România
The Christmas celebrations begin on Christmas Eve, on the 24th of December, when it's the time to decorate the Christmas Tree.
Carol singing ( known as ‘Colindat’) is a very popular part of Christmas in Romania as well.On Christmas Eve, children go out carol singing from house to house performing to the families in the houses. They sometimes dance as well. The children get sweets, fruits, traditional cakes called ‘Cozonaci ‘ and sometimes money for singing well. Sometimes, even adults go carol singing on Christmas Day.
A traditional Romanian carol is the “ Star Carol”. The star is made of colored paper and often decorated with tinsel, silver foil, and sometimes bells. In the middle of the star is a picture of baby Jesus or a nativity scene.
In many parts of Romania, it’s also traditional that someone dresses up as a goat, with a multicolored mask, and goes around with the carol singer. The goat is known as “Capra” and it jumps and dances around getting up to lots of mischiefs.
Another Christmas Eve tradition is a drumming band or “ dubasi”.This is normally made up of unmarried men. A band can have up to 50 or 60 men in it!
In Romanian, Merry Christmas is “ Crăciun Fericit”!
Traditional Romanian Christmas foods include: Roast Gammon and Pork Chops, “Ciorbă de perisoare” , “sarmale” , “cozonac “ ;
2. The United Kingdom
In the UK (or Great Britain), families often celebrate Christmas together, so they can watch each other open their presents!
Most families have a Christmas Tree (or maybe even two) in their house for Christmas. The decorating of the tree is usually a family tradition, with everyone helping. Christmas Trees were first popularized in the UK by Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria. Prince Albert was German and thought that it would be good to use one of his ways of celebrating Christmas in England.
Holly, Ivy, and Mistletoe are also sometimes used to decorate homes or other buildings.
Most villages, towns, and cities are decorated with Christmas lights. Often, a famous person switches them on. The most famous Christmas lights in the UK are in Oxford Street in London. Every year they get bigger and better. Thousands of people go out to watch the big 'switch on' around the beginning of November.
Like a lot of other countries, Nativity Plays and Carol Services are also very popular at Christmas time. The Church that I go to always has a Carol’s by Candlelight Service where the church is only lit up by candles. It is a very special service and always makes me feel very Christmassy! Lots of other British churches also have Carols by Candlelight and Christingle services. The most famous UK Carol service is the “Service of Nine Lessons and Carols”, which is broadcasted on Christmas Eve at 3.00 pm from the chapel of King's College, Cambridge.
Dessert is often Christmas Pudding. Mince pies and lots of chocolates are also eaten often! Trifle is also a popular dessert at Christmas. It's made in a large bowl and consists of a layer of sponge cake (or sponge fingers) at the bottom of the bowl (which is often soaked in sherry or brandy) then there's a layer of fruit (normally suspended in a fruit-flavored jelly) and it's topped with a layer of custard and then whipped cream. In Scotland, there's a variation called 'Tipsy Laird' which uses whiskey to soak the sponge, and the fruit is raspberries.
The dinner table is decorated with a Christmas Cracker for each person and sometimes flowers and candles.
The UK is also famous for Christmas Cake - some people love it and some people really don't like it! It's traditionally a rich fruit cake covered with marzipan and icing - and often topped with Christmas-themed cake decorations like a spring of holly.
At 3.00 pm on Christmas Day, the Queen's Christmas Message is broadcasted on TV, radio, and online in the UK. The tradition of a Royal Christmas Message started in 1932 by King George V. Queen Elizabeth II gave her first Christmas Message in 1952. It was the first broadcast on TV in 1957. The speech is now pre-recorded a few days before Christmas. It's actually broadcasted first in New Zealand and Australia (at about 5 am UK time) as they start Christmas Day earlier!
3. Germany
A big part of the Christmas celebrations in Germany is Advent. Several different types of Advent calendars are used in German homes. As well as the traditional one made of cards that are used in many countries, there are ones made out of a wreath of Fir tree branches with 24 decorated boxes or bags hanging from it. Each box or bag has a little present in it. Another type is called an 'Advent Kranz' and is a ring of fir branches that has four candles on it. This is like the Advent candles that are sometimes used in Churches. One candle is lit at the beginning of each week in Advent.
