Publishing house native ladoga. How to celebrate Christmas in Australia, traditions: how to celebrate Christmas in Australia

To us in the editorial office of the project " These strange countries: from Australia to Sweden» received a question from a LiveJournal user muranochka ,which sounded like this And I'm always curious about the most significant holidays in countries, and how people celebrate them.". You ask and we answer! As it is not difficult to guess, today the conversation will be about Christmas - after all, it is mid-December in the yard. Me and Lena len4ik_ray4ik , who lives in Sweden, could not pass by. Story .

If we talk about the red days of the calendar and their significance, then In Australia, Christmas can rightly be called the most important holiday of the year., especially if you try to calculate the time spent preparing and talking about it, the general turmoil, the general fun and the scope of the celebration. And if you calculate how much money Australians plan to spend on gifts, then everything becomes clear that more important than the day in a year simply cannot be. The great statisticians have already calculated this: if curiosity gnaws at you, then know that Every Australian plans to spend $400-550 on average this year on gifts alone.(the range of numbers depends on the state), and about the same amount for home decoration and food for festive table.

Despite the fact that Australia is approximately 61% Catholic, Christmas has long since become religious holiday into the secular. By the way, Christmas itself - as in the whole Catholic world - is here celebrate December 25(according to English Christmas Day), which is an official non-working day, while the next day is also considered a day off - "Gift Day" or Boxing Day in English (literally translated “Day of the Boxes”). By the way, I found where this day got its unusual name from. And on December 24, everyone still comes to work, but this day is considered a conditional working day, because. Usually employees are at work only until lunch, and even then, they spend this time more on communicating with colleagues than on the work itself.

In Australia, Christmas can rightly be called the most important holiday of the year...

I'm sure Australia will take the Audience Choice Award for the Most Unusual Christmas Tradition. next tradition: here it is customary to go to the beach, where they usually play cricket, grill shrimp and drink beer brand Victoria Bitter or VB from stubbies (as in Australia they call small glass bottles 375ml). The more sophisticated ones take the Esky (it's a bag that keeps you cool) with beer straight into the water so that the bag floats on the surface next to them and drink beer while chatting with friends and not bothering to go ashore - no joke, hot summer is in full swing! Or they even put plastic chairs directly into the water and drink beer in this way - there is no truth in their feet, and they don’t want to climb ashore. But this is how they drink beer, of course, on small and unpatrolled beaches, otherwise it is forbidden!

Although for us, the people of the north, there is a problem: what a Christmas and New Year without snow? They say that you can't get used to it, you can only put up with it. I just wrote a post recently. It even has step-by-step instruction:)

= CHRISTMAS WITH THE FAMILY

But still, Christmas is, first of all, family celebration. The most common meal at which relatives gather- this is lunch (surprisingly). On the table, in addition to grilled shrimp, they also serve turkey, glazed pork and baked vegetables. Of the desserts, cherries and all dishes are popular: which include it (just Christmas falls in the cherry season), fruit muffins and, of course, Pavlova. Pavlova is worth mentioning separately: in fact, it is a meringue cake with fresh fruits and berries, and by status - an icon. Closer to Christmas, every store sells a ready-made meringue base. If you don't want to mess around yourself - just add berries and the dish is ready. The dessert was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Matveevna Pavlova, who toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926. According to legend, the recipe for this dessert comes from New Zealand, when the chef of a restaurant in a Wellington hotel created this dessert to treat a ballerina to them during her world tour. Whether the prima liked the dessert is unknown. But it is known that Australia also disputes the authorship of Pavlova's cake recipe.

The main thing that is peculiar to Christmas is the exchange of gifts. As we remember, each Australian on average spends $400-550 on this. Why so many? Just s It is customary here to buy gifts for all your relatives. It is also customary to give gifts to the children of their relatives, while the Australians big families. So my colleague K had to stock up on almost 40 gifts. In addition, parents often give several gifts: from themselves and from Santa Claus. So there is usually no living space under the tree, the whole space is filled with beautifully packed boxes.

Usually children write a letter to Santa Claus, in which they tell how they behaved during the year and what they want to receive as a gift. On Christmas Eve they leave milk and cookies for Santa Claus and carrots for his reindeer and go to bed. And on December 25, early in the morning, the kids first run to the Christmas tree, to check what Santa Claus brought them. small gifts put in special beautifully decorated socks, which are hung on the fireplace.

Here, such a funny thing is still common: it looks like a huge candy. At the table, two people take different ends this “candy” and pull on themselves. "Candy" is torn in half, and someone gets little present And paper crown that were hidden inside. We are in the photo in just such crowns (played in the office last Christmas).

