Christmas 2021: Christmas is one of the most popular and grand festivals to be celebrated all over the world. Regardless of geographical location, every culture has its special way of celebrating this merry year-end occasion and making the holiday unique. Ahead of Christmas, let’s find out how it is celebrated across the world:
Christmas around the world!
Be it Christians all over the world celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ or the non-Christians getting involved in merry making and spreading the festive cheer, Christmas is a much-awaited time.
In Italy, in churches, town squares or at home, there is this custom of enacting the nativity scene, a ‘presepe’ during Christmas. Babbo Natale (the Father Christmas) distributes gifts to children. People wish each other Buon Natale.
In Poland, the celebration begins with Christmas Eve dinner or (Wigilia) wherein Oplatek is shared. It is a pre-dinner wafer which is paper-thin shaped in the form of a square. The wafer is made of flour and water has an image of the Nativity on it. People break a piece and eat it.
In Germany, festive Christmas markets can be seen on main squares in many cities and Christmas trees are set up on December 24 on X-Mas Eve.
England begins preparing for Christmas as early as mid of November. People decorate and collect donations from visitors for charity.
In Iceland, children keep shoes on the windowsill for Juletide Lads or Santa to fill it with gifts. India, Britain and the US follow the similar tradition of keeping stockings by the bed on the December 24 night for Santa Clause.
In Australia, people hit the beach for a barbecue, a rousing game of backyard cricket, and sing ‘White Christmas’ song.
In Greece, people decorate boats as well besides Christmas trees as a celebration of sea-faring practice.
What remains common irrespective of the diverse places all over the globe, is that people look forward to the excitement of joyous spirit.
