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Christmas celebrations in the West today 

From November onwards, it is impossible to forget that Christmas is coming. Colouredlights decorate many town centres and shops, along with shiny decorations, and artificial

snow painted on shop windows.In streets and shops, 'Christmas trees' (real or plastic evergreen 'conifer' trees) will also bedecorated with lights and Christmas ornaments.

Shopping centres become busier as December approaches and often stay open tilllate.Shopping centre speaker systems systems will play Christmas 'carols' - the traditionalChristmas Christian songs, and groups of people will often sing carols on the streets to raisemoney for charity. Most places of work will hold a short Christmas party about a weekbefore Christmas. Although traditional Christmas foods may be eaten, drink (and plenty of it) means that little work will be done after the party!

By mid-December, most homes will also be decorated with Christmas trees, colouredlights and paper or plastic decorations around the rooms. These days, many more peoplealso decorate garden trees or house walls with coloured electric lights, a habit which haslong been popular in USA.

In many countries, most people post Christmas greeting cards to their friends and family,and these cards will be hung on the walls of their homes. In UK this year, the British PostOffice expects to handle over 100 million cards EACH DAY, in the three weeks beforeChristmas.

Christmas cards 

The custom of sending Christmas cards started in Britain in 1840 when the first 'PennyPost' public postal deliveries began. (Helped by the new railway system, the public postalservice was the 19th century's communication revolution, just as email is for us today.) Asprinting methods improved, Christmas cards were produced in large numbers from about1860. They became even more popular in Britain when a card could be posted in anunsealed envelope for one half-penny - half the price of an ordinary letter.

Traditionally, Christmas cards showed religious pictures - Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus,or other parts of the Christmas story. Today, pictures are often jokes, winter pictures,Father Christmas, or romantic scenes of life in past times.

The old man with the sack 

'Father Christmas' (or 'Santa Claus') has become the human face of Christmas. Pictures willbe seen everywhere of the old man with long white beard, red coat, and bag of toys.Children are taught that he brings them presents the night before Christmas (or in somecountries on December 6th - St. Nicholas' Day), and many children up to the age of 7 or 8really believe this is true. In most countries, it is said that he lives near the North Pole, and

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arrives through the sky on a sledge (snow-cart) pulled by reindeer. He comes into housesdown the chimney at midnight and places presents for the children in socks or bags by theirbeds or in front of the family Christmas tree.

In shops or at children's parties, someone will dress up as Father Christmas and give small

presents to children, or ask them what gifts they want for Christmas. Christmas can be atime of magic and excitement for children.

Who was he? 

Father Christmas is based on a real person, St. Nicholas, which explains his other name'Santa Claus' which comes from the Dutch 'Sinterklaas'. Nicholas was a Christian leaderfrom Myra (in modern-day Turkey) in the 4th century AD. He was very shy, and wanted togive money to poor people without them knowing about it. It is said that one day, heclimbed the roof of a house and dropped a purse of money down the chimney. It landed inthe stocking which a girl had put to dry by the fire! This may explain the belief that FatherChristmas comes down the chimney and places gifts in children's stockings.

Boxing Day 

In English-speaking countries, the day following Christmas Day is called 'Boxing Day'.This word comes from the custom which started in the Middle Ages around 800 years ago:churches would open their 'alms boxe' (boxes in which people had placed gifts of money)and distribute the contents to poor people in the neighbourhood on the day after Christmas.The tradition continues today - small gifts are often given to delivery workers such as postalstaff and children who deliver newspapers.

Making sense of Christmas 

Today in the West, not many people consider the religious meaning to Christmas. Mostpeople in UK or Europe will not go to a religious church meeting, even at Christmas. It hasbecome a busy race to spend money on presents, and get ready for the Day. In UK, ourshops stay open till late Christmas Eve and often open again on Boxing Day with the cut-price 'sales'. (Not much holiday for the poor shop workers!) A visitor from another worldwould think that Christmas was a festival to the gods of money and shopping.

What do you want from Christmas? 