But in general Christmas is quite a stressful time of the year.. Since the beginning of December, the most frequently asked question will be “did you buy all the gifts”. We discuss this all the time in the office. Another popular question is “What are you doing? Eating on vacation? Where?" etc. Also, each person needs to carefully plan visits to all relatives so as not to forget or offend anyone - I tell you, every Australian experiences a lot of stress! And what kind of crowds are in shopping centers? Sometimes it takes half an hour to park there - after all, everyone came for gifts.

= CHRISTMAS AT WORK

Most companies completely close their offices for 1.5-2 weeks between Christmas and New Year, sending employees on forced leave. Many of my colleagues are happy with this state of affairs. this vacation usually falls on summer school break and they have more time for family and children. It upsets me rather, because. I have to go on vacation at the same time in the whole country, which means that you can expect inflated prices for hotels and crowds of people at any, even the most seedy sights. And what about the beaches? They will definitely all be packed - summer is in the yard!

But to celebrate Christmas with your colleagues is an indispensable item of the program of the pre-Christmas program. Basically, the celebration will be organized somewhere in December, sometimes even at the very beginning. They say it's easier to find a place this way. Often organize a lunch with drinks, and then some entertainment. So, for example, this year my husband went to ride the rides in the Luna Park, and we will go to play football, wearing huge transparent balls. Last year, we were given lunch on a boat that sailed through Sydney Bay, and then we spent the rest of the day at the Opera Bar. In any case, they practically do not work on this day, but they diligently socialize with colleagues.

It's common here play secret santa claus- or in Kris Kringle (as they say here). For about 1 month, each employee pulls a piece of paper with the name of a colleague for whom he will prepare a gift. The budget is usually limited to $20-25. the goal is to entertain employees on a minimal budget. And then during the celebration of Christmas, everyone will exchange gifts or just put them under the tree. By the way, Christmas trees are decorated everywhere, and in offices too!

= CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY

The city is decorated for Christmas much earlier. In any store, cafe or restaurant there will be a Christmas tree, a Christmas tree or a tree, everything will flicker and shimmer. But shops are the first to sing a song about Christmas, which almost at the end of September start selling Christmas goods (decorations, packaging materials, and much more).

From urban traditions, I want to talk about two:

= many decorate their homes with just crazy light installations(And there are far more Australians who live in private homes than those who live in apartments). What is not here: icicles, Santa Clauses, Christmas trees, deer and many other things. I'm surprised there isn't a contest for the best Christmas house in town. They say that one of the local fun is to walk along the neighboring streets and take a look at how hard your neighbors tried to decorate their house.

In the middle of December there are concerts called carols by candlelight, where carols are Christmas songs (everyone knows jingle bells), and candlelight is a lit candle. Such concerts are often held in parks or churches, where ordinary people with burning candles in their hands blow professional singers to Christmas tunes. I was told about this tradition only this year, so next year I will definitely go to one of these concerts.

When we were preparing material for this issue, Lena len4ik_ray4ik asked me: " Do you have main tree in Sydney?“I didn’t immediately find a definite answer, but then I decided that Christmas tree on Martin Place can be called the main. The Christmas tree here is not simple, but modern! The running strip is congratulations and messages from ordinary people. You send a message to a special number, and then you guard it on the Christmas tree. We mainly read Merry Christmas greetings here, but other messages flickered, for example, birthday greetings! And also on the screen next to them were photos from Instagram under the hashtag #sydxmasstree . I think my photo should have been there too!

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And a video installation dedicated to Christmas and Sydney was projected onto the house nearby. The pictures flowed smoothly into each other, projected onto the oldest post office building in the city, which is located in the same place, on Martin Place. One of the pictures at the beginning of the article, and the rest below. Did you find the Opera House?

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas everyone! Let next year will be better than the previous one. P.S. I think this is my last post this year :)

Other interesting materials

Australian New Year and Christmas Traditions.

It's getting colder and colder outside. Winter is coming soon. And there, the New Year 2016 is just around the corner, by the way, 2016 will be the year of the Fire Monkey. But in Australia, which is located in the southern hemisphere, spring is ending, summer will come very soon, along with summer, the New Year will come to the Australians. Imagine the New Year - in the summer! I wonder how they celebrate Christmas and New Year in Australia? What are their New Year and Christmas traditions? Let's figure it out together.

