Christmas around the world

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Mari
Vasyus
1PA

2.

In New Zealand, like its neighbor Australia, Christmas comes in
the middle of the summer holidays.
Lots of people like to spend time of the beach, camping or at
their Baches (holiday homes) for Christmas.
In the Maori language Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Meri
Kirihimete'.

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Children in New Zealand leave out carrots for Santa reindeer
and Santa might be left a beer and some pineapple chunks!

5.

Many New Zealanders have a barbecue for Christmas lunch
and this is becoming more popular. The food cooked on the
barbecue is often ham slices or even venison or some other
kind of exotic meat. Shrimps and other fish are also
barbecued. White bait fritters are also popular. It's common
to have Christmas Crackers on the Christmas dinner table.

6.

Desserts are also very popular! Many still have a hot fruit
pudding with custard and ice cream but cold desserts are
popular. These include pavlova and whipped cream,
meringues, cold fruit salad, jelly and ice cream. Drinks will
include a range of soft drinks. Those who like it often over do
the alcoholic drinks too. Here's a recipe for pavlova.

7.

One popular present for Christmas in New Zealand are 'jandals'.
These are flip-flops/thing sandals - the name 'jandals' comes
from combining the two words 'Japanese Sandals'. They've been
popular in New Zealand since the late 1950s.

8.

In French Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Joyeux Noël'.
Yule Logs made out of Cherry Wood are often burned in
French homes. The log is carried into the home on Christmas
Eve and is sprinkled with red wine to make the log smell nice
when it is 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.

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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 in The Netherlands.

11.

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.

12.

On Christmas Eve, children, especially boys, often go out singing
'kalanda' (carols) in the streets. They play drums and triangles as
they sing. Sometimes the will also carry model boats decorated
with nuts which are painted gold. Carrying a boat is a very old
custom in the Greek Islands.
If the children sing well, they might be given money, as well things
to eat like nuts, sweets and dried figs.

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Every December, in Aristotelous Square in the city of Thessaloniki
(which is the second biggest city Greece) a huge Christmas Tree and
three masted sailing ship are put up. It's a popular tourist attraction.
Going to a Midnight Mass Service is very important for most Greeks.
After the service people can go home and end their Advent fast.

15.

Christmas Trees are popular in Greece. But an older and more
traditional decoration is a shallow wooden bowl with a piece of
wire is suspended across the rim. A sprig of basil wrapped around
a wooden cross hangs from the wire. Some water is kept in the
bowl to keep the basil alive and fresh. Once a day someone,
usually the mother of the family, dips the cross and basil into some
holy water and uses it to sprinkle water in each room of the house.

16.

The main Christmas meal is often Lamb or pork, roasted in an
oven or over an open spit. It's often served with a spinach and
cheese pie and various salads and vegetables. Other Christmas
and new year foods include 'Baklava' (a sweet pastry made of
filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup
or honey), Kataifi (a pastry made from a special form of
shredded filo dough and flavored with nuts and cinnamon),
Theeples (a kind of fried pastry). The pastries are either eaten
for breakfast or as starters. Another popular Christmas dessert
are melomakarono, egg or oblong shaped biscuit/cakes made
from flour, olive oil, and honey and rolled in chopped walnuts.