Christmas is one of the biggest celebrations for the people of the Christian faith.
But it would be wrong to assume that it is only celebrated among Christians.
With the world becoming a global village, Christmas is now celebrated in many countries around the world.
Caroling, feasting, and gift-giving along with the prayers and wishes - Christmas is celebrated with high spirits in various parts of the world. Though the mode of celebration, the dates and the traditions vary, the spirit remains the same everywhere. Have a look at the different ways in which it is celebrated in different countries of the world.
In Congo, Christmas day begins with groups of carolers all walking through the village, along the roadside, by the houses of the missionaries. After their walk, they return home to change clothes to go to church. Everyone who attends the service goes forward to lay down their gift upon the raised platform near the Communion table. Not one person will attend the service without giving a gift.
Christmas in South Africa is a summer holiday. In December, the southern summer brings glorious days of sunshine that carry an irresistible invitation to the beaches, the rivers, and the shaded mountain slopes. In South Africa there is no snow, but it has many flowers, and many beautiful varieties of cultivated and wild flowers are in full pride. Homes are decorated with pine branches and there are Christmas fir trees in the corner. Many South Africans have an open-air Christmas lunch. The traditional dinner including: turkey, roast beef, mince pies, suckling pig, yellow rice with raisins, plum pudding, crackers, paper hats and all.
In Ghana, on Africa's west coast, Christmas coincides with the cocoa harvest, so it is a time of wealth. A special church service is held where they dress in their native attire or Western costume. Later, there is a feast with rice and yam paste called fufu, stew or okra soup, porridge and meats.
In Liberia, most homes have an oil palm for a Christmas tree, which is decorated with bells. Presents such as cotton cloth, soap, sweets, pencils and books are exchanged. Games are played in the afternoon, and at night fireworks light up the sky.
In Yugoslavia, children celebrate the second Sunday before Christmas as Mother's Day. Yugoslavians who live in the country fear bad luck if their Christmas log burns out and so someone has to stand over the log all Christmas night to ensure it stays lit. A Christmas cake called chestnista, contains a gold or silver coin and is said that whoever gets it can expect lots of good luck.
South Korea is the only East Asian country to recognize Christmas as a national holiday. South Koreans also embrace the figure Santa Claus, which in Korean they call Santa Haraboji (Grandfather Santa). Large numbers of buildings and public places are full of Christmas decorations. Young people usually treat each other to hot drinks and snacks.
A unique feature of Christmas in Japan is its Christmas cake, often a white, whipped-cream cake with strawberries. The first recorded Christmas in Japan was celebrated in 1549 when Saint Francis Xavier arrived in Japan to begin his missionary work. Influenced by American customs, Christmas parties were held and presents were exchanged.
Georgians celebrate Christmas, or shoba on Jan. 7 (Dec. 25 on the Julian calendar) by going on Alilo (a modified pronunciation of Alleluia), a mass walk in the streets, dressed in special clothing to celebrate and congratulate each other on the holiday. Most members of the Alilo march are children and they are given sweets by the adults. A local variant of the Christmas tree, called Chichilaki, is made of soft wooden material with curled branches. Sometimes it is a hazelnut branch which is carved into a Tree of Life-like shape and decorated with fruits and sweets. The Georgian equivalent of Santa Claus is known as tovlis papa (or tovlis babua in western Georgian dialects), literally meaning "Grandfather snow", and is traditionally portrayed with a long white beard, dressed in national costume, chokha, and wearing a fur cloak, a nabadi.
Christmas in Iran is known as the Little Feast. For the first 25 days of December, a great fast is observed, during which no meat, eggs, milk, or cheese is served. It is a time of peace and meditation; a time for attending services at the church. When the fast is over, the feast is begun, for plenty of meat is prepared for the Christmas dinner. One dish eaten for Christmas Day is a kind of chicken stew. It is cooked in large quantities and lasts several days.
In the Christian homes in Iraq an unusual ceremony is held in the courtyard on Christmas Eve. One of the children in the family reads the story of the Nativity from an Arabic Bible. The other members of the family hold lit candles and, as soon as the story has been read, a bonfire is lit in one corner of the courtyard. On Christmas Day, a similar bonfire is built in the church. While the fire burns the men of the congregation chant a hymn. The long Christmas service always ends with the blessing of the people. The bishop reaches forth and touches a member of the congregation with his hand, putting his blessing upon him. That person touches the one next him, and so on, until all have received "the Touch of Peace."
