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Christmas Across The Globe.
Christmas Holiday in IndiaLargely enclosed by the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, India shares its borders with Burma and Pakistan. With a population topping one billion citizens, India is the second most densely populated in the country in the world, second to China, as well as the seventh largest country (covering the largest geographical area) in the world. An overwhelming percent of the citizens in India practice Hindu or Buddhism as a religion. It is for this very reason that Christmas, being a largely Christian holiday, is not celebrated as an official holiday in the country.
Christmas in NorwayAs in most countries through out the world, the Norwegian Christmas celebration reaches its peak on December 24th, Christmas Eve. By this time, children have already made their paper baskets and decorated them with foil to hang on the Christmas tree, for they will be filled with candy and nuts during the night time. Christmas trees are a popular Christmas commodity in Norway; they were introduced to their first Christmas trees by Germany in the early 1900s, and these days they can be seen in every home where Christmas is celebrated. Some wealther homes in Norway may even have more than one Christmas tree in their home. Christmas trees are a big deal to the people in Norway; they spend a lot of time decorating their trees with ribbons, lights, and the paper baskets that the children have made.
Christmas in PolandChristmas may very well be one of the most popular holidays in Poland. The Christmas season may begin as early as four Sundays before Christmas at the beginning of the Advent. Special church services are held every morning, sometimes as early as 5 or 6 o'clock in the morning. During the Advent, the Polish people exercise many Christmas traditions. One of the most popular traditions is the pouring of hot bees wax into a bucket of cool water. The wax immediately cools off when it touches the cold water, and the pieces of wax may take one of several forms. The different shapes that the pieces of wax form are used to tell fortunes, and are popular because the holiday is so close to the New Year.
Christmas in RomaniaThe Christmas holiday has been an extremely important holiday in Romania since the fall of the Communist regime, both politically and in the hearts of the Romanian people. While they have many customs and traditions that are their very own, Romania has managed to adopt several traditions from the western portion of the world when it comes to various means of celebrating their winter holiday.
Christmas in RussiaAs the political structure of Russia has evolved, so has the culture of the Russian people. As the culture of the Russian people has evolved, many distinct characteristics of the Russian way of life have been altered, one of them being the celebration of the Christmas holiday in Russia.
Christmas in SwedenIn Sweden, Christmas is celebrated like a popular national holiday, lasting for nearly a month. During this month-long celebration, the Swedes also celebrate St. Lucia's day. St. Lucia's day is a winter holiday in Sweden in which the eldest girl of the family wakes up early in the morning, clothes herself in a white robe with a red sash, and wears an evergreen wreath of seven lit candles around her head. Still costumed, she serves her family rolls and coffee in bed. In this practice, she is mimicking a popular saint named Saint Lucia who is rumored to have delivered victuals to the Christians in the early days of their persecution is Sweden. The real St. Lucia was eventually caught, arrested, and executed for her deeds. On St. Lucia's day churches and schools may hold programs, plays, or processions and sing carols in her honor.
Hope you enjoy.