Many people do hope for more than presents at Christmas. We want to somehow return to a

time in our childhood (or some other good time in the past), when life was simpler andmade more sense, before the troubles of adult life arrived. We feel sure that behind all thefun and decorations, there must somehow be a message, something more, some key to life,hope and happiness.

So can we look beyond the way Christmas is celebrated today, and find any real meaning,any message for our lives today?

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The Christmas season is celebrated in different ways around the world, varying by country and region.

Elements common to many areas of the world include the lighting of  Christmas trees, the hanging of 

wreaths, Christmas stockings, candy canes, and/or the creation of  Nativity scenes depicting the birth of 

Jesus Christ. Christmas carols may be sung and stories told about such figures as the Baby Jesus, St

Nicholas, Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Christkindl or Grandfather Frost. The sending of  Christmas

cards, the exchange of  Christmastime greetings, observance of  fasting and/or special religious

observances such as a midnight Mass or Vespers on Christmas Eve, the burning of a Yule log, and the

giving and receiving of presents. Along with Easter, Christmas time is one of the most important periods

on the Christian calendar, and is often closely connected to other holidays at this time of year, such as

Advent, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, St. Nicholas Day, St. Stephen's Day, New Year's, and

the Feast of the Epiphany. 

Czech Republic and Slovakia

Old Town Square in Prague, Czech Republic - Christmastime.Main article: Czech Christmas Mass 

Christmas Eve (24 December) is celebrated as Štědrý den, which means "Generous Day", whenthe gifts are given in the evening. The 25th and 26 December are Public holidays in the CzechRepublic and in Slovakia. 

According to tradition, gifts are brought by Ježíšek , or "baby Jesus". Many very old Christmastraditions are followed, mostly for fun. People usually fast on Christmas Eve and only eat a spotof sauerkraut soup to keep them going during the fasting period; traditionally children areencouraged to fast alongside the adults with the promise that the best amongst them will see the"golden piglet", which brings good luck. Fish soup and breaded roasted carp with specialhomemade potato salad are a traditional dish for the dinner. The gifts are secretly displayedunder the Christmas tree (usually a spruce or pine) by one of the adults, usually just before orduring dinner. Children have to wait for the ringing of a Christmas bell (one of the decorationson the Christmas tree) - the sign that Ježíšek (little Jesus) has just passed by - to run for thepresents. That happens at the end of their Christmas dinner.

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Other Czech and Slovak Christmas traditions involve predictions for the future. Apples arealways cut crosswise: if a perfect star appears in the core, the next year will be successful,distorted star means a bad year or illness, while a cross may suggest death. Girls throw shoesover their shoulders - if the toe points to the door, the girl will get married soon. Anothertradition requires pouring some molten lead into water and guessing a message from its shapes.

[edit] German-speaking Europe

Christmas market in front of the town hall in Vienna, Austria

Knecht Ruprecht is a companion of St Nikolaus in many German speaking areas of Europe. 

In some German-speaking communities, particularly in Catholic regions of western and southernGermany, Switzerland, Austria, South Tyrol and Liechtenstein, as well as in other Catholicregions of Central Europe, the Christkind  (literally "Christ child") brings the presents on theevening of December 24 (Holy Evening or Heiliger Abend).[20] The Christkind is invisible; thushe is never seen by anyone. However, he rings a bell just before he leaves in order to let childrenknow that the Christmas tree and the presents are ready.

It is a tradition to lavishly decorate a Christmas tree in the days directly before Christmas or onthe morning of Christmas Eve. On late Christmas Eve, after the bell rings, the tree is shown tothe children and presents are exchanged.

In Protestant churches, there is a service in the late afternoon intended to immediately precedethe Christmas Eve meal and the exchanging of gifts. This service, called Christvesper , consistsmost often of scriptural readings, the Christmas Gospel from Luke 2, a Krippenspiel (nativityplay), favourite Christmas carols and festive music for organ and choirs. In some regions thetradition of Quempas singing is still popular. Some Lutheran churches also celebrate acandlelight service at midnight besides the Christmas Vespers in the afternoon or early evening.

Many Catholic churches also have a first Mass of Christmas, called Christmette, on "HeiligerAbend" about 4 p.m. for the children and parents to attend before the families return home fortheir meal. The crib is a very important part of the celebrations in Catholic areas especiallyBavaria. 

