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In the UK we have Christmas crackers, the Queen’s Christmas message and mince pies with mulled wine. In the USA they have sugar cookies and candy canes, whilst the French have Bûche de Noël.
All around the world different countries and cultures are celebrating their own version of Christmas. Read on to find out more about the festive traditions and customs from around the globe.
Australian Christmas
On December 25th Australians are basking in the mid-summer heat, so their Christmas dinner is usually a big family BBQ or an outdoor feast of chilled platters such as lamb, turkey or seafood. For dessert it’s Pavlova or a traditional plum pudding served with cold custard or ice cream.
Did you know? Because the weather is so warm, many Australians prefer to decorate their homes with flowers rather than a traditional Christmas tree. Their favourite is the native Christmas Bush (a plant with red flowered leaves).
USA’s Festive Holiday
There are a lot of similarities between the UK and the USA in terms of festive traditions, but when it comes to Christmas dinner things are very different! Having gorged on turkey for Thanksgiving in November, Americans choose ham or beef for their Christmas dinner meat. Furthermore, they don’t particularly like Christmas pudding, Christmas cake or mince pies. Instead, for dessert they’ll feast on pumpkin, apple or pecan pies, marzipan, fruit cake or coconut cake.
Did you know? Americans don’t celebrate Boxing Day. It’s only a recognised holiday in the UK and Canada!
Italian Festivities
Christmas (or ‘Natale’) is a big family occasion in Italy that begins with a light Christmas Eve dinner. Following midnight mass, families settle down to enjoy a traditional ‘Feast of the Seven Fishes’, where battered calamari, creamy baked eels, and marinated anchovies take centre stage.
Christmas lunch the next day can last for hours, and begins with a classic antipasto of cured meat garnished with olives and cheese. Next it’s a pasta course – usually Bolognese, Lasagne or Cannelloni – followed by a meat dish such as roasted veal, braised beef or roast chicken with potatoes. After all this there’s rarely any room for dessert, so Italians end the meal with more wine instead!
Did you know? Italians won’t eat meat for 24 hours before Christmas, which is why none is served during Christmas Eve celebrations.
French Noel
A French Christmas is all about culinary delicacies – particularly on Christmas Eve when the celebrations begin. After midnight mass, French families return home to enjoy le Révillon (‘wake up meal’) – a fancy three course meal of canapes, foie gras, sweet wine, oysters, goose, turkey, chestnut stuffing, lobster, crab and other meats such as venison and boar. The traditional dessert is Bûche de Noël – a butter cream cake in the shape of a log, topped with Christmassy decorations.
Did you know? On Christmas Eve, French families burn yule logs made out of Cherry Wood in their homes. These are sprinkled with red wine and are left to burn during the night. French families will also leave some food and drink out just in case Mary and baby Jesus visit.
German Merriment
The Christmas meal in Germany is often an extravagant, multiple-course meal comprised of either roasted duck, pork roast or roasted goose. The latter is the most popular, and is typically filled with apples, dates, chestnuts, onions, and/or prunes. Red cabbage, sausage stuffing, dumplings, potatoes and gravy make up the trimmings.
Christmas dinner desserts tend to be Stollen – the famous fruitcake dessert considered to be one of the finest Christmas pastries in the world. Other sweet treats enjoyed by Germans include Christmas cookies (‘Plätzchen’) and gingerbread. The quintessential German Christmas beverage is a steaming mug of Gluhwein (‘Glow wine’) which consists of mulled red wine with a shot of brandy.
Did you know? Germany at Christmas is the best place to go if you want to visit a traditional Christmas market. Over 2500 light up in Germany during the festive season, luring tourists and locals with hand crafted creations, traditional mulled wine, delicious treats, and entertainment from musicians and dancers.
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