This document provides descriptions of Christmas traditions in 19 different countries. It discusses some of the key customs and celebrations in countries such as Canada, Chile, England, Finland, Greenland, Hungary, Ireland, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Thailand, Ukraine, Vietnam and others. Some common themes mentioned include special foods, figures like Santa Claus or Father Christmas, nativity scenes, gift giving, religious services, and spending time with family.

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191 Countries in the world

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Christmas Traditions
Around the World
Canada Mexico
Chile New Zealand
England Portugal
Finland Russia
Greenland Sweden
Hungary Thailand
Ireland Ukraine
Korea Vietnam

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Christmas in Canada
• During the twelve days of Christmas small
groups of belsnicklers, or masked mummers,
appear in neighborhoods, ringing bells,
making noise, seeking candy or other treats.
• Hosts may try to guess who the mummers
are and if they guess right the mummer
removes his or her disguise and stops
making rude noises and actions.
• The Christmas Banquet is called reveillion.
• After attending midnight mass, families serve
pork pies.
• In Quebec they display Crèches or nativity
scenes in their homes as the Christmas
decoration.
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Christmas in Chile
• Little figures made of clay are placed under
the Christmas tree called pesebre.
• Father Christmas is known as Viejito
Pascuero.
• He wishes everyone a Feliz Navidad and
Prospero Anc Nuevo. (Happy Christmas
and a Prosperous New Year)
• A drink called “Rompon” {eggnog} is
served.
• Families eat a Christmas pudding made
with dried fruit.
• At midnight families will sit around the tree
to open presents.
• On Dec. 25 people usually go to the beach,
park or other interesting place.
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Christmas in England
• One of England's customs is mummering.
• The English gift giver is called Father
Christmas. He wears a long red or green
robe, and leaves presents in stockings on
Christmas Eve.
• The day after Christmas is called boxing day
because boys used to go round and collect
money in clay boxes. When they were full
they would break them open.
• Eggs, fruit, spice, lumps of meat and dried
plums were added. The whole mixture was
wrapped in a cloth and boiled. This is how
plum pudding began.
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Christmas in Finland
• In the Scandinavian countries, a little gnome
named Julenisse puts presents under the
tree at night. The children leave porridge out
for him.
• It is from the Scandinavian countries that we
derive most of our “Yule Log” traditions.
The dark cold winters inspired the
development of the traditions concerned
with warmth and light.
• The Yule log was originally the entire tree.
The tree was brought into the house with
quite a ceremony. The end of it would be
placed into the hearth while the rest of the
tree stuck out into the room. The tree was
fed into the hearth slowly so that it lasted
throughout the Yule season.
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Christmas in Greenland
• Family gatherings, drinking coffee and
eating cakes, as well as giving of brightly
wrapped presents which might consist of a
model sledge (sleigh) or a pair of tusks.
• Everyone in the village gets a gift and
children go from hut to hut, singing songs.
• After eating and singing, everyone gets a
piece of Mattak, which is whale skin with a
strip of blubber inside. It tastes like coconut
but is very tough to chew.
• Another food is Kiviak which consists of raw
flesh of an auk (bird), which has been buried
whole in sealskin, for several months.
• This is the one night of which the women are
waited on by the men.
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Christmas in Hungary
• The main Christmas celebrations take place
on Christmas Eve. The evening is called
Szent-este or Holy Evening.
• On December 6th the children receive a visit
from Mikulas or St Nicholas. He arrives
wearing the robes of a bishop, with a red
miter on his head, a staff in one hand and a
sack full of small presents.
• Accompanying him a "Devil" boy in a black
costume, complete with horns and long tail.
He holds a switch made of dry twigs, ready to
smack any "naughty" children.
• The presenting of nativity plays is an
important part of the Hungarian Christmas
tradition.
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Christmas in Ireland
• Christmas in Ireland lasts from Christmas
Eve to the feast of the Epiphany on
January 6, which is referred to as Little
Christmas.
• Irish women bake a seed cake for each
person in the house.
• St Stephen's Day, the day after Christmas,
is almost as important with football
matches.
• For children, the Wren Boys Procession is
their big event. Boys go from door to door
with a fake wren on a stick, singing, with
violins, accordions, harmonicas and horns
to accompany them. The reason for the
ceremony is to ask for money 'for the
starving wren', that is, for their own pock.
