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(c) 2020 HomeschoolOnTheRange.blogspot.com Terms of Use All Homeschool On the Range products (free or purchased) are copyright protected. This product is for non-commercial individual or classroom use only. Sharing, making copies, transferring or distributing these materials in any form, for additional individuals, classrooms, or schools, is prohibitied. Please DO save this file and print as many copies as needed for your family or classroom only, link to my store (http://okbookshack.org/shop), and share your use of this resource with proper credit given and a link back to my site (http://homeschoolontherange.blogspot.com) Please DO NOT sell, host, reproduce, give away, or store my products on any other site (including a blog, Facebook, 4shared, Dropbox, etc) for the purpose of sharing with others. Thank you! Visit our Cottage Shop at - http://okbookshack.org/shop Special Offer for our readers! Looking for supplemental classes for your students? Seeking electives for your high schooler? No need to feel cooped up in your current way of doing school. Take on a new challenge by providing your children with a wide variety of new opportunities such as violin lessons, home economics, or photography while using SchoolhouseTeachers.com! These classes and hundreds more are available at one low cost for the entire family! Try it out for only $5! (c) 2020 HomeschoolOnTheRange.blogspot.com Recommended Reading List: Carole P. Roman cultural books series Walk this World at Christmastime Christmas Around the World A World of Cookies for Santa Where Would Santa Go? Winter Holidays Around the World Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas Activities: Christmas Around the World – coloring book Recipes & Customs: Christmas Around the World Craft and Pray Around the World Watch & Listen: Christmas Celebrations Around the Globe (video) Putomayo: Christmas Around the World Christmas Around the World Find more activities and fantastic resources at The Christmas Corner! (c) 2020 HomeschoolOnTheRange.blogspot.com Australia One Christmas season, as a radio announcer was listening to Christmas carols, he glanced up and saw an old lady with a candle in her hand listening to the music. This gave him the idea of “Carols by Candlelight.” The same day, he visited a crippled children’s hospital in Melbourne. He wondered what could be done to cheer up the young patients when he remembered the old lady. He started the carols being sung in the Alexander Gardens, and Carols by Candlelight became accepted all over Australia. Depending on where you are, it is Father Christmas or Santa Claus who brings the gifts. While Christmas Dinner is much the same as in the USA, supper is likely to be spent at a picnic on the beach, as Christmas comes in the middle of summer. Ferns, flowers, Christmas bells, and the Christmas bush are used to decorate homes. Belgium In Belgium, St. Nicholas makes two visits, one on December 4, to see if the children have been good, and one on December 6 (St. Nicholas Day feast) to bring gifts. Children leave hay, water, and carrots near the door for St. Nicholas’ horse. When they awake on December 6, they know that St. Nicholas has visited during the night because their rooms are in disorder. December 21 is the Feast of St. Thomas, and a day for mischief. Children lock their teachers out of school and don’t let them back in until they treat them. The legs of a hen and a rooster are tied together, and the children scramble to (c) 2020 HomeschoolOnTheRange.blogspot.com catch them. The girl who catches the hen is Queen of the St. Thomas Feast and the boy who catches the rooster is the King. Christmas is a holy day in Belgium. The children lead the parade carrying religious symbols decorated with streamers. One of the boys is dressed at St. John the Baptist. He leads a white lamb and carries a crucifix. They are greeted in the village with music and song. Canada Canadians celebrate Christmas in many ways, however the most popular way is that about two weeks before Christmas, they get their trees and generally have them decorated about a week before Christmas. On Christmas Eve, it is customary for children to go to bed and talk excitedly about getting up just after midnight to see the wondrous gifts Santa Claus brought them. On Christmas Day, the children get up early. The parents are generally awakened early so the children can open their gifts. The day is spent at home with friends and family dropping in. The Christmas feast is usually roast turkey or ham with cranberry sauce. Candies, nuts, and fruits are plentiful. China In China, Christmas is called Sheng Dan Jieh (Holy Birth Festival). The Christmas tree is call the tree of light. Decorations are made of colored paper, and evergreens are used to decorate the homes. (c) 2020 