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Hungary

Main article: Christmas in Hungary 

Christmas decorations in Budapest, Hungary

In Hungary, celebrations begin with Christmas tree decoration and gift packaging during daytimeon 24 December, then comes a family dinner with traditional Christmas meals. In some parts of Hungary, a traditional supper called fish soup halászlé is served at Christmas Eve meal, althoughit is also consumed at other times of the year. The day is otherwise a fast-day. In the evening(Christmas Eve, in Hungarian: Szenteste) the Angel or the Little (Baby) Jesus (Hungarian:Kisjézus or Jézuska) delivers the presents. This is the most intimate moment of Christmas,featuring warmly lit Christmas tree and candles, soft Christmas music, family singing of Christmas or religious songs and gift pack openings.There is also a popular folk custom duringDecember and especially on Christmas Eve, in which children or adults present the birth of Jesus. The custom is called 'playing Bethlehem' (Hungarian: Betlehemezés), and it is an acting

performance, where the 'actors' are wearing costumes, and telling stories about the three kings,the shepherds, Mary, Joseph and of course the birth of the Holy Child. A Christmas crib and achurch are used as the scene. The actors go from house to house, and they receive gifts for theirperformance.

Albania

Christmas (Krishtlindjet) on 25 December is a public holiday in Albania, a nation withsignificant Muslim and Christian populations, and is celebrated by both Orthodox and Catholic

Albanians. However,even some non-Christian Albanians celebrate them. The Albanian wish is"Gëzuar Krishtlindjet!".

People go to church at midnight on 24 December, or during 25 December. The Christmasatmosphere is felt not only in the capital city, Tirana, but also in many other cities, for examplein: Korca, Shkodra, Lezha etc. The rituals and traditions are very similar to those practiced bythe other European Christian nations.

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[edit] Bulgaria

TZUM department store at Christmastime, Sofia, Bulgaria 

In Bulgaria, Christmas (Bulgarian: Коледа, Koleda or more formally Рождество Христово, Rozhdestvo Hristovo, "Nativity of Jesus") is celebrated on 25 December and is preceded by

Christmas Eve (Бъдни вечер, Badni vecher ). Traditionally, Christmas Eve would be the climaxof the Nativity Fast, and thus only an odd number of lenten dishes are presented on that evening.On that day, a Bulgarian budnik is set alight. On Christmas, however, meat dishes are alreadyallowed and are typically served.

Among the Bulgarian Christmas traditions is koleduvane, which involves boy carolers(коледари, koledari) visiting the neighbouring houses starting at midnight on Christmas Eve,wishing health, wealth and happiness a. Another custom is the baking of a traditional round loaf (пита,  pita). The pita is broken into pieces by the head of the family and a piece is given to eachfamily member, a valuable possession, and a piece for God. A coin is hidden inside the pita andwhoever gets the coin, he or she will have the luck, health and prosperity in the coming year.

As in other countries, a Christmas tree is typically set up and the entire house is decorated. Thelocal name of Santa Claus is Dyado Koleda (Дядо Коледа, "Grandfather Christmas"), withDyado Mraz (Дядо Мраз, "Grandfather Frost") being a similar Russian-imported characterlacking the Christian connotations and thus popular during the Communist rule. However, it hasbeen largely forgotten after 1989, when Dyado Koleda again returned as the more popular figure.

[edit] Croatia and Slovenia

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Croatian wheat grass, planted on St. Lucy's, used for Christmas candlesThis section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this sectionby adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved. (January 2011) 

In Croatia and Slovenia, Christmas (Croatian: Božić, Slovene: Božič ) is celebrated mainly as areligious holiday. The festivities begin on Saint Nicholas's Day on December 6 (in Slovenia) orSt. Lucy's on December 13 depending on what region (in Croatia). St. Lucy or St. Nicholasbrings children presents, and St. Nicholas is said to be accompanied by Krampus who stealsaway the presents of bad children. In Croatia on St. Lucy's, families will plant wheat seeds in abowl of shallow water, which will grow several inches by Christmas and are then tied togetherwith a red, blue and white ribbon called trobojnica'. 