About the most important thing that summer will soon begin in Australia, I have already said, but warm and hot weather does not at all cancel the main winter holidays of the entire Christian world - Christmas and New Year. Since the British colonists brought the tradition of celebrating Christmas with them to the Australian continent in the 18th century, Christmas traditions and customs mainly took root here. foggy Albion. Preparation for the holiday begins in November: decorated fir trees appear on the streets and squares of cities; multicolored electric garlands sparkle everywhere; shop windows of shopping centers are decorated with figures depicting biblical scenes of the Nativity of Christ and Santa Claus on a reindeer sleigh with his assistants - gnomes; shop assistants and waiters of numerous cafes and restaurants put red Santa Claus hats on their heads. Specific Christmas and New Year goods appear on sale that cannot be bought at other times: fireworks, salutes and firecrackers; christmas toys and decorations; sweets brought from Europe for Christmas - Danish cookies, Latvian marmalade, Belgian and Swiss chocolate. Australians decorate their houses in best traditions England and USA with the obligatory Christmas tree in the main room and in the yard. In fact, these are not exactly spruces, but rather fluffy pines that are grown especially for Christmas. The growing of Christmas trees in containers is carried out by members of church communities, who in this way replenish the church fund. Christmas trees are sold on weekends in parks located near church parishes. The townspeople are already accustomed to these traditional Christmas tree markets and are trying to buy a Christmas tree for themselves. All proceeds from the sale go to support the parish, and the volunteers involved in the cultivation and subsequent sale of fir trees receive nothing but the joy of being involved in the common Christmas cause.

Australians, as well as Europeans, try to celebrate Christmas at home with their families at a richly laid table, which is bursting on this day with traditional Christmas dishes: roasted turkey, holiday salads, vegetables and fruits, plum pudding and much more. Do not forget that Christmas in Australia comes in the summer in the season of vegetables, fruits and berries, so the festive table here is more varied and plentiful than in Europe, and it is served on the street: in the garden or on the beach. Australian Santa Claus, because of the heat, comes with gifts to children in beach shorts, a beard, a red cap and a bag in his hands. That's it! Australia! And in some Australian areas, Santa Claus has almost supplanted the local Christmas character Swag Man (Grandfather with a bag). He is dressed in a blue jacket, wide shorts and a brown hat on his head. He, like Santa Claus, brings gifts to children. According to an old Australian legend, he lives with his faithful dog Dingo on the sacred mountain - the island of Uluru and comes to people with gifts once a year at Christmas.

Since Christmas is a family holiday with religious roots, it is fun, but without revelry, restrained and intelligent. But on New Year's Eve, the Australians come off to the fullest. New Year is a public holiday full sense words, i.e. it must be met in the presence of a large society: in cafes, restaurants and just on the streets and squares. With the last 12th stroke, exactly at 00.00 hours, an unimaginable noise and fun begins on the streets of Australian cities: all the cars begin to honk, fireworks and firecrackers explode, drums beat, fanfares hum. This is how noisy and fun Australia enters the New Year. Happy New Year 2016 and Merry Christmas!

For the first time in Australia, Christmas was celebrated in 1788. Then the European population of the mainland was small and mostly they were exiled prisoners.

The Christmas season begins in Australia long before Christmas itself and lasts over a month.

In Adelaide, the capital of Australia, the official opening of the season is the Christmas Parade, which takes place in mid-November, when Santa enters the city. This is a very popular and solemn phenomenon of this kind in Australia, which has become a good tradition and one of the attractions of this city.

Seventy moving themed fairy-tale platforms and twenty brass bands, accompanied by hundreds of pirates, clowns, wooden soldiers and many other fairy-tale characters, take part in a festive procession that crosses the center of the capital. Tens of thousands of Australians and numerous tourists come to see this colorful procession. And, despite the length of the parade, the sultry November sun and 35-degree heat, the holiday atmosphere spreads throughout the city, filling every corner of it.

The pre-Christmas cavalcade ends with a huge cart, on top of which a reindeer team with a sleigh flaunts, in which, of course, Santa Claus is seated.

The procession stops at one of the largest shopping centers in the city, where, accompanied by an orchestra, Santa gets off his cart and goes to the Magic Cave. There he will live until Christmas, and everyone will be able to visit him and take a picture for memory. This is how Christmas begins in Australia.

However, in addition to Santa in Australia, there is another Christmas character named Australian Swag Man(Grandfather with a bag). In some regions of the mainland, he almost completely replaced Santa Claus. Swag Man is wearing a brown hat, blue sweatshirt and long baggy shorts. According to legend, in winter, he and his faithful dog Dingo live on the rock island of Uluru, which the Australian Aborigines call sacred. When Christmas comes, Swag Man gets into a giant four-wheeled wagon and, surrounded by a red cloud of dust, rushes to distribute gifts.

