Christmas Celebrated in Different Countries
You anticipate celebrating another Christmas season with the decorations, traditions and foods unique to the holiday. Around the world, others share your anticipation of Christmas. Peek inside the windows of homes in other countries during the Christmas season. Explore the diverse celebrations and charm of another continent, where a camel, the Three Kings, Father Christmas and a benevolent witch bring gifts and treats to good children. Does this Spark an idea?
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Christmas in Ghana
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The Christmas celebration in Ghana extends from December 20 to the first week in January. Approximately 40 percent of Ghanaians are Christians, who celebrate Christmas with traditional church services and family feasts. Palm branches and flowers decorate churches where a tree is sometimes decorated on the church grounds. Brightly colored paper ornaments decorate homes. Families decorate a courtyard mango or cashew tree with paper ornaments or decorate a single tree branch indoors. People travel to reach their ancestral town or village before Christmas. Families enjoy a Christmas Eve dinner that includes chicken stew, peanut soup and dishes cooked with rice and goat meat. Following dinner, Ghanaian families attend a church service where the children put on a Christmas pageant or nativity play. Carolers go from door to door on Christmas Day. Father Christmas brings treats and small gifts which the children receive following a mid-morning church service.
Christmas in Spain
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The Christmas season in Spain begins on December 8, when the purity of Mary is honored by the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Christmas markets open for business that sell a variety of nativity scene figurines, Christmas trees, decorations and ornaments. Decorations in Spanish homes center on the nativity scene. Clubs exist to preserve the tradition of making cribs for nativity scenes. Children look forward to placing new figurines or other additions to the home nativity scene each year. Christmas trees are popular in some regions of Spain. Swing sets appear during the Christmas season because Spaniards believe that swinging during the solstice time encourages the sun to swing higher in the sky. Nougat candy, roasted chestnuts and marzipan are favorite Christmas treats. On Christmas Eve, families enjoy fish, roasted turkey and pig and various wines. Some families place a lighted lamp in a window and lighted candles around the nativity scene. Many Spaniards attend midnight mass church service. On Christmas Day, families place the baby Jesus figurine in the nativity scene crib. Although some families exchange gifts on Christmas Day, tradition mandates that children also receive gifts from the three kings on January 6.
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Christmas in Syria
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Christians make up less than 10 percent of the Syrian population. A special mass on December 6 honors Saint Nicholas Thaumaturgus, honored for his kindness and generosity. Family members hold a candle and stand around an unlit bonfire on Christmas Eve. The bonfire is lit after the youngest child reads the Christmas story from the Bible. The bonfire flames predict the family's future for the coming year. The family sings until the fire burns out. Each family member jumps over the embers and ashes three times and makes wishes. Syrians attend an early mass on Christmas Day. Visitors to the home enjoy Middle Eastern sweets, such as baklava, burma and mulabas. The Christmas dinner traditionally includes chicken, oranges, nuts and pastries. The youngest camel that carried the three wise men to Bethlehem brings gifts to Syrian children on New Year's Day. Legend indicates that Jesus blessed the camel with immortality after it suffered exhaustion carrying one of the wise men.
Christmas in Italy
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Italians emphasize religious observance and family during the Christmas season. Pre-Christmas celebrations vary by region in Italy. On December 6, Italians on the Adriatic coast celebrate St. Nicholas' Day. The children receive treats and religious processions are held. St. Lucy's Day is celebrated on December 13. Sicilian children leave their shoes outdoors on December 13 for St. Lucy to fill with treats. Shepherds visit the cities around the middle of December to play their bagpipes in the markets and in front of churches and nativity scenes. Many Italians participate in special prayer services for nine consecutive days between December 16 and December 24. The services end with midnight mass on Christmas Eve. The people cherish nativity scenes which are placed in all homes, businesses and public places. The Christmas Eve meal usually features seafood, grain and vegetables. Eel is a preferred main course. Christmas dinner dishes vary by region. A dessert table includes almond cookies, cannoli, candied fruit and strufoli. Children receive gifts on January 6 from Befana, a kind witch who flies through the night on a broomstick. )
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