christmas meal usually includes a turkey dinner, sometimes 

with ham. In Sydney, thousands of families prepare their 

Christmas dinner and take it to Bondi Beach for a picnic. 

Australians decorate with Christmas Bushes, plants with little 

red-flowered leaves that are native to Australia. Carols by 

Candlelight is one tradition that is purely Australian. It began 

on Christmas Eve in Melbourne in 1937 and is now an annual 

event in the days leading up to Christmas in cities and towns 

all across the nation. 

 
Canada's Christmas celebrations are drawn from a mixed 

cultural background - French, English, German, Ukrainian, and 

First Nations. This mixture brings about much diversity in the 

customs and traditions of Canada's Christmas festivities. For 

the most part families gather together and the gifts come from 

Santa Claus and turkey is usually the meal of choice.

 
In Greece, On Christmas Eve, children travel from house to 

house offering good wishes and singing kalanda, Greek carols. 

Often the songs are accompanied by metal triangles and clay 

drums. The children are given sweets and dried fruit as a 

reward for their singing. The Christmas feast is of major 

importance, especially since it ends 40 days of fasting. Special 

loaves of bread, christopsomo (Christ Bread) are prepared for 

the meal. Decades ago, Christmas trees were unheard of in 

Greece. Now Athens boasts one of the world's largest outdoor 

Christmas "trees" constructed of thousands of lights on cables 

emanating from the top of a tall tower. Many people believe in 

kallikantzeri, goblins that appear to cause mischief during the 

12 days of Christmas. Gifts are usually exchanged on January 

1, St. Basil's Day. 

 
In Italy a delightful tradition, now finding renewal is the 

ushering in of the December festivities by the zampognari or 

bagpipers. They descend from the mountains in the regions of 

Abruzzo and Calabria filling the air with anticipation for the 

joyous celebration to come as they play adaptations of old hill 

tunes such as Cantata dei Pastori. In Rome they play at various 

sites including the Christmas market at the historic Piazza 

Navona, at the Spanish Steps, and at the entrance to St. Peter's 

Square. Christmas Eve is a time for viewing Italy's artistic and 

elaborate manger scenes. There is often a contest between 

churches of the same town for the best display. People go from 

church to church to view and compare the Nativity scenes. 

On December 24th, Christmas candles are lighted and a 

holiday feast is prepared. In some places, Christmas Eve dinner 

consists largely of fish. In Rome, the traditional dish of 

Christmas Eve is Capitone, a large female eel, roasted, baked or 

fried. 

 
In France, Christmas is called Noel. This comes from the 

French phrase les bonnes nouvelles, which means "the good 

news" and refers to the gospel. Christmas Day is celebrated 

with all of the family coming together. On Christmas Eve, 

French children put their shoes in front of the fireplace. They 

hope Pere Noel will fill them with presents. The midnight 

service on Christmas Eve is traditionally followed by a meal 

called 'le reveillon' which is a symbolic spiritual awakening to 

the meaning of Christ's birth. In south France a Christmas loaf 

(pain calendeau) is cut crosswise and is eaten only after the 

first part has been given to a poor person. In southern France, 

some people burn a log in their homes from Christmas Eve 

until New Year's Day. This stems from an ancient tradition in 

which farmers would use part of the log to ensure good luck 

for the next year's harvest. 

 
Ukrainians prepare a traditional twelve-course meal. The 

twelve dishes represent the most valuable products of the 

field, garden, and orchard. There is no meat or milk served 

with the meal as a sign of respect for the farm animals that are 

depended upon all year long. A family's youngest child 

watches through the window for the evening star to appear, a 

signal that the feast can begin. Prior to the meal, a sheaf of 

wheat, didukh, is tied in the middle with beautifully 

embroidered ribbons and brought into the house by the father 

or head of the household. He walks around the inside of the 

home three times and then places the wheat in a corner of the 

kitchen or dining room near the family's holy icon. There it 

remains throughout the Nativity season. This sheaf represents 

the entire family including departed ancestors and the 

generations to come. The souls of the family are thought to be 

in the sheaf and it represents both the Christian belief in an 

afterlife and the bountiful fertility of the land. Hay is spread 

on the floor as a reminder of the manger. A special cloth 

covers a small table, on which is placed a kolach (bread) with 

a lit candle; to remind us that Christ is the "Bread of Life", and 

the "Light of the World". 

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