HomeschoolOnTheRange.blogspot.com Churches are lighted with paper lanterns. At Christmas, paper chains and poster of peace and joy are everywhere. Children hang up stockings and expect Lan Khoong Khoong (nice old father) to fill them. In some areas, Santa Claus is known as Dun Che Lao Ren (Christmas old man). Gifts are exchanged on Christmas day. Silks, jewels, and other valuable gifts are given (only to family members). A great feast is prepared and eaten amid music and songs on Christmas Day. Czechoslovakia Christmas in Czechoslovakia begins with Svaty Mikalas Day on December 6. It is believed that St. Nicholas, along with an angel and a devil, come from heaven on a golden bird bringing gifts. The angel is dressed in white, the devil (called Cert) is dressed in black and carries a whip and a chain to find the bad children. December 24, 25, and 26 are the holidays of the winter season. These are days of great feasts, the candles on the Christmas tree are lighted, and the gifts are given out to the family gathered around the tree. Bones from the meat eaten on Christmas are buried under the fruit trees to assure a plentiful harvest. Food eaten on Christmas are calta (bread), carp, and cuba (pudding made from barley, milk, and mushrooms). This meal is finished by eating fruit stew (masica) on a piece of calta. The children spend the day after Christmas (St. Stephen’s) singing carols to the neighbors who in turn give them pennies for their songs. (c) 2020 HomeschoolOnTheRange.blogspot.com Denmark The Christmas festival takes place o n December 24. On this night, all of the church bells chime, people have a big dinner, a ceremony around the Christmas tree, and they sing hymns and carols in their candlelit churches. Danish people, young and old, love ‘nisser,’ who are tricky little Christmas elves. They are much smaller than Santa Claus and live in country homes where they hide in the hayloft. ‘Nissen’ is said to keep company with the family cat, reminding people to put milk out for it and all of the smaller ‘nisser,’ or helpers of Santa Claus distributing Christmas gifts to families. Traditionally, the Christmas dinner starts with roast goose stuffed with fruit, red cabbage, and browned potatoes. This is followed by rice porridge sprinkled with cinnamon. After this festive dinner, the father and mother light the candles on the Christmas tree, and all the family members join hands and sing Danish Christmas songs around the tree. The gifts are given out, starting with the youngest child. During the Christmas season, a lighted candle is placed in every window to tell travelers that they are welcome within. Birds and animals are given special feedings on Christmas Eve in memory of the first Christmas. England An English Christmas starts on December 25 and continues for 12 days. Carol singers travel from door to door, singing for householders and receiving small mine pies and coins. The homes and stores are very (c) 2020 HomeschoolOnTheRange.blogspot.com beautifully decorated with holly and mistletoe. Stockings are hung by the fireside, for it was once said that St. Nicholas accidentally dropped some gold coins into a pair of stockings drying by the fire. St. Nicholas is also known as Father Christmas to English children. Children write letters to St. Nicholas weeks before and leave them in the fireplace. Christmas dinner usually features turkey with chestnut stuffing, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower. The most important part of the meal is plum pudding, which is made from various dried fruits and nuts. Many hours go into the preparation of this pudding, which is sometimes made months before Christmas. Gifts are exchanged in the afternoon. After the Christmas, meal, friends and relatives visit each other and share Christmas cheer. Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, got its name from boxes of food and gifts given to the servants on this day. Ethiopia Christianity was introduced in 330 AD, and Christmas is very different here from the celebration that we know. Christmas falls on the 17th of January, and centers around the church. Most of the churches are very old and often situation square with a court surrounding them. Lailibela is the ‘Jerusalem of Ethiopia.’ On Christmas, thousands of pilgrims go to the cities from all parts of the country. Christmas Eve is spent on the hills praying and waiting for the dawn of Christmas Day. The Christmas Procession consists of thousands of nuns, monks, and priests chanting. The Ark, which is covered with gold and precious gems, is carried by four men. The pilgrims are given bread and meat which has been blessed. The rest of Christmas day is spent dancing, feasting, and sporting. (c) 2020 HomeschoolOnTheRange.blogspot.com France About a week before Christmas, each French family builds a crèche (the stable where Christ was born).