CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD

AUSTRALIA

In Australia, Christmas comes in the towards the beginning of the summer holidays so  children have their summer holidays from mid December to early February!






Australians hang wreaths on their front doors and sometimes go out Christmas carol singing on Christmas Eve. People also decorate their houses and gardens with Christmas Trees and Christmas lights. Neighbors sometimes have little competitions to see who has got the best light display. The neighbors often visit each other to look at the light displays at night. 






Australians also decorate their houses with bunches of 'Christmas Bush', a native Australian tree with small green leaves and cream colored flowers. In summer the flowers turn a deep shiny red over a period of weeks (generally by the week of Christmas in Sydney).

SOUTH KOREA

Christmas is an official public holiday - so people have the day off work and school! But they go back on the 26th (Boxing Day). There's a longer official winter break in the New Year.

Churches are decorated with lights and many have a bright red neon cross on top (all the year!) so that goes very well with the Christmas lights! Most churches will have a service on Christmas day. Going to Church for Christmas is becoming more popular, even among non Christians.

Presents are exchanged and a popular present is money! Giving actually gifts has become more popular, but giving money is still very common.

Santa Claus can also be seen around Korea but he might be wearing red or blue! He's also known as 산타 클로스 (santa kullosu) or 산타 할아버지 (Santa Grandfather).

A popular Christmas food is a Christmas Cake, but it's often a sponge cake covered in cream brought from a local bakery! Or you might even have an ice cream cake from a shop like 'Baskin Robbins'!

SOUTH AFRICA 

Also in South Africa Christmas arrives in summer, The schools are closed for the Christmas holidays and some people like to go camping. Going carol singing, on Christmas Eve, is very popular in towns and cities. Carols by Candlelight services are also popular on Christmas Eve. And many people go to a Christmas morning Church Service.

The Christmas meal is either turkey, duck, roast beef, mince pies or suckling pig with yellow rice & raisins and vegetables, followed by Christmas Pudding or a traditional South African desert called Malva Pudding (sometimes also called Lekker Pudding) - get the recipe. People also like to pull Christmas Crackers! The meal is often eaten outside in the summer sun! If it's really hot they might even have a barbecue or 'braai'.

 

Santa Claus is also known as Sinterklaas (St Nicholas) & Kersvader (Father Christmas) for people who speak Afrikaans (which has a base in Dutch).