Christmas Trees are very important in Germany. They were first used in Germany during the late Middle Ages. If there are young children in the house, the trees are usually secretly decorated by the mother of the family. The Christmas tree was traditionally brought into the house on Christmas Eve. In some parts of Germany, during the evening, the family would read the Bible and sing Christmas songs such as “O Tannenbaum”, “Ihr Kinderlein Kommet”, and “Stille Nacht” (Silent Night).
Sometimes wooden frames, covered with colored plastic sheets and with electric candles inside, are put in windows to make the house look prettier from the outside.
Christmas Eve is the main day when Germans exchange presents with their families.
In German Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Frohe Weihnachten'.
Christmas Day is called “Erster Feiertag” ('first celebration') and the 26th December is known as "Zweiter Feiertag” ('second celebration') and also “Zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag” which translates as Boxing Day (although it doesn’t mean that)!
Germany is well known for its Christmas Markets where all sorts of Christmas foods and decorations are sold. Perhaps the most famous German decorations are glass ornaments. The glass ornaments were originally hand-blown glass and were imported in the USA in the 1880s by the Woolworth stores. The legend of the glass 'Christmas Pickle' is famous in the USA, but it's that, a legend. Most people in Germany have never heard of the Christmas Pickle!
Carp or Goose are often served for the main Christmas meal. Stollen is a popular fruited yeast bread that is eaten at Christmas.
4. The USA
The United States of America has many different traditions and ways that people celebrate Christmas, because of its multi-cultural nature. Many customs are similar to ones in the UK, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, and Mexico.
The traditional meal for Western European families is turkey or ham with cranberry sauce. Families from Eastern European origins prefer turkey with trimmings, kielbasa/kielbasi (a Polish sausage), cabbage dishes, and soups, some Italian families prefer lasagne!
Some Americans use pop-corn threaded on a string to help decorate their Christmas Tree. Making gingerbread houses is also popular to make and eat at Christmas! Eggnog is a 'traditional' Christmas drink in the USA.
Many Americans, especially Christians will go to Church to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas. Many churches have special Christmas Carol services and events where the story of Christmas is told.
In New England (the American States of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine), there are shops called 'Christmas Shops' that only sell Christmas decorations and toys all the year round.
Americans also send out Christmas Cards, like Carol singing and there's the unusual custom of the Christmas Pickle!
People in America like to decorate the outsides of their houses with lights and sometimes even statues of Santa Claus, Snowmen, and Reindeer. Some cookies and a glass of milk are often left out as a snack for Santa on Christmas Eve!
Towns and cities often decorate the streets with lights to celebrate Christmas. Perhaps, the most famous Christmas street lights in the USA are at the “Rockefeller Center” in New York, where there is a huge Christmas Tree with a public ice skating rink in front of it over Christmas and the New Year.
In the Southwest USA, some special customs have some similarities to those in parts of Mexico. These include 'luminarias' or 'farolitos'. These are paper sacks, with shapes cut into them, which are partly filled with sand and then have a candle put in them. They are lit on Christmas Eve and are put on the edges of paths. They represent 'lighting the way for somewhere for Mary and Joseph to stay.
A popular food at Christmas in the Southwest USA is “tamales”.
5. Denmark
Some people in Denmark give and receive extra Advent presents on the four Sundays of Advent.
Different types of Advent candles and calendars are popular in Denmark. A Kalenderlys (calendar-candle) is an Advent candle and most people have one of these types of candles. A Pakkekalender (gift calendar) is also a fun way to countdown to Christmas Eve. There are 24 small gifts for the children in the calendar, one for each day until Christmas Eve.
Julekalender (Christmas calendar) is a television series with 24 episodes. One episode is shown each day in December with the last one being aired on Christmas Eve. The first Julekalender was shown on TV in Denmark in 1962. The two main Danish TV channels DR and TV2 both show different versions of Julekalender each year. The theme of the stories in the Julekalender normally follows a similar storyline, with someone trying to ruin Christmas and the main characters saving Christmas!
Christmas Parties are held from 1st November to 24th December where everyone has a good time! Making cakes and biscuits is popular in the time before Christmas. Gingerbread cookies and vanilla ones are often favourites.