On Christmas Eve (Croatian: Badnjak , Slovene: Sveti večer (holy eve)), three candlesrepresenting the Trinity are lit and placed in the middle of the wheat, the glow symbolizes thesoul of each person. On this day, the tree is decorated, the home is decked with greenery and the

women already beginning to prepare the Christmas meal. They also bake special types of bread:one is round inscribed with a cross on top known as the cesnica, another is made with honey,nuts and dried fruit called the Christmas Eve Bread (Croatian: Badnji Kruh, Slovene: Božičnikruh). In many villages, straw (which symbolizes Christ's birth in the manger) is spread aroundthe floors of the home for the Christmas Eve dinner. As is customary with Catholic people, meatis not consumed in Croatia, while in Slovenia is. Instead of meat in Croatia and with other foodin Slovenia, salad and fish is served, many choosing to eat the Dalmatian specialty bakalar , driedcod fish. The family then sprinkle holy water on their Yule log (badnjak ) which they light andwatch. In villages, the badnjak is freshly cut that very morning by the father of the householdwhile reciting traditional prayers. At the end of the meal, a piece of the cesnica is cut and dippedin wine and used to sprinkle on the candles to estinguish them, while reciting the  Trinitarian

formula ("In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen").

Many families will go to a midnight mass on Christmas Eve and often another on ChristmasDay. It is common for Christmas presents to be placed under the tree, to suggest that the Angelor the Baby Jesus ( Mali Isus) leaves them there while others are attending midnight mass.Presents are opened after the mass. Christmas is a day of celebrating with family; a large feast isprepared and traditional foods such as stuffed cabbage, turkey, pot roast, pita and smoked meatare served, along with various desserts such as fritule, potica (especially in Slovenia), strudel, and cookies.

Slovenes are also visited by another one of their trije dobri možje (three good guys), who bring

presents in December: Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus and Dedek Mraz ("Grandfather Frost").Families mostly celebrate New Year's Eve at home with extended family members, friends, andsometimes neighbours. Women prepare cabbage sarma, which they will eat on January 1 tosymbolize good fortune, and steak tartare, which they eat on New Year's Eve on toast withbutter. At midnight, people go outdoors to watch fireworks, while Dedek Mraz leaves presentsunder the tree. Epiphany on January 6 marks the end of the Christmas season.

[edit] Greece and Cyprus

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Christmas tree at Syntagma Square, Athens, Greece 

The festive period lasts from 30 November to 6 January (Epiphany) on the Greek calendar. Mostfamilies set up Christmas trees and shops have decorations and lights. Presents are placed underthe Christmas tree and are opened on New Year’s Day. In Greek tradition, Basil’s (of Caesarea) name was given to Father Christmas and is supposed to visit children and give presents on New

Year’s Day (when Basil's memory is celebrated), unlike other European traditions, where thisperson is Saint Nicholas and comes every Christmas. Carol singing is another tradition onChristmas and New Year’s Eve. The Christmas meal usually includes lamb or pork and desserts

such as kourabies (κοσραμπιές) and melomakarona (μελομακάρονα). 

[edit] Macedonia

In the Macedonian calendar, as in many other Orthodox countries, the Macedonian OrthodoxChurch marks Christmas Day on January 7. On Christmas Eve (January 6), a coin is concealed ina bread loaf and the host breaks a piece of the loaf at the dinner table for each member of thehousehold: it is believed that the one who gets the piece of bread with the coin will be fortunatein the forthcoming year. The dinner is according to the rules of fasting: fish, baked beans,sauerkraut, walnuts and red wine are common. The dessert may consist of apples and driedfruits: plums, dates, figs. The table is usually not cleared after the dinner and until the nextmorning, to leave some food for the holly spirits  – a custom which probably comes from paganpre-Christian times.

[edit] Romania and Moldova

Christmas (Romanian: Crăciun) in Romania falls on December 25 and is generally consideredthe second most important religious Romanian holiday after Easter. In Moldova, althoughChristmas is celebrated on the 25th of December like in Romania, the 7th of January is alsorecognized as an official holiday in Moldova. Celebrations begin with the decoration of theChristmas tree during daytime on 24 December, and in the evening (Christmas Eve, inRomanian: Ajunul Crăciunului) Moş Crăciun (Father Christmas) delivers the presents.

