Christmas Celebrated Differently Around The World
As Christmas approaches, many of us will be falling into our traditional patterns of celebrating. There will be religious ceremonies, Christmas trees, lights, shopping, lots of presents, Santa Claus and relatives. But this isn’t the only way to celebrate Christmas.
People all over the world celebrate this time of year with their own customs. Here are just a few:
Our friendly neighbors to the north share many customs that we have. In Nova Scotia, however, during the 12 days of Christmas, masked people called belsnicklers go around wearing grandma’s nightgown or dad’s long underwear and ask for treats door-to-door. The host tries to guess the identity of the masked visitors.
In Ethiopia, Christmas is very different. It is called Ganna and is celebrated on Jan. 7. The people celebrate by fasting and attending a three-hour church service during which they stand the entire time. They also celebrate the baptism of Christ in a three-day holiday called Timkat, which begins Jan. 19. Children in Ethiopia receive very small and simple presents for Christmas.
Down south, in Guatemala, people combine many of the ancient Mayan beliefs with Christianity. The ancient ceremony of Pola Voaldare takes place in conjunction with St. Thomas day on Dec. 21. It’s a mixture of honoring the ancient sun god of and St. Thomas. Christmas Eve and day are a time for mass and town celebration. The children are given gifts on Jan. 5, el Die de los Reyes, the Epiphany.
In the Phillippines, the only Asian nation where Christianity is the majority religion, Christmas starts with a Mass nine days before Christmas. There also is the Panunuluyan pageant, a popular re-enactment of Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter.
Stars, or parols, are found everywhere, and the art of making them is often passed down from generation to generation.
Up north, in Sweden, Christmas begins on the first Sunday of Advent, four Sundays before Christmas. Then on Dec. 13 Swedes celebrate St. Lucia, the patron saint of light.
On that morning, homes, offices and schools each choose a “Lucia.” The Lucias wear white gowns and crowns of candles.
Instead of sharing customs involving Santa Claus, the Swedes have Tomte, a Christmas gnome who lives under their homes and distributes gifts from his sack. Sweden’s Christmas season ends on Jan. 13, when the tree is taken down and respects are paid to St. Knut.
On the surface, the customs may be very different, but when you cut to the core, Christmas is a time of family, generosity, love and joy no matter how or where you celebrate it.