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Christmas in Korea
• South Korea is the only East Asian
country to recognize Christmas as a
public holiday.
• The children call Santa Claus “Santa
Haraboji” (Grandfather Santa)
• Many of the Western holiday customs
have been embraced by the people, such
as gift-giving, sending Christmas cards
and decorating trees.
• After church services and fellowship they
will go caroling to church members homes
and are treated to snacks and hot drinks.
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Christmas in Mexico
• Their main celebration is called La Posada.
This is a procession of the re-enactment of
the search for shelter by Mary and Joseph,
before the birth of Jesus.
• Santa is not predominant, but the bright red
suit is represented in the traditional flower
of the season, the poinsettia.
• The belief is that a young boy, on his way to
see the nativity scene gathered green
branches to give as a gift. He was laughed
at as he walked. Upon placing the branches
near the manger, bright red poinsettia
flowers started to bloom.
• On Christmas day a piñata is broken.
• Those children that have been good also
receive a gift on January 6, from the Three
Wise Men.
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Christmas in New Zealand
• It is combined with summer holidays, so
as well as present-buying and parties,
families are preparing for trips to the
beach.
• The persona of Fr. Christmas has changed
and he has become more like the Santa
Claus in the United States and Ireland.
• As well, people have been forced to
change as a result of the Maori culture.
The spirits and creatures of this culture
resemble the elves and gnomes of the
European Christmas traditions.
• The story of the birth of Jesus Christ is
celebrated with a special service. This is
appropriate to New Zealanders way of life
as they had no motels, and they have
many shepherds who take care of their
flocks, in doing so, they can see the true
meaning of Christmas.
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Christmas in Portugal
• The tradition of gift-giving was
defined mostly by the strong
Christian religious beliefs of the
people.
• On the eve of January 5, the
children place their shoes along the
windowsills and doorways and fill
them with carrots and straw.
• They do this hoping to lure the Wise
Men to their homes to fill their
shoes with gifts and treats.
• The Portuguese "Christmas log," is
a piece oak that burns on the hearth
all day.
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Christmas in Russia
• The feast of St. Nicholas (December
6) was observed for many centuries,
but after the communist revolution, the
celebration of the feast was
suppressed.
• During the communist years St.
Nicholas was transformed into
Grandfather Frost.
• Babouschka brings gifts for the
children. Like Italy's La Befana, the
story is that Babouschka failed to give
food and shelter to the three wise men
during their journey to visit the Christ
Child.
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Christmas in Sweden
• Christmas season begins with the St. Lucia
ceremony. This begins at dawn on Dec. 13th.
The youngest daughter from each family
puts on a white robe with a red sash. She
wears a crown of evergreens with tall-lighted
candles attached. She wakes her parents
and serves them coffee and Lucia buns.
(Swedish pastry)
• Christmas trees are usually put up in the
home 2 days before. Decorations consist of
apples, candles and little red capped
gnomes.
• After Christmas Eve dinner, someone
dresses up as Tomte or Christmas gnome.
The tomte, unlike Santa Claus is supposed
to live under the floorboards of the house or
barn and ride a straw goat. He distributes
gifts.
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Christmas in Thailand
• It is not a holiday in Thailand but is
enjoyed and celebrated by the people.
• The children attend school on
Christmas Day but Santa is usually at
the school passing out candy to them.
• Schools have beautifully decorated
Christmas trees in the middle of the
playground.
• Many students go to school, that day,
with party hats on.
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Christmas in Ukraine
• Sviata Vechera OR "Holy Supper" is the
central tradition of the beautiful Christmas
Eve celebration. The table is set with a few
straws of hay on it, as a reminder of the
manger in Bethlehem.
• When the children see the first Star in the
eastern evening sky (symbolizing the trek of
the Three Wise Men) the Holy Supper may
begin..
• At the end of the Sviata Vechera the family
sings Kolyadky, Ukranian Christmas carols.
• Father Frost visits all the children on a
sleigh, pulled by only 3 reindeer.
• The celebration of Christmas takes place on
January 7 and is usually a peaceful and
quiet event.
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Christmas in Vietnam
• Christmas (Chung Mung Guiang Suhn)
is one of the four most important
festivals of the Vietnamese year.
• Children put their shoes in the front of
the door, to find them with presents in
them on Christmas morning.
• Chicken soup is served at the Christmas
party.
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