In Denmark, most people go to a Church Service on Christmas Eve at about 4.00 pm to hear the Christmas sermon or talk. It's also an old, traditional custom to give animals a treat on Christmas Eve, so some people go for a walk in the park or woods and they might take some food to give to the animals and birds. You might also go for a walk to give you an appetite for the Christmas meal!
Like in Sweden, the 1958 Disney special "From All of Us to All of You" is shown on TV in the afternoon of Christmas Eve.
Most families have a 'ris á la mande' (a special kind of rice pudding, made of milk, rice, vanilla, almonds, and whipped cream) for dessert. All but one of the almonds are chopped into pieces. The person who finds the whole almond gets a present called a Mandelgave (almond present). Traditionally the little present was a marzipan pig! Now a marzipan pig is still sometimes given, but it's also often something like sweets or a little toy.
After the meal, the lights on the Christmas Tree are lit, people might dance around the tree and sing carols. Then, it's time for people to open their presents. The Christmas tree usually has a gold or silver star on the top and often has silver 'fairy hair' on it to make it glitter.
On Christmas day, people meet their family members and have a big lunch together with danish open-faced sandwiches on rye bread.
In Denmark, children believe that their presents are brought by the 'Julemanden' (which means 'Christmas Man' or 'Yule Man'). He looks very similar to Santa Claus and also travels with a sleigh and reindeer. He lives in Greenland, likes rice pudding, and is helped by 'nisse' which are like elves.
St. Lucia's Day (or St. Lucy's Day) is also celebrated on December 13th, although it's more famous for being celebrated in Denmark's neighbor, Sweden.
In Danish Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Glædelig Jul'.
6. Italy
One of the most important ways of celebrating Christmas in Italy is the Nativity crib scene. Using a Nativity scene to help tell the Christmas story was made very popular by St. Francis of Assisi in 1223 (Assisi is in mid-Italy). The previous year he had visited Bethlehem and saw where it was thought that Jesus was born. A lot of Italian families have a Nativity scene in their homes.
The city of Naples in Italy is world-famous for its Nativity scenes. These are known as 'Presepe Napoletano' (meaning Neapolitan Nativity/crib scenes). The first Nativity scene in Naples is thought to go back to 1025 and was in the Church of S. Maria del presepe (Saint Mary of the Nativity), this was even before St. Francis of Assisi had made Nativity scenes very popular!
Having Nativity scenes in your own home became popular in the 16th century and it's still popular today (before that only churches and monasteries had scenes). Nativity scenes are traditionally put out on the 8th of December. But the figure of the baby Jesus isn't put into the crib/manger until the evening/night of December the 24th!
In Naples, there is still a street of nativity scene makers called the 'Via San Gregorio Armeno'. In the street, you can buy wonderful handmade Nativity scene decorations and figures - and of course whole scenes!
Christmas Trees are also popular now in Italy, but only since after World War II. In 1982, Pope John Paul II, who was Polish, started the tradition of having a Christmas Tree displayed next to the Nativity Crib on St Peter’s Square in the Vatican. The crib scene at the Vatican has seventeen life-size statues, nine of them date back to 1842. The tree at the Vatican is donated from a different Italian region or country in Europe every year.
It's now traditional that Italians decorate their Christmas trees on 8th December (the feast of the Immaculate Conception). The tree then stays up until the Epiphany on the 6th of January.
One old Italian custom is that children go out Carol singing and playing songs on shepherd's pipes, wearing shepherds sandals and hats.
On Christmas Eve, it's common that no meat (and also sometimes no dairy) is eaten. Often a light seafood meal is eaten and then people go to the Midnight Mass service. The types of fish and how they are served varies, between different regions in Italy.
When people return from Mass, if it's cold, you might have a slice of Italian Christmas Cake called 'Panettone' which is like a dry fruity sponge cake and a cup of hot chocolate!
In Italian Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Buon Natale', in Sicilian it's 'Bon Natali', in Piedmontese it's 'Bon Natal' and in Ladin (spoken in some parts of the northern Italian region of South Tyrol) it's 'Bon/Bun Nadèl'.
