Christmas Traditions

The celebrations of Christmas have come to be a major occasion the world over with a host of traditions and customs being followed in different countries in different parts of the world. The Christmas traditions in different countries vary as there are different beliefs about the origin of Christmas and its celebrations. Christmasonnet.com takes you for a festive journey through the roots of Christmas traditions going back in time. The different countries of the world celebrate Christmas in different ways and lead to popularity of the festivity world wide. In Canada stockings are hung on the fireplace for Santa Claus

to fill with gifts and Christmas trees are decorated, while children put on pageants and go caroling in the church. Chinese Christians celebrate Christmas by lighting their homes with beautiful paper lanterns and Santa for the Chinese is known by the name of Dun Che Lao Ren.

Most of the countries have imported maximum traditions from England which actually popularized the Christmas tree and Boxing Day being another tradition is celebrated in the first week after Christmas when small boxes with food and sweets or other small gifts are wrapped and gifted to who ever comes calling on that day.

In France Santa is known as Pere Noel, and he is accompanied by Pre Fouettard, who keeps a track of those who have been good or bad with Santa. Pere Noel in some parts of France gives small gifts in the first week of December (Dec 6) and comes back on Christmas again to deliver more. The tradition of Le Reveillon indicates towards dinner at midnight on December 24 and the members have a cake called La Buche de Noel being served after dinner. Tiny clay figures of Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the Wise Men, the Shepherds, and Angels.

January 6th is the day for main exchange of gift and this day are traditionally believed to be the day when Wise Men came to see baby Jesus. It Italy La Befana brings gifts to for the good and punishes the bad. Saint Francis of Assisi had first been set up the nativity scene in many of the communities competing for the best nativity. Simultaneously in Netherlands Santa is known as Sinterklaas who came to Sweden originally by boat and delivers gifts on horse back as children leave their shoes outside filled with hay and sugar for Santa's horse and Santa fills up the shoes with candy and nuts.



In Russia Babouschka brings gifts for children and tradition says that she failed to give food and shelter to the three wise men for whom she searches the countryside including baby Jesus. In this process she visits all children giving gifts as she goes. Initially Santa was known as Saint Nicholas but now he's known as Grandfather Frost, as he wears a blue outfit instead of red. In Russia people celebrated Christmas with great pomp and grandeur by going to church and sharing a special meal at home but after 1917 Soviet Government banned Christmas. Children used to dance and sing around the Christmas tree waiting for Santa to bring their gifts. Finally New York popularized the idea of Christmas card in1846 and thus Christmas was commercialized in the rest of the world.

Christmas is simply incomplete without the melody of Christmas carol and the Christmas ornaments simply make your Christmas a more enjoyable event. Going to different parts of the world you will find a host of varied traditions and cultures being followed to celebrate Christmas. To know more about the interesting facts related to Christmas traditions browse through the following links as Christmasonnet offers interesting account about the same.