Varying Christmases
The celebration of Christmas differs throughout the world. Whether you look at Australia, Bethlehem, Germany, or Mexico; there will be traditions that are similar and different. Though Christmas was brought about in one way, it has branched out to have varying meanings and traditions.
During Christmas it is the middle of summer in Australia; so that makes a big impact on how they celebrate the holidays. The meals served can be great in comparison to that we know while it can also be greatly different. Just as likely as it is to have the traditional turkey and plum pudding it is to have cold salads and barbeques with seafood. According to Santa’s Net “it is tradition to serve flaming Christmas plum pudding. A prize is cooked
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1) Neighborhood light competitions are big in Australia. Neighbors will go house to house looking at the lights and deciding whose is best. Since it is summertime many things are changed from the traditional way we know. For instance, Santa is often posed as wearing a summer outfit. Instead of arriving at the beach to see people on a sleigh, he comes on a surfboard or a life raft. Because it is not cold and snowy in Australia during Christmas, many songs have the lyrics changed to fit the weather. One famous song is Six White Boomers. (Christmas in Australia, pg. 2) This goes with the idea that instead of reindeer, Santa uses kangaroo. According to whychristmas.com, two big parts of Christmas in Australia is Boxing Day and the Carols by Candlelight Service. On Boxing Day people visit friends, family, and go to the beach. Christmas is often spent going to the beach and doing outdoor activities such as swimming and playing cricket. The Carols by Candlelight Service is done both at the state capital and in towns. At the state capitals famous singers lead everyone in singing Christmas carols while in towns local groups lead. There is also a big Christmas pageant that is