7. Norway
Christmas Eve is the time when presents are exchanged. The gifts are sometimes brought by Santa Claus (called 'Julenissen' in Norway). Presents are also brought by the small gnomes called 'Nisse'. There are also hobgoblins (Nisse) decorations. Children pick up the presents from under the Christmas Tree and read the cards on the presents out loud.
During Advent/December in Norway, sometimes small gifts are given on each day of December leading up to Christmas. These are known as Adventsgave or Kalendergaver. There is a similar tradition in Denmark. The gifts are sometimes used together with a chocolate Advent calendar!
As in Finland, a sheaf of wheat is often left out for the birds to eat over Christmas. Also, a type of rice porridge is sometimes left for the 'Nisse' who is believed to guard the farm animals.
In some parts of Norway, children like to go carol singing. Often, children will dress up as characters from the Christmas Story, such as the Shepherds and Wise Men, and go singing from house to house in their local neighborhood. Sometimes they carry paper stars on them.
Another tradition in parts of Norway is that families light a candle every night from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day.
Christmas wasn't celebrated in Norway until about 1000 or 1100 when Christianity first came to the area. Before this, people celebrated jul or jòl in the middle of winter. It was a celebration of the harvest gone and a way of looking forward to the spring. Lots of beer (juleol) was brewed and drunk in honor of the old pagan Scandinavian gods.
Maybe the most famous custom about Christmas in Norway is the big Christmas Tree that Norway gives to the UK every year. The tree is given as a present to say 'thank you for the help that the people of the UK gave to Norway during World War II”. The tree stands in Trafalgar Square in the middle of London and often thousands of people come to watch when the lights are turned on.
A traditional Norwegian Christmas Tree decoration is small paper baskets called 'Julekurver' which are made in the shape of a heart. It's said that the writer Hans Christian Andersen might have invented them in the 1860s!
In Norwegian Happy/Merry Christmas is 'God Jul' or 'Gledelig Jul'. In North-Sami, spoken in northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, it's 'Burit Juovllat'. Happy/Merry Christmas in lots more languages.
Many different types of cakes and biscuits are eaten over the Christmas period in Norway. One of the most popular is a special bread called 'Julekake' that has raisins, candied peel, and cardamom in it. Here's a recipe for Norwegian Hole Cake. Rice Porridge is eaten on Christmas Eve either as a meal at lunchtime (served with butter, sugar, and cinnamon) or as a dessert to the main evening email (with whipped cream mixed in!). If you find an almond in your portion you're traditionally given a pink or white marzipan pig.
The main meal is normally pork or mutton ribs served with 'surkal' (white or red cabbage, finely chopped and cooked with caraway seeds and vinegar) and potatoes.
Like in Sweden, the 1958 Disney special "From All of Us to All of You" is shown on the TV in the afternoon on Christmas Eve.
8. France
In France, a Nativity crib is often used to help decorate the house. French cribs have clay figures in them. During December some towns and cities, such as Marseilles, have fairs that sell Nativity figures. As well as having the normal Nativity figures in them, French scenes also have figures such as a Butcher, a Baker, a Policeman, and a Priest.
In French Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Joyeux Noël'. In Breton (spoken by some people in Brittany, Northern France) it's 'Nedeleg Laouen', in Corsican it's 'Bon Natale' and in Alsatian (spoken by some people in Alsace, in Eastern France) it's 'E güeti Wïnâchte'
One of the biggest Christmas markets in Europe is held in Strasbourg, in North-Eastern France. In the Alsatian language, it's called the "Christkindelsmarik".
Yule Logs made out of Cherry Wood are often burned in French homes. An old tradition is that the log was carried into the home on Christmas Eve and sprinkled with red wine to make the log smell nice when it was burning. There is a custom that the log and candles are left burning all night with some food and drinks left out in case Mary and the baby Jesus come past during the night.
In France, Father Christmas / Santa Claus / St. Nicholas is called Père Noël (Father Christmas). In eastern France, he is accompanied by Le Pere Fouettard, a man dressed in black. He might be the same person as Zwarte Piet/Sooty Piet/Roetpiet in The Netherlands.
