SLAS Times 2016/2017 Winter 2016 | Page 17

CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD BY EMMA WOOTAN Even though Christmas is seen as a western holiday it is celebrated worldwide. Cultures from all over the world have made Christmas their own by incorporating their own traditions into this holiday. Most follow the general idea of gift giving. However, there are some interesting traditions that spring from the combination of native and western culture. Religion also affects the way Christmas is celebrated as a large portion of the world is Christian and celebrates a more traditional Christmas rather than a secular one. For Christmas in Poland a lot depends on whether a person’s family is religious or not. Ms Polina Orel, a preschool teacher at Shanghai Livingston American School (SLAS), offered some insight into Christmastime in Poland, “If you are religious Christmas is a big deal, but if you are not it is a small holiday and New Years is much bigger,” she said. Christmas Eve is known as ‘Wigilia.’ The house is cleaned and everyone wears festive clothes. The Christmas meal is called ‘Kolacjo Wigilia.’ In the Philippines Christmas is a mixture of western and native Filipino traditions. Ricalyn Sandoval, a junior at SLAS, talked about one of these traditions in an interview, “On the 25th of December we go to the houses of relatives and friends. Older people like our grandparents give the younger kids money. We also open presents and go to church.” Another Filipino tradition is the parol. The parol is a bamboo pole with a star lit up on the top. It represents the star that guided the wise men. This is very similar to the western Christmas tree that has a star on top. The star on western Christmas trees is also meant to symbolize the star above the manger. Spain celebrates the Epiphany, which takes place on January 6. The Epiphany is when the kings or wise men as said to have brought gifts to the baby Jesus. While some children open presents on the 25th of December, most open presents on the Epiphany. Some children believe that the kings or wise men are the ones who bring them presents. This is similar to the western Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas. On December 26th, Boxing Day, some children write letters to the wise men asking for specific presents. On the Epiphany Eve they leave shoes on windowsills and under Christmas trees to be filled with presents. Much like the western tradition of leaving cookies and milk for Santa Claus and carrots for the reindeer, children in Spain leave gifts for the wise men. They leave a glass of cognac for each king, a Satsuma, and some walnuts. They sometimes will leave a bucket of water for the camel that is said to bring the wise men. In almost every culture around the world some evidence of western influence can be found concerning Christmas. The combination of western ideas and native cultures results in interesting and unique traditions. While these traditions vary widely they all have factors in common. They all involve getting family together and celebrating what they believe in. 17