These days, Australians are getting closer, friendlier and kinder to each other. Christmas lunches and dinners are organized at work. In shops at Christmas in Australia, as in many other countries, there are crowds of people. People run around looking for Christmas presents. Live music and singing can be heard here and there. Children's choirs, chamber ensembles, Dixielands, pianists perform. Christmas carols sound everywhere. On weekends in the morning, people gather in large and small groups for picnics - family, friendly, service.

Just before Christmas, bus drivers, shop assistants and bank employees dress up in hats and deer horns. Santa goes to malls and other crowded places to take gift orders from children and take pictures.

And in the evening, in the gardens and parks, local district authorities arrange small carols by candlelights- concerts of Christmas songs, in which the audience themselves participate. The main such event is the central concert closer to Christmas. Thousands of Adelaideans gather in the park around a specially built stage near the Festival Theatre. When it gets dark, the park flares up with a sea of ​​lights as the spectators light their candles.

In the evening, December 24, Australia calms down. For 4 whole days. Shops are closing and Australians are heading home to celebrate Christmas with their families.

At Christmas in Australia, it is customary to get the whole family together, people come from all over the continent, and often from other countries.

Cooking on Christmas Eve in Australia traditional turkey and steamed pudding. Christmas dinner is usually held on fresh air: in patios or in favorite places for picnics. Traditional Australian treats are also served at the Christmas table: seafood dishes, cold chicken, various salads, fruits, ice cream and Christmas cake.

Christmas in Australia, however, as in most countries of the world, is the main gift holiday. Gifts are opened in Australia, both on Christmas Day and on December 26 - Boxing Day. If the gift is not liked, it is carefully wrapped again and carried back to the stores - in this case, Australians never throw away checks.

CHRISTMAS IN AUSTRALIA Christmas in Australia is the premier gifting holiday, Christmas is a gift for everyone and everything, and is celebrated on December 25, the day before Boxing Day. Australians love Christmas very much, they love it more than the New Year, in Australia even the tree is called not New Year's, but Christmas (Christmas tree). On Christmas Eve - December 24, life in Australia freezes for almost 4 days, Australians celebrate Christmas with their families, and on Christmas all family members come together, coming from all over the country, and often from other countries. On the Christmas table of Australians, there are traditionally seafood dishes, a variety of salads, fruits and, of course, turkey. The Australian Christmas holidays are not a few days, the Christmas season begins long before Christmas itself and lasts more than a month. In the city of Adelaide, the official opening of the season is the Christmas Parade in mid-November, when Santa enters the city, this is an amazing and largest event of its kind in the country, which has become a good tradition and one of the attractions of the capital of South Australia. The Christmas Parade is seventy moving fairy platforms and twenty brass bands, accompanied by hundreds of clowns, pirates, wooden soldiers and many others. fairytale heroes who take part in the procession. Tens of thousands of Adelaide residents come to watch this enchanting procession. And, despite the length of the cavalcade, the burning November sun and thirty-five degrees of heat, the atmosphere of the holiday spreads through the streets of the city, filling every corner. Just before Christmas, bus drivers, shop assistants and bank employees dress up in hats and deer horns. Santa goes to malls and other crowded places to take gift orders from children and take pictures. All the time preparing for Christmas and new year holidays Christmas songs and a children's choir are heard everywhere. Platforms pass through the cities fairy tale characters and brass bands pass. This procession ends with a reindeer team with a sleigh in which Santa Claus sits. In Adelaide, Santa Claus has his own Magic Cave, where the procession goes. Santa lives in this cave until Christmas, and anyone can visit him. What is the difference between this period in the life of Australians from all the others? Probably, the magical atmosphere of the holiday, which is mixed with the expectation of a miracle. People are getting closer, friendlier and kinder. Offices host Christmas lunches and dinners. There is an incredible revival in the stores. People run around looking for Christmas presents. Here and there in large shopping malls there is live music and singing. Children's choirs, chamber ensembles, Dixielands, pianists perform. Christmas carols are heard everywhere. On weekends in the morning, people gather in large and small groups for picnics - family, friendly, service.

Some people dream of celebrating the New Year or Christmas on the beach under a palm tree, at the edge of a warm sea or ocean ... So dreaming - welcome to Australia! The geographical position of this continent will more than embody any hopes.

