Christmas Traditions Around the World

Christmas in NYC, Rockefeller Center.

In the US, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer usually heralds in the Christmas season with his omnipotent presence in the media – from TV to radio to print. He even has several songs dedicated to him, songs that most schoolchildren know how to sing by heart. With this superstar status, Rudolph is probably one of the more prominent symbols of the festivities which dictate the holiday season. But Rudolph may not have as strong a cult following in other countries around the world. Here are a few ways in which different countries around the world celebrate Christmas:

In the US, for example, the typical American family would celebrate Christmas by putting up a Christmas tree, decorating their house with Christmas lights and wreaths, and exchanging gifts on Christmas Day. Families also come together for a Christmas dinner.

In Argentina, Christmas falls in the summer, when temperatures are warm and skies are blue. So when the typical Argentinean family puts up their Christmas decorations, they might put cotton balls on the branches of their Christmas tree to simulate snow. When Christmas Eve rolls around, families light fireworks and “globos,” paper decorations which take off into the sky once they are lighted.

Globos in Argentina.

Bondi Beach, Sydney.

In Australia, another country in the Southern Hemisphere, many Australians spend Christmas outdoors to take advantage of the warm weather. Christmas dinner might be in the form of a barbecue and friends and families might gather for a day at the beach or at the park. Some families might even spend the Christmas holiday at a camping ground.

In England, Christmas preparations and traditions are similar to those of the US’s – people decorate their homes, hang stockings up, have Christmas dinner, and open presents on Christmas Day. One difference, though, is that most families would gather to watch the Queen’s speech to the Nation and Commonwealth at 3 pm on Christmas Day. On the day after Christmas, December 26^th, England observes Boxing Day, which is a day of shopping similar to Black Friday. 

In China, Christmas is celebrated mainly by Christians but the commercial aspect of the holiday has been spreading. So although there are Christmas decorations, the winter season is indicative of another holiday – Chinese New Year – for the majority of Chinese families. Those who do celebrate Christmas would most likely put up plastic Christmas trees decorated with paper chains, paper flowers, and paper lanterns and attend Midnight Mass.

A Chinese Christmas tree

In France, children put their shoes by the fireplace on Christmas Eve in the hopes that "Pere Noel,” or Santa Claus, will bring them toys. Unlike the US rendition of Santa Claus, Pere Noel is tall and thin. On Christmas Eve, there is a feast called "Le Reveillon." After this dinner, many families serve a "Buche de Noel," a sponge cake decorated like a Yule log.

Buche de Noel.

In Ghana, people celebrate Christmas from the 20th of December to the first week in January with lots of different activities. Many people travel to visit their relatives and friends in other parts of the country. But because there are so many ethnic groups in Ghana, there is no single Christmas tradition which the majority of the people who celebrate Christmas participate in.  

In India, it is mostly the Indian Christians who celebrate Christmas. Because of India’s climate, most of them decorate mango or banana trees instead of the traditional pine trees at Christmas time; they might also decorate their houses with mango leaves. Families also place “diyas,” small oil-burning lamps made of clay, on their rooftops, symbolizing their view that Jesus is the light of the world.

Banana tree with decorations.

How does your family or culture celebrate Christmas? If you don't celebrate Christmas, what are some traditions that you have for your holiday?

Holiday Party Re-Cap

On December 9^th, a total of 56 Fulbright students, representing 34 countries, joined One To World staff and supporters in celebrating this holiday season at the Pomegranate Gallery in Soho.

The gallery, owned by Iraqi-born artist Oded Halamy, was buzzing as students, scholars, and One To World staff and supporters mingled in the warm, multi-cultural atmosphere, discussing the impressive collection of American and Middle Eastern art in the gallery and enjoying the wine and selection of international hors d’oeuvres.

Overall, students had a great time mingling and enjoying the holiday festivities at the annual One To World Holiday Party.

            What did you think of the event? Let us know what your thoughts about the Winter Holiday Celebration are!

World Cup Update and Other Cultural Pastimes

Now that the semester is winding down, you may invariably find yourself with some extra time on your hands. So what do you do when you’ve finally recuperated from the sleepless nights spent cramming for finals? Some of you might want to relax with a glass of wine and some cheese. But for those of you who are inclined to be more active, cheese-rolling might be something to look into.

Yes. Cheese-rolling. The sport is pretty simple: all you have to do is find a wheel of cheese, roll it down the side of a hill – preferably, the steeper the better – and chase after it. If you think you’ve got what it takes to be a professional, you can head over to Gloucestershire, England to participate in their annual cheese-rolling competition which takes place in the spring. But if chasing cheese down a hill isn’t your cup of tea – maybe you're extremely lactose intolerant and can't come within 50 feet of cheese or maybe you're not too keen on ending up with a lot of bandages on your knees and some on your face –  chasing a ball on a flat field might be more appealing. 

Although that’s not to say that football (or soccer as the Americans call it) doesn’t have its fair share of injuries. But generally speaking, football is an overall more popular pastime than cheese-rolling. So if you happen to be an avid football fan, you might already be aware of the situation with the several upcoming World Cups: it has been determined that the 2014 tournament will be held in Brazil, 2018 in Russia, and 2022 in Qatar.

And the recent decision to let Qatar host the 2022 World Cup has caused quite the flurry of reactions. For one thing, Qatar will be the first Middle Eastern country to host the tournament so being in the international limelight will help foster cross-cultural understanding between the Middle East and the rest of the world.

Additionally, Qatar is promising to leave a substantial football legacy behind: some of the stadiums that the country is building for the World Cup will feature a design which can be dismantled after the tournament. Once the tournament is over, this special feature will allow Qatar to rebuild up to 22 stadiums in developing countries that looking to develop their football infrastructure. 

But while Qatar is looking to create an impact on the history of football, the country itself doesn’t have a particular outstanding football history. Ranking as 113th in FIFA’s official rankings, Qatar has never actually qualified for the World Cup. This may be a potential problem as the host team traditionally advances past the opening playoffs. In fact, FIFA takes pains to ensure that the host team has a good chance of moving past the opening round by giving the host team a top seed.

However, before it needs to even worry about moving past the opening round, Qatar must first overcome its infrastructure and weather challenges. Since the country currently lacks a complete public transportation system and only has 3 of the 12 stadiums that FIFA requires its host countries to have, Qatar will have to commit to some serious building and infrastructure development to accommodate the players and spectators.

The scorching weather –temperatures can reach up to 50 °C (122 °F) in the summertime – is also challenging Qatar to incorporate innovative design mechanisms into its stadiums’ cooling systems. Which is why the country is looking to utilize solar energy to power the nine new, fully air-conditioned, and carbon-neutral stadiums that the country will be building.

If all goes according to plan, Qatar will finally be able to deliver on it’s promise of “[showcasing] the best traditions of the world’s greatest sporting event, while presenting astonishing innovations aimed at further propelling football’s worldwide growth” when 2022 finally rolls around.

What do you think? What are your opinions on Qatar winning the bid to host the 2022 World Cup?