Although it is the Christian festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas is also celebrated by Germans who do not profess any faith – by 78% in all. Celebrating Christmas is an important family tradition for most people. Roughly one in four Germans go to church at Christmas.
Christmas Day | December, 25
Christmas Day (Weihnachtstag) is undoubtedly the biggest and most important national holiday of the year. In Germany, Christmas Day is marked by both religious and non-secular households.
In Germany, people use an Adventskranz, or advent wreath, with four candles on it to celebrate the four advents or the four Sundays before Christmas. On each of the four Sundays preceding Christmas Eve, a candle is lit. After lightning the first candle, the Christmas season officially begins.
The celebrations of Christmas in the Philippines have deep influences of Catholicism, tracing their roots back to Spanish colonial rule from 1521 to 1898. Currently, the Philippines holds the longest running festivity of the Christmas season in the world, which begins on September 1.
Lapland, Finland - the homeland of Santa Claus
Visit Santa in Finnish Lapland at the legendary Santa Claus Village just outside festive Rovaniemi. It's a kid's Christmas fantasy, and children do love it. But it's also designed to enchant adults. Plus, there's a chance of Northern Lights in December.
Philippines: The longest Christmas celebrations in the world. The Philippines is said to celebrate Christmas for the longest duration in the world, a result of the country's history, religion and proclivity to party.
Santa Claus goes by lots of names, depending on where you are in the world. In Australia and other English-speaking countries, he's usually called Father Christmas, Santa Claus, or sometimes just “Santa” for short.
Then when July finally rolls around, this is when Australians celebrate Christmas in the traditional sense since it's colder. Although we know it as Christmas in July, Australians call this second celebration Yuletide or Yulefest.
Germany's original Christmas gift-bearer St. Nicholas — Sankt Nikolaus in German — makes his tour through town a few weeks earlier in Germany than in America. This isn't because Santa's schedule is just too busy to cover the groundwork before Dec.
“frohe Weihnachten!”
At the centre of a German Christmas evening spread you'll usually find a roasted goose, turkey or duck, traditionally served with lovely plump bread dumplings – the classic round ones, or one great big festive loaf-shaped one, known as a Serviettenknödel (pictured sliced, above), plus braised red cabbage or stewed kale ...
Oktoberfest – also known as Wiesn – is the most famous German tradition, but there are several lesser-known traditional occasions that are just as interesting as well as more original.
At first the tree was decorated only with apples, nuts and sweets; wax candles were added later. Many German families still decorate their tree in the "altdeutsche Tradition," or the old German way, with real candles and wood and straw ornaments. The tree stays up usually until after New Year's or even until Jan.
Christmas Day is a public holiday in Germany on December 25. Many people spend the day with their family. Large meals with traditional foods are served and Christmas decorations are displayed. German Christmas decorations include nutcrackers, Christmas pyramids, and cribs.
Christmas in Germany is called Weihnachten, and it is a three day holiday. The main celebration is on Christmas Eve (Heiligabend), December 24th.
This is because of the tilt of the earth. Australia is situated in the southern hemisphere and during the month of December, there will be the summer season in the southern hemisphere and the winter season in the northern hemisphere. Q. Do you know Christmas is celebrated in summer in Australia?
Traditional Santas wear bright red fleecy suits, lined with white fur and big black boots to fight off the northern winter. In Australia, it's summer at Christmas time so you're much more likely to see a boardshort wearing Santa on a surfboard.
Christmas is celebrated on 25 December. On the day, presents are exchanged, and lunch or dinner (or both) is shared. Since Australia is a multicultural country, many families celebrate on Christmas Eve (24 December) instead, just as they do in parts of Europe.
Frequently Asked Questions About Christmas In Australia
These days most Australians call Atnas (his real name) “Santa”. At “Australia Post” he is officially called “Santa”.
The song, popular with school-aged kids, explains that Santa's reindeer get a rest while six white boomers (boomer is Aussie slang for a male kangaroo) lead Santa's sleigh through Australia! After all the toys are delivered, they even help a little joey (a baby kangaroo) find his mommy.
The shoe known in Australia as a "thong" is one of the oldest styles of footwear in the world.
Santa Claus, Indiana - The town that celebrates Christmas all year round.
Christmas in Mainland China is not a public holiday and is not related to religion at all. It's more of a novelty day like Valentine's Day, rather than a religious celebration. But you'll still see the malls and streets of the big cities filled with Christmas decorations, fir trees, Santa Claus and carols.
Rovaniemi, Finland
The one true magical Christmas village in Europe can be found in Rovaniemi in Finland. This Santa Claus Village is the Homeplace of Santa Claus himself. Every year, countless amounts of kids and adults visit Santa to tell him their wishes before Christmas.