The main Christmas meal, called 'Réveillon', is eaten on Christmas Eve/early Christmas morning after people have returned from the midnight Church Service. Dishes might include roast turkey with chestnuts or roast goose, oysters, foie gras, lobster, venison, and cheeses. For dessert, a chocolate sponge cake log called a "bûche de Noël” is normally eaten.
Another celebration, in some parts of France, is that 13 different desserts are eaten! All the desserts are made from different types of Fruit, Nuts and Pastries.
Epiphany (Épiphanie in French), called “La Fêtes des Rois” in French, is also celebrated in France on January 6th. A flat cake/tart made with puff pastry and almond cream is eaten called 'Galette des Rois'. The cake traditionally has a 'fève' baked inside it (or put in the cream on the top). The fève was originally a bean (often made from porcelain, ceramic, or metal). Now it can be a little crown, a figure, or other shapes/small ornaments. The Galette des Rois is decorated on top with a gold paper crown. If you find the “fève” you have to wear the paper crown and are meant to bring the “Galette des Rois” the following year!
9. Hungary
In Hungary, Christmas Eve is very important and is called 'Szent-este' which means Holy Evening. People spend the evening with their family and decorate the Christmas Tree. Sometimes only the adults decorate the tree (without the children there), so when children come in and see the tree, it's a great surprise and they are told that angels brought the tree for them.!
The main Christmas meal, which is also eaten on Christmas Eve, consists of fish (often fish soup called 'Halászlé' which is made with carp or other freshwater fish), stuffed cabbage (the leaves are stuffed with rice, mince pork, onion, garlic, and other herbs) and a special kind of poppy bread/cake called 'Beigli' is a popular dessert. Gingerbread is also traditionally eaten at Christmas in Hungary. The gingerbread is often wrapped in very bright colors and decorated with Christmas figures.
The Midnight Mass service is very popular in Hungary. Most people go to Church after their Christmas meal.
On Christmas Eve children also hope that they will find some presents under the Christmas Tree. They're told that the presents are brought by Jesus, he's often called "Jézuska", a nickname or cuter version for "Jézus". Children wait outside the room where the tree is and when they hear bells ringing, they can enter and the presents await them under the Christmas tree.
On Christmas Day people visit their families.
St. Nicholas also visits Hungary on the 6th of December. In Hungary, he is known as 'Mikulás'. Children leave out shoes or boots on a windowsill to be filled with goodies! Presents might also be brought by Télapó (Old Man Winter).
In Hungarian Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Boldog karácsonyt' (Happy Christmas) or 'Kellemes karácsonyi ünnepeket' (pleasant Christmas holidays).
10. Ireland
In Ireland, people celebrate Christmas in much the same way as people in the UK and the USA, but they also have many of their own Christmas traditions and customs.
Christmas for Irish people, who are Catholics, lasts from Christmas Eve to the feast of Epiphany on January 6th, which some Irish people call 'Little Christmas'. Epiphany isn't now widely celebrated in Ireland.
There is an old tradition that in some Irish houses (although now not many), people put a tall, thick candle on the sill of the largest window after sunset on Christmas Eve. The candle is left to burn all night and represents a welcoming light for Mary and Joseph.
In Irish (or Gaelic) Christmas is 'Nollaig', Santa Claus is known as 'San Nioclás' (Saint Nicholas) or 'Daidí nawhich Nollag' (Father Christmas) and Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Nollaig Shona Dhuit'.
Children hope that Santa will visit on Christmas Eve and leave presents for them.
The day after Christmas Day, St. Stephen's Day (known as Boxing Day in the UK and some other countries), is also very important in Ireland. Like in the UK, football matches and horse racing meetings are traditionally held on St. Stephen's Day.
One very old tradition is the Wren Boys Procession that takes place on St. Stephen's Day.
Traditional, historic, Christmas food in Ireland includes a round cake, full of caraway seeds. One is traditionally made for each person in the house. Now it's more common to have a Christmas Cake like those in the UK, a rich fruit cake covered with marzipan and decorated with icing.
And in addition to turkey for Christmas dinner, sometimes spiced beef (spiced over several days, cooked, and then pressed) is eaten. This can be served hot or cold. Dessert is commonly a Christmas Pudding.
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