Christmas around the world

1. Christmas around the world North America Armenia Lithuania Russia Finland Holland

2. North America • Christmas is celebrated on December 25th • Fir or pine Christmas trees are most common • Many Canadians open their gifts on Christmas Eve. Some only open their stocking on Christmas Eve. Others choose one gift to open, then save the rest until Christmas Day. • Traditional Christmas meals include turkey with cranberry sauce & ham. • People decorate their houses with lights • Quebecois’ celebrate “Le Réveillon” (celebrating after the midnight mass on the 24th and eating, dancing through the night and opening presents)

3. Armenia • Christmas is celebrated on January 6th • Santa Claus (known as Gaghant Baba) comes to visit on December 31st, because Christmas day is considered a religious holiday. • In Armenian Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Shenorhavor Dzenount' (which means 'Congratulations for the Holy Birth'). • Favourite and traditional Holiday foods in Armenia include Anooshaboor (Armenian Christmas Pudding), Khozee bood (glazed ham) and dried fruits

4. Lithuania • To commemorate baby Jesus in the manger, a handful of fine hay is spread evenly on top of the supper table before covering it with a white tablecloth. • An extra plate is set for any family member that was unable to come home or had died in the past year, and a candle is lit. • It consists of twelve dishes, one for each Apostle. • Typical dishes are beet soup, mushroom-filled dumplings, herring and other fish, bread, boiled or baked potatoes, cooked sauerkraut, mushrooms, dice-sized hard biscuits with poppy seed “milk”, cranberry pudding, and whole wheat with honey.

5. Russia • Celebrated on January 7th • The Russian Christmas greeting is 'S Rozhdestvom!'. • Special Christmas food includes cakes, pies and 'meat dumplings'. • This is when - when 'Father Frost' (known in Russian as 'Ded Moroz') brings presents to children. He is always accompanied by his Grandaughter (Snegurochka). On New Year's eve children hold hands, make a circle around the Christmas tree and call for Snegurochka or Ded Moroz. When they appear the star and other lights on the Christmas tree light up!

6. Finland • Finnish people believe that Santa Claus or Father Christmas lives in the north part of Finland called Korvatunturi (or Lapland), north of the Arctic Circle • In Finnish Happy/Merry Christmas is 'HyvääJoulua'. • Animals are given their own Christmas in Finland, with farmers sometimes hanging a sheaf of wheat on a tree to be eaten and pecked at by the birds. Nuts and pieces of suet are also hung on trees in bags from the branches. • Spruce trees • The meal will include 'casseroles' containing macaroni, rutabaga, carrot and potato, with cooked ham or turkey.

7. Holland • Christmas is celebrated on December 5th • Santa Claus is Sinterklass • On December 5th children leave clogs or shoes out to be filled with presents. They also believe that if they leave some hay and carrots in their shoes for Sinterklaas's horse, they will be left some sweets. • A sweet biscuit that is eaten at the parties is 'pepernoot' which is made with cinnamon and spices in the pastry biscuit mix. • “Prettige Kerstfees” = Merry Christmas

8. References • http://phenomenonsofhistory.com/site/?p=10006 • http://www.lithaz.org/info/xmas/xmas01.html • http://www.colourofpomegranates.com/armenian-christmas-shnorhavor-sourp-dznount/ • http://fatherdaughtertalk.blogspot.com/2011/01/merry-christmas.html • http://www.family-christmas-traditions.com/Christmas-traditions-in-Finland.html • http://www.flickr.com/photos/catherinedixon/4242431382/