Christmas is getting closer and closer for countries all around the world. For some countries, Christmas is a huge holiday; however, some countries don’t celebrate it at all. Let us look at Christmas around the world.
In Russia, when the Soviet Union was in control, Christmas was not a common holiday, and if it was, it was celebrated in private. During the revolution in 1929, Christmas was banned as a religious holiday in. Christmas trees were also banned until 1935. They were unbanned because they were being used for New Years. Then when the Soviet Union fell in 1991, people could celebrate Christmas again! It’s still a small holiday, especially since the New Year’s celebrations are bigger. Russia has a similar ‘Santa’ figure named “Ded Moroz” and brings presents to children. He appears with his granddaughter, Shegurochka. Children gather in a circle, around the tree, and hold hands while they call for Shegurochka or Ded Moroz. Russia celebrates Christmas and New Years from December 31st to Janurary 10th. Schastlivogo Rozhdestva! Mexico celebrates Christmas from December 12th to January 6th. Starting on December 16th to the 24th, children perform the “Posada,” or “Posadas”. Posada means “inn” or “lodging”. Posadas are used to represent the story of Joseph and Mary looking for a place to stay. Nativity Scenes known as “Nacimiento” are extremely popular in Mexico. They are large, using life-size figures. These figures are usually passed down in families. Christmas trees are becoming popular, but Nacimiento is still the main decoration. Christmas Eve is celebrated as a family day and it’s known as “Noche Buena,” ¡Feliz navidad!
In Japan, the past few decades, Christmas in Japan has been widely celebrated. It’s not seen as a religious holiday or celebration because many Japanese people are not Christian’s. Many ideas for Christmas in Japan came from the US, like sending Christmas cards and giving presents. In Japan, Christmas is a time to spread kindness rather than religion. Christmas day is less celebrated than Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is seen as Valentine’s Day, where couples get together and exchange presents. Couples go for walks to look at the festive lights and eat out at a restaurant. Christmas is not a national holiday, but schools are usually closed on Christmas day because it’s near the start of the New Year school Break. Merii kurisumasu!
The Christmas season is the perfect time to explore how other countries celebrate Christmas-like holidays. Even though many countries don’t celebrate Christmas, there’s a lot of alternatives to how they celebrate. There’s also a bunch of Christmas traditions that other countries do during this festive season.
