Christmas and New Year around (parts of) the globe
Hong Kong – Grace
Christmas is celebrated around the world. Different cultures and countries have numerous different ways to spend this special time and celebrate this wonderful festival.
I am from Honk Kong and I often get asked whether I celebrate Christmas or not. Hong Kong was heavily influenced by British and Western cultures during the colonial era. In Hong Kong Christmas is celebrated very festively. Christmas holds a cherished status in Hong Kong’s holiday calendar, with both Christmas Day and Boxing Day (25 and 26 December) being public holidays.
On Christmas day, the atmosphere is joyful: we hang out with friends , travel for this holiday, exchange gifts, enjoy the Christmas lights and decorations. We also treat ourselves and go out for dinner . Additionally, hotels throughout the city host an array of Christmas brunches and buffets to satisfy your holiday cravings.
Spanish Christmas – Manuel and Raul
In Spain we celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December with a family dinner in which we eat seafood and generally really good food such as pate and ham. At midnight Santa Claus comes and we have to hide while he puts all the presents under the Christmas tree. Usually the next day all the children wake up so early because they are excited to open their presents. During the remaining days of December we spend time having meals with other people like friends or more (extended) family members.
Spanish New Year – Ainara, Maria and Sofia
In Spain, we like to celebrate New Year’s Eve in big style. We have lots of fun and we usually celebrate all together with our family members.
For a special dinner we eat charcuterie, seafood and the typical drink is champaign.
There is a very typical tradition in Spain which everyone does: to eat 12 grapes wth each stroke of the clock in the 12 seconds before the new year begins! And there are people who eat the grapes under a table for good luck in their love life. (Note from the authors: This table ritual is a lie because we ate the grapes under the table and we are still single.) After that, we chat to everybody and text: HAPPY NEW YEAR! And then, we usually hang out with friends or we stay at home with our family. Kids can drink a sip of champagne or like adults always say, to wet your lips a little bit.
Christmas traditions in Ukraine – Vika
In Ukraine we have Saint Nicholas day on the night of December 5th (it used to be on the night of December 18th but not anymore). Before that night you write down what you want Saint Nicholas to give you, then you put that list by your window and then Saint Nicholas takes it when you are not there. When everyone goes to sleep on the evening of the 5th of December Saint Nicholas goes around to everyone’s house and puts presents under the tree if you were good throughout the year. In the morning of the 6th of December all family unpack their presents and tell each other what they got. When children go to school or kindergarden, everyone is really happy that day and they tell each other what they got.
Christmas in Ukraine is the time which you spend with your family. At first you cook the food and then when everyone comes to the house you put food on the table, pray and say thank you for everything that happened that year, and after that everyone starts to eat.
Kutya – is the main Christmas dish prepared all over Ukraine
After dinner you just talk with your family and spend time together.
New year in Ukraine you usually spend with your friends or family. We usually prepare all day on the 31st of December, like food, decorations, etc.
Then a few minutes before new year we put the TV on and listen to our president’ speech. Last year his speech was really good and a lot of people cried. After that we listen to the Ukrainian hymn during which we need to stand up and put our right hand on our heart. It’s always nice to sing it. Then we all count down from 10 to 1 to welcome the new year. We all clink glasses and say happy new year to each other.
In Ukraine we also have an “old new year”. I never celebrate it through.
It is on the 14th of January. This date used to be new year but in 1918 most of the countries changed their calendars but the church wanted to celebrate it like in the old calendar.
After celebrations like Christmas and new year you leave food for your dead family members. People believe that they come after you have eaten and left the table and they will sit at the table, eat food and celebrate as well.
German Christmas and New Year’s traditions – Jonathan and Jonas
In Germany we don’t celebrate Christmas that differently. Christmas time begins in December and many people buy an advent calendar, we go to Christmas markets and we decorate a tree. But we have a few special traditions. For example we celebrate Nikolas. He visits us on the night of the 5th of December and puts sweets in the shoes of well-behaved children. The naught children get a visit from “Knecht Ruprecht” who beats them with a stick and puts coal instead of sweets into the shoes. We also count the Sundays to Christmas by lighting up 4 candles on a wreath, one for each Sunday. Many people bake cookies, build gingerbread houses and eat many so called speculatius. On the 24th most Germans go to chapel in the evening (even if you are not that religious during the rest of the year), then we unwrap our presents, eat stuffed goose and many other things for Christmas dinner. Raclette, although more a Swiss dish, is also a very popular choice for a Christmas dinner.
New Year we celebrate with fireworks, which we can buy two days before the 31st, and parties. There are always those who start their fireworks too early or too late but most fireworks explode at and after 00:00. Another tradition is to watch “Dinner for One” a comedy sketch in English (with subtitles in German) about an old demented woman celebrating her 90th birthday with her butler and her friends who are all dead but the table is set for all of them nonetheless. The butler has to pretend to be these friends and drink their drinks. The butler gets more and more drunk, the old woman doesn’t notice anything. Even though we have seen it so many times, we still watch it every New Year’s Eve – and laugh about the slapstick comedy.
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