3. JAPAN
• Christmas traditions vary from country to country. Elements common to
many nations include the installing and lighting of Christmas trees, the
hanging of Advent wreaths, Christmas stockings, candy canes, and the
creation of Nativity scenes depicting the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas
carols may be sung and stories told about such figures as the Baby Jesus, St
Nicholas, Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Christkindl or Grandfather Frost The
sending of Christmas cards, the exchange of Christmastime greetings,
observance of fasting and/or special religious observances such as a
midnight Mass or Vespers on Christmas Eve, the burning of a Yule log, and
the giving and receiving of presents. Along with Easter, Christmas time is one
of the most important periods on the Christian calendar, and is often closely
connected to other holidays at this time of year, such as Advent, the Feast of
the Immaculate Conception, St Nicholas Day, St. Stephen's Day, New Year's,
and the Feast of the Epiphany
4. IRELAND
• Christmas in Ireland is the largest celebration of the year
although 8 December is traditionally viewed as the start
of Christmas with many putting up their decorations and
Christmas trees, along with doing their Christmas
shopping. Irish Christmas traditions are similar to those in
most Western countries.
• The greeting for "Happy Christmas" in Irish is Nollaig
Shona Duit or Nollaig Shona Daoibh), the literal
translation of this is "Happy Christmas to you". If "Nollaig,
Shona, Duit/Daoibh" was literally translated, word for
word, into English, it would be "Christmas, happy, to you".
The British English expression "Happy Christmas" is more
common in Ireland than its American English equivalent of
"Merry Christmas."
5. Romania
• Christmas in Romania is a major annual celebration, celebrated on
24/25 of December, as in most countries of the Christian world.
The observance of Christmas was introduced once with the
Christianization of Romania but it was then interrupted during the
Communist periode (1948 - 1989), as concepts as religion, Jesus
Christ or the Church were baned. In the post-communist Romania,
Christmas started being celebrated again more festively.
• The Christmas and holiday season starts officially on November
30, on Saint Andrew's day and ends on January 7, with the
celebration of Saint John. Other major holidays in this period are
Great Union Day, Saint Nicholas' Day, Saint Ignatius' Day,
Christmas Eve (Ajunul Craciunului in Romanian), Christmas Day
(Craciun in Romanian), Saint Stephen's day, New Year's Eve
(Revelion in Romanian), and the Epiphany.