The singing of carols is a very important part of Romanian Christmas festivities. On the first dayof Christmas, many carolers walk through the streets of the towns and villages, holding a starmade of cardboard and paper on which are depicted various scenes from the Bible. Romaniantradition has the smallest children going from house to house, singing carols and reciting poems

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and legends during the whole Christmas season. The leader of the group carries with him a starmade of wood, covered with metal foil and decorated with bells and coloured ribbons. An imageof the Nativity is painted on the star's centre, and this piece of handiwork is attached to the endof a broom or other long stick.

Romanian food served during the holidays is a hearty multi-coursed meal, most of whichconsists of pork (organs, muscle, and fat). This is mainly a symbolic gesture for St.Ignaus.[clarification needed ] 

[edit] Serbia and Serb areas

Main articles: Serbian Christmas traditions and Badnjak (Serbian) 

The Serbs celebrate Christmas for three consecutive days, beginning with Christmas Day. TheSerbian Orthodox Church and Montenegrin Orthodox Church use the traditional Julian calendar,per which Christmas Day (25 December) falls on 7 January. This day is called the first day of 

Christmas, and the following two are accordingly called the second, and the third day of Christmas. During this festive time, one is to greet another person with “Christ is Born,” which

should be responded to with “Truly He is Born.” The Serbian name for Christmas is Božić (Cyrillic: Божић, pronounced [ˈboʒitɕ]), which means the young or little God.

This holiday surpasses all the others celebrated by Serbs, with respect to the diversity of appliedfolk customs and rituals. These may vary from region to region, some of them having modernversions adapted to the contemporary way of living. The ideal environment to carry them outfully is the traditional multi-generation country household.

In the morning of Christmas Eve a young, straight oak tree is selected and felled by the head of 

the household. A log is cut from it and is referred to as the badnjak. In the evening, the badnjakis ceremoniously put on the domestic fire that burns on the house’s fireplace called ognjište,whose hearth is without a vertical surround. The burning of the badnjak is accompanied byprayers to God so that the coming year may bring much happiness, love, luck, riches, and food.Since most houses today have no ognjište on which to burn a badnjak , it is symbolicallyrepresented by several leaved oak twigs. For the convenience of people who live in towns andcities, they can be bought at marketplaces or received in churches.

The dinner on this day is festive, copious and diverse in foods, although it is prepared inaccordance with the rules of fasting. Groups of young people go from house to house of theirvillage or neighbourhood, congratulating each other, singing, and making performances; this

continues through the next three days. The Serbs also take a bundle of straw into the house andspread it over the floor, and then put walnuts on it. Before the table is served for the ChristmasEve dinner, it is strewn with a thin layer of straw and covered with a white cloth. The head of household makes the Sign of the Cross, lights a candle, and censes the whole house. The familymembers sit down at the table, but before tucking in they all rise and a man or boy among themsays a prayer, or they together sing the Troparion of the Nativity. After the dinner young peoplevisit their friends, a group of whom may gather at the house of one of them. Christmas and othersongs are sung, while the elderly narrate stories from the olden times.

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On Christmas Day, the celebration is announced at dawn by church bells and by shooting. A bigimportance is given to the first visit a family receives that day. People expect that it will summonprosperity and well-being for their household in the ensuing year; this visit is often pre-arranged.Christmas dinner is the most celebratory meal a family has during a year. A special, festive loaf of bread is baked for this occasion. The main course is roast pork of a pig which they cook whole

by rotating it impaled on a wooden spit close to an open fire. It is not a part of Serbian traditionsto exchange gifts during Christmas. Gift-giving is, nevertheless, connected with the celebrations,being traditionally done on the three consecutive Sundays that immediately precede it. Children,women, and men, respectively, are the set gift-givers on these three days.

