intheTRAVEL
intheTRAVEL
A Church Choir in the Congo
South Africa
Congo
Sweden
Christmas Celebrations Around the World
Easily the most celebrated holiday all over the world, modern Christmas is a product of
hundreds of years of both secular and religious traditions from around the globe. Christmas celebrations reflect local culture and traditions, which can be startlingly different
from country to country. Whether you’re celebrating it in Spain or China, you’re sharing
the wonder and magic of the Christmas season. Discover the origins of Christmas traditions from around the world, like the Yule log, caroling and how Christmas is celebrated
“down under”. In the following pages, we’ll take a look at Christmas traditions in countries around the world, from Sweden to Australia, from USA to China.
Preparation for Christmas in the Congo begins when a group is designated to prepare the annual Christmas pageant. The actual day begins with
groups of carolers walking to and fro the village; along the roadway, by
the houses of the missionaries, singing the lovely carols we are all familiar
with. Often people may be awakened by a group of carolers beginning
to converge on the house of worship. The carolers return home to make
final preparations, such as choosing their clothes and preparing the offerings for the Christmas service. During the service, every person attending
has to go forward to the raised platform where the Communion table is,
to lay down a gift. The most important part of their Christmas worship
service is the love offering, which is the gift in honor of Jesus. At about 8
or 9 o’clock everyone makes their way to the celebration of the birthday of
Jesus. Most people have Christmas dinners after the service, where they
invite family and friends, and put out tables in front of their homes to
share the meal.
South Africa
Since Christmas falls during the summer holidays, the southern summer
brings glorious days of sunshine that carry an irresistible invitation to the
beaches, the rivers, and the shaded mountain slopes. In South Africa there
is no snow, but it has many flowers, many beautiful varieties of cultivated
and wild flowers being in their full bloom.
On Christmas Eve, town carolers in the cities make their rounds. Christmas Eve celebrations in larger centers include “Carols by Candlelight” and
special screen and floor shows. Homes are decorated with pine branches,
and all have the decorated Christmas fir in a corner with presents for the
children around. At bedtime on Christmas Eve, children may also hang up
their stockings for presents from Father Christmas.
Weekendin 132
Kids helping with chores in Ghana
Church services are held on Christmas morning followed by an open-air
Christmas lunch. The meal consists of turkey, roast beef, mince pies, or
suckling pig, yellow rice with raisins, vegetables, and plum pudding, crackers, paper hats, and much more. In the afternoon, families go out into the
country where games are played, or people soak in the warm sunshine
before returning to the cool of the home in the evening. Boxing Day is also
a proclaimed public holiday and is usually spent in the open air for a day
of complete relaxation.
Ghana
In Ghana, on Africa’s west coast, most churches herald the coming of
Christmas by decorating the church and homes beginning with the first
week of Advent, four weeks before Christmas