Let's start with the fact that in Australia there is an "inverted calendar" (months do not coincide according to the time of year), therefore, Australians celebrate Christmas twice: the first time, like us, in December (but at this time in Australia - summer), and the second time - in July (that's when winter begins here).

Australians start preparing for the Christmas holidays months in advance. I’ll clarify right away: since the country professes Catholicism, the Christmas of this denomination, which is celebrated on December 25, is more important holiday than New Year's. For the period of celebration, the cities practically turn into an arena for Christmas fun. Shops and malls are decorated with colorful tinsel, garlands and giant Christmas trees.

The main condition: that the decorations are new every year! For example, once in Melbourne they put up a tall Christmas tree, assembled from ... the smallest details designer Lego, the construction of which was spent a month and a half.

Ordinary residents also try to keep up: decorate houses bright garlands and figurines. Two weeks before Christmas, the Australian municipality holds a competition for the most beautiful Christmas house. The winner usually gets memorable gift from the city hall, and its address is placed on the main page of the site public institution. When there are enough such addresses, the city authorities organize
free public transport trips to the winning addresses. The kids just love these trips!

And for children in large shopping centers they equip the so-called "corners" of Santa Claus. They put a huge chair on which the storyteller sits, and the kids climb his knees one by one and ask him in a whisper in his ear to fulfill his cherished desire.

Australians put up a Christmas tree on December 1st. As a rule, it is either artificial or made of tinsel. A “coniferous” wreath is always hung on the doors of houses, and the largest eucalyptus is decorated on the street. During December, almost every street in Australia hosts various competitions and choral singing. Popular "stars" take part in these events, and you can listen to them for free.

The average air temperature in Australia Catholic Christmas+28 degrees of heat. And it is not surprising that most residents prefer to go out with the whole family for holiday picnics or to the beach, where adults allow themselves to drink a couple of glasses of wine (this, of course, is prohibited, but the police in honor of the holiday do not adhere to the letter of the law so strictly).

By the way, there is one tradition in Australia, which, in my opinion, is not only beautiful, but also socially significant: large baskets are put up in shopping centers on the eve of Christmas, where everyone can put their (packed) gifts to the poor. I personally think this is very correct, because Christmas is a holiday when everyone should be happy.

But not only the warm weather at Christmas in Australia is the most fun, but also the holidays. Despite the fact that they start and end differently in different states, on average, Australian schoolchildren have a rest for Christmas (attention!) - from the end of November to the beginning of January! Families often use this time to take their children out of the country, for example, to Fiji or Bali, or travel to the northern hemisphere to watch a "white Christmas".

But those who remain do not sit completely without snow either. Here I propose to smile, because the snow here, of course, is artificial, although this does not prevent the Australians from arranging a truly winter fun- skiing, for example. At the same time, no ski suits no question, everyone is dressed in shorts and T-shirts.

Now let's talk about the most interesting: about gifts. Since this issue is almost paramount in Australia, they start preparing them in advance and absolutely for all family members, including cats, dogs and aquarium fish. At such a pace, by December 25, a decent mountain of colorful boxes and boxes is accumulating under the Christmas trees in houses, and true pandemoniums in stores all month long! In this regard, on the eve of Christmas, most shops are open around the clock.

And here comes the long-awaited day - December 25th. Celebrating it, of course, starts early in the morning. First, children and adults exchange gifts, and then everyone is seated at a richly laid table. By the way, when I say “richly covered” I am not at all cunning: there is so much food here that a huge family can safely eat throughout the week until the New Year. On the Australian Christmas table without fail there should be a ham ham and a cake soaked in brandy and stuffed with nuts and candied fruit.

The next day, December 26, stores across the country traditionally announce huge discounts on any goods. Knowing this, people have been queuing since the night, because it is considered bad manners not to mark such sales here.

New Year in Australia is marked by huge fireworks. That is, of course, there are many of them, but it is precisely for this reason that they seem to merge into one huge one. The spectacle is so magnificent that most tourists plan their trips to Australia just at this time. Locals prefer to celebrate the New Year on the beaches. A few days before the holiday, tents are set up, choosing the most convenient places to watch fireworks or arrange themselves on yachts. Believe me, by the New Year on Australian beaches and on the water, there is really nowhere for an apple to fall! The first volleys of festive fireworks are distributed at nine o'clock in the evening, the second part of the New Year's extravaganza begins at midnight. After the end of the fireworks, the Australians do not continue to celebrate the holiday, but go to bed. Moreover, January 1 is no longer a holiday here, but quite even a working day.