Since the early 1990s, the Serbian Orthodox Church has, together with local communities,organized public celebrations on Christmas Eve. The course of these celebrations can betypically divided into three parts: the preparation, the ritual, and the festivity. The preparationconsists of going and cutting down the tree to be used as the badnjak , taking it to the churchyard, and preparing drink and food for the assembled parishioners. The ritual includes Vespers, placing the badnjak on the open fire built in the church yard, blessing or consecrating the

badnjak , and an appropriate program with songs and recitals. In some parishes they build the fireon which to burn the badnjak not in the church yard but at some other suitable location in theirtown or village. The festivity consists of getting together around the fire and socializing. Eachparticular celebration, however, has its own specificities which reflect traditions of the localcommunity, and other local factors.

Italy

Christmas decorations in Milan, Italy.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Italian: Festa dell'Immacolata Concezione) onDecember 8 is a national holiday in Italy. Christmas decorations, including the presepe, as wellas the Christmas tree, are put up on this day.

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Saint Lucy's Day (Italian: Giorno di Santa Lucia) is celebrated as a Catholic holiday in Sicily and Northern regions of Italy on the Shortest day of the year which is December 13.[3] SaintLucy is the patron saint of the city of  Syracuse better known as Santa Lucia as she is called in thetraditional Neapolitan song. Evening candlelight processions called the parade of light areconducted and are followed by the Feast of St. Lucy. Sicilians pay tribute to a miracle performed

by St Lucy during a famine in 1582. At that time, she brought a flotilla of grain-bearing ships tostarving Sicily, whose citizens cooked and ate the wheat without taking time to grind it intoflour. Thus, on St. Lucy's Day, Sicilians do not eat anything made with wheat flour. Instead theyeat cooked wheat called cuccia. 

Christmas is celebrated in Italy[27] in a similar fashion to other Western European countries, witha strong emphasis given to the Christian meaning of the holiday and its celebration by theCatholic Church, also reinforced by the still widespread tradition of setting up the  presepe, atradition initiated by Saint Francis of Assisi. It is quite common to attend midnight mass onChristmas Eve and practice the custom not to eat any meat. The dinner traditionally consists of seafood, with the Feast of the Seven Fishes, followed by typical Italian Christmas sweets, such as

pandoro, panettone, torrone, panforte, struffoli, caggionetti, Monte Bianco or others, dependingon the regional cuisine.[28] Christmas on the 25th is celebrated with a family lunch, consisting of different types of meat dishes, cheese and local sweets.

The ancient Christmas festival called Ndocciata is celebrated on Christmas Eve in Molise with aparade of torches leading up to the "Bonfire of Brotherhood".[29] 

Traditions regarding the exchanging of gifts vary from region to region, as this might take placeeither on Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day. Presents for children are left underneath theChristmas tree either by Santa Claus (called Babbo Natale) or, according to older traditions, byBaby Jesus himself. In some regions children receive gifts earlier (at St. Lucy's Day) or later (on

Epiphany).December 26, (St. Stephen's Day, in Italian Giorno di Santo Stefano), is also a public holiday inItaly. Festivities extend to the end of the year and then to the Epiphany.

On the 6th of January (Epiphany, in Italian Epifania) decorations are usually taken down, and insome areas female puppets are burned on a pire (called " falò"), to symbolize, along with the endof the Christmas period, the death of the old year and the beginning of a new one.[30] While giftsare now given at Christmas by an American style Santa Claus as well, Italy holds fast to itstradition of native gift-givers. On the eve of the 6th, la Befana, the good Epiphany witch, isthought to ride the night skies on broomstick, bringing good children gifts and sweets, and badones charcoal or bags of ashes.[31] In other areas it is the Three Wise Men who bring gifts,especially oranges symbolizing gold, and chocolate symbolizing their kisses to good children. Insome municipalities, most famously in Milan, the custom of the "Corteo dei Re Magi" (ThreeKings Procession) is elaboratedly celabrated with a parade welcoming the Wise Men, and thepassing out of sweets.[32] In other places, such as Treviso the day is celebrated with bonfires, thesparks of which are said to predict the future of the new year.[30] 

