Christmas around the planet
C’est toujours intéressant de connaître les différences culturelles. Regardons un peu comment se célèbre Christmas à d’autres endroits de la planète.
For example, Australians celebrate Christmas in the summer. Families often eat their festive meals outdoors, in the garden, and sometimes even on the beach. Imagine Santa Claus arriving in a bathing suit... Open-air concerts are held in cities and towns; people sit on blankets and sing Christmas carols together. They also have their 'Christmas tree,' a native plant with cream-colored flowers that turn a vibrant dark red at Christmas.
En Afrique, riches ou pauvres, les chrétiens fêtent la naissance de Jesus-Christ. Ces célébrations se concentrent sur les offices religieux et les défilés pleins d’entrain suivant les offices de la veille de Noël qui s’accompagnent de chants et de danses. Au Ghana, les églises commencent les préparations de Noël des mois à l’avance. Au Kenya, on célèbre Noël en faisant griller une chèvre, dont la viande délicieuse est consommée dès qu’elle est prête. Ceux qui n’ont pas les moyens d’acheter une chèvre mettent leurs ressources en commun avec leurs parents et amis. Dans les communautés pauvres, les cadeaux échangés sont d’ordre pratique comme, par exemple, du savon ou des manuels scolaires.
In Mexico, Christmas is celebrated in all its splendor! The celebration begins nine days before La Feast and is called Las Posadas. Each evening, a group of neighbors reenacts the scene in which Mary and Joseph look for a place to stay in Bethlehem. Carrying small lit candles and images of Mary and Joseph, these "pilgrims" go from house to house looking for a place to stay. Each "innkeeper" refuses to accommodate them, until they arrive at the home of the family chosen as Las Posadas hosts that evening. Once inside, people gather around the nativity scene to pray and sing traditional Christmas carols. Then, the festivities begin and the children take turns hitting a "piñata" (a papier-mâché representation of an animal or character containing candy and surprises), a symbol of the shared joy of Christmas.
In China, where the Christian population is relatively small, Christmas is not a public holiday. However, Chinese Christians light up their homes with pretty lanterns and hang paper decorations—chains, flowers, and lanterns—on "illuminated trees." Children also hang burlap stockings to Dun Che Lao Ren ("the old man of Christmas") to fill them with gifts and little treats.
We could go on and on like this, but as you can see, Christmas remains a magical and warm event (despite its now commercial aspect) all around the globe.
To learn how to say or write Merry Christmas in several languages, we recommend the following Internet address: http://www.michelleromy.com/noeljoyeuxnoel.php