Christmas is an international holiday that is celebrated around the world in a variety of different ways and fashions. Depending on where you are at in the world at the time, you will see a number of different Christmas activities, stories and symbols.
In the United States, the melting pot of cultures results in a variety of different fashions, Christmas symbols and holiday traditions that are celebrated in the USA. For example, the European based tradition of the Christmas stories of Santa Claus is heavily celebrated.
One major component of Christmas celebrations in America is the Christmas stories of Santa Claus. Santa Claus is widely celebrated and promoted during the holiday season. Charities dress workers up in Santa Claus outfits to raise funds during the holidays. Santa Claus appears on television and in advertising campaigns. Kids can even go to the mall to see Santa Claus and take pictures with him.
In Australia, December is the beginning of the summer season. As a result, Christmas is as much of an outdoor activity as it is an indoor activity. While the Australians do the traditional indoor stuff, like open Christmas presents and eat a big family dinner, outdoor activities like backyard fun and picnics are incorporated as well.
Religious worship is a major piece of the Christmas holiday in Australia. The majority of the population is Roman Catholic or Protestant so church plays a major role in the celebration of the holiday. Most churches have a midnight mass that you can attend and many families go to church together.
Japan is a country that celebrates Christmas despite the religious beliefs of its citizens. Since less than 1% of the population is Christian, Christmas is considered more of a commercial holiday as oppose to a spiritual celebration. In fact it's not even an official holiday in Japan where people get the day off.
December 25th is not an official holiday in Japan. Despite this, many Japanese citizens celebrate Christmas in a fashion anyway. One of the most common Christmas dinner activities in Japan is to order a Christmas Chicken Dinner from the fast food franchise, Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Like Japan, China also has a very small population of citizens that profess Christianity. However, also like the Japanese they still celebrate Christmas anyway. The Chinese embrace the Santa Claus concept. In China, his name means "Christmas Old Man."
Although Christmas is celebrated in China, it is nowhere near as important a holiday as it is considered in other parts of the world. The equivalent to Christmas in Chinese culture comes in the following month, which is the Chinese New Year.
The people of France celebrate Christmas very similar to the Americans. One thing they do not do though is decorate Christmas trees. Instead, they spend more of their time creating Christmas stories out of their yards by creating massive displays of characters and ornaments.
What's interesting with the French displays is that they not only incorporate Christmas themes but they also incorporate modern themes as well. It's not uncommon to see a scene with Mary standing next to a modern day French dignitary.
There are a wide variety of ways that Christmas around the world is celebrated. Depending on where you go in the world you will see many different holiday traditions. Christmas is a very popular holiday throughout the world and is one of the most widely celebrated traditions in the world today both by Christians and non Christians.
In the United States, the melting pot of cultures results in a variety of different fashions, Christmas symbols and holiday traditions that are celebrated in the USA. For example, the European based tradition of the Christmas stories of Santa Claus is heavily celebrated.
One major component of Christmas celebrations in America is the Christmas stories of Santa Claus. Santa Claus is widely celebrated and promoted during the holiday season. Charities dress workers up in Santa Claus outfits to raise funds during the holidays. Santa Claus appears on television and in advertising campaigns. Kids can even go to the mall to see Santa Claus and take pictures with him.
In Australia, December is the beginning of the summer season. As a result, Christmas is as much of an outdoor activity as it is an indoor activity. While the Australians do the traditional indoor stuff, like open Christmas presents and eat a big family dinner, outdoor activities like backyard fun and picnics are incorporated as well.
Religious worship is a major piece of the Christmas holiday in Australia. The majority of the population is Roman Catholic or Protestant so church plays a major role in the celebration of the holiday. Most churches have a midnight mass that you can attend and many families go to church together.
Japan is a country that celebrates Christmas despite the religious beliefs of its citizens. Since less than 1% of the population is Christian, Christmas is considered more of a commercial holiday as oppose to a spiritual celebration. In fact it's not even an official holiday in Japan where people get the day off.
December 25th is not an official holiday in Japan. Despite this, many Japanese citizens celebrate Christmas in a fashion anyway. One of the most common Christmas dinner activities in Japan is to order a Christmas Chicken Dinner from the fast food franchise, Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Like Japan, China also has a very small population of citizens that profess Christianity. However, also like the Japanese they still celebrate Christmas anyway. The Chinese embrace the Santa Claus concept. In China, his name means "Christmas Old Man."
Although Christmas is celebrated in China, it is nowhere near as important a holiday as it is considered in other parts of the world. The equivalent to Christmas in Chinese culture comes in the following month, which is the Chinese New Year.
The people of France celebrate Christmas very similar to the Americans. One thing they do not do though is decorate Christmas trees. Instead, they spend more of their time creating Christmas stories out of their yards by creating massive displays of characters and ornaments.
What's interesting with the French displays is that they not only incorporate Christmas themes but they also incorporate modern themes as well. It's not uncommon to see a scene with Mary standing next to a modern day French dignitary.
There are a wide variety of ways that Christmas around the world is celebrated. Depending on where you go in the world you will see many different holiday traditions. Christmas is a very popular holiday throughout the world and is one of the most widely celebrated traditions in the world today both by Christians and non Christians.
About the Author:
Kerry Beck gives free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare your family for Christmas. Your family will discover more about holiday traditions with some of the daily activities.
No comments:
Post a Comment