[edit] Portugal

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Christmas, an official holiday in Portugal, is widely celebrated and is associated with familygathering. People who have moved to the main cities, like Lisbon or Oporto, or even those whohave emigrated to other countries, still travel to their home towns and villages to spendChristmas Eve with their families. After the Missa do galo (Rooster's Mass) that celebrates thebirth of Christ, families gather around the Consoada, the late supper held on Christmas Eve. The

traditional dish is bacalhau com todos (dried codfish boiled with vegetables), although, innorthern Portugal, the bacalhau is often replaced by octopus. The Christmas dinner usually endswith fatias douradas (golden slices), filhoses and sonhos (dreams), all deserts based on friedflour or fried bread. Another traditional cake is the king cake served on Epiphany. Nowadays,Santa Claus or Pai Natal is most popular among children but, nevertheless, in some regions,people still believe that is the Menino Jesus (Baby Jesus) that brings presents to children.

[edit] Spain

Calle Portal de l'Angel, at Christmas time, Barcelona, Spain

Christmas and St Stephen's Day are officially recognized holidays in Spain. In most of Spain, theChristmas period, referred to as "Navidad", lasts from Christmas Eve on the 24th of December toEpiphany on the 6th of January. Most homes and churches display a Nativity scene. In Catalonia,

the Tió de Nadal (a log with a cloth for hiding presents under) is part of the celebration. The pesebre (nativity scene) is present in almost all homes, schools and stores. A particular andunique figure, called caganer  is displayed in the scene. On the 26th, Sant Esteve (Saint Stephen)is celebrated with a family gathering.

A large family dinner is celebrated on Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) and can last until 6 o'clockin the morning. There is a wide variety of typical foods one might find on plates across Spain onthis particular night, and each region has its own distinct specialities. It is particularly common,however, to start the meal with a seafood dish such as prawns or salmon, followed by a bowl of hot, homemade soup. The main meal will commonly consist of  roast lamb, or seafood, such ascod or shellfish. For dessert, there is quite a spread of delicacies, among them are turrón, a

dessert made of honey, egg and almonds that is Arabic in origin. Special dishes and dessertsinclude Mariscos y Pescado (shellfish and fish), marzipan, Pavo Trufado de Navidad (turkeywith truffles), and polvorones (shortbread made of almonds, flour and sugar).

Even though there is still the traditional Misa del Gallo at midnight, few Spaniards continue tofollow the old custom of attending.

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Children usually receive one or two presents on Christmas Day (December 25), brought by"Papá Noel" (Father Noel), which is a non-traditional imitation of the American Santa Claus. On31 December (Nochevieja) there is also a large family feast. Some young people go out in"cotillón", a very big feast in bars and pubs and the drink and dance until 1 January morning,when they have churros with chocolate for breakfast. On 5 January a huge parade (La Cabalgata

or cavalcade) welcomes the Three Kings to the city. Children put their shoes in the window on 5January in the hope that the Three Wise Men will deliver them presents .[33] 

France

Christmas decorations along the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France

Christmas in France (Noël on the French calendar)[34] is celebrated mainly in a religious manner,though secular ways of celebrating the occasion also exist, such as Christmas fairs, decorationsand carols. Children do not hang Christmas stockings but put their shoes by the fireplace so Père

 Noël (Father Christmas or Santa Claus) can give them gifts. Families also attend midnight massand decorate their homes with Nativity Scenes depicting the birth of Jesus. Additional Santons (little saints) may be added in the nativity scenes.

In France and in other French-speaking areas (see French Canada), a long family dinner, called aréveillon, is held on Christmas Eve.[35] The name of this dinner is based on the word réveil (meaning "waking"), because participation involves staying awake until midnight and beyond.Réveillon is generally of an exceptional or luxurious nature. Appetizers may include lobster, oysters, escargots or foie gras, etc. One traditional dish is turkey with chestnuts. Réveillons inQuebec will often include some variety of  tourtière. Dessert may consist of a bûche de Noël. InProvence, the tradition of the 13 desserts is followed, almost invariably including: pompe à

l'huile (a flavoured bread), dates, etc. Quality wine is usually consumed a such dinners, oftenwith champagne or similar sparkling wines as a conclusion.