Christmas traditions vary between each family, religion, and person. Throughout the world, Christmas is celebrated in several different ways. With different religions putting their own spin on what they do to celebrate, everything and more is done differently. This holiday is known to bring family and friends together and celebrate what they have.
In Germany, there are a few ways to celebrate this holiday in their own way. One being a pickle in the tree, and no, it doesn’t actually have to be a pickle. This is known as the way to hide a random object in the tree and give a present to whoever finds it first. Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner is a big thing for Germans. Coming together the day before Christmas is usually when all of the presents get opened. On this night, everyone sits down and eats plenty of German dishes. After, dessert is served, giving the sweet treat lovers something to look forward to at the end of the night.
In China, there are a variety of ways to celebrate, but a few consist of eating an apple on Christmas Eve. It is also acceptable to gift an apple. Just like Americans, Santa comes and brings them toys, but the ones who make them aren’t his elves. They are Santa’s sisters, not elves. We all love some holiday music, and China takes it to another level. In China, it’s known that Santa plays the saxophone.
In Mexico, they are known to do Christmas pinatas. These pinatas usually have seven points, representing the seven deadly sins that are then broken by a stick to represent faith in God. These pinatas, like many, are filled with snacks and candy. Around this time, they start bringing out the holiday foods, mostly consisting of tamales, bunuelos, and roca de reyes.
After several interviews, I’ve concluded that many Americans celebrate Christmas in the same way. Most of us just celebrate by setting up a tree, leaving out cookies and milk for Santa, and waiting until the morning of the 25th to wake up our parents and open what Santa left. The meaning and joy of Christmas has been lost for many of us.
