Australia
What season is it in Australia while they are celebrating Christmas?
Summer. Children have their summer holidays from mid December to early February, so many people like to go camping at Christmas.
Fröhliche Weihnachten!
This is 'Merry Christmas' in French.
Joyeux Noël
South Korea:
'Santa Haraboji' (Grandpa Santa) takes on a different look. He wears which color suit instead of the traditional red?
Blue or green. Sometimes you’ll even catch him wearing a gat – the tall top hat worn by nobility in Imperial Korea. And at Seoul’s Jogyesa Buddhist temple, Christmas tree-shaped lanterns take pride of place in the temple courtyard, a symbol of religious peace and harmony.
On Christmas Eve, children, especially boys, often go out singing 'kalanda' in the streets. What are kalanda?
Carols.
If the children sing well, they might be given money, as well things to eat like nuts, sweets and dried figs.
Santa Claus is said to arrive in Australia in his sleigh pulled by six ______________.
Kangaroos. He may also arrive by surf board or boat.
Who brings German children small gifts such as chocolates or sweets on December 6th?
St. Nikolaus
It is popular in France to decorate houses with these clay figures.
Nativity. As well as having the normal Nativity figures in them, French scenes also have figures such as a Butcher, a Baker, a Policeman and a Priest.
Japan:
This peculiar meal has become a tradition to eat on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
KFC.
According to KFC Japan, it all dates back to 1974 after a KFC Japan sales team member overheard a foreign customer complain about not being able to get turkey and making do with fried chicken for Christmas.
From that overheard remark was born the first “Kentucky for Christmas” campaign, the story goes, and the tradition lives on to this day. The original holiday meal came with a bottle of wine and was marketed to adults hosting Christmas parties.
This is a popular Christmas dessert made of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey
Baklava.
Snow.
This horned monster is clothed in rags and carries chains. He punishes the children who have been bad.
Knecht Ruprecht or Krampus
These are burned in French homes at Christmas time, they are often made of cherry wood.
Yule Logs. An old tradition is that the log was carried into the home on Christmas Eve and sprinkled with red wine to make the log smell nice when it was burning. There is a custom that the log and candles are left burning all night with some food and drinks left out in case Mary and the baby Jesus come past during the night.
India:
Santa does not arrive by sleigh, instead he delivers presents to children from a ______________.
Horse and cart.
There are places in India with a significant Catholic population, such a Goa. Christmas dinner is most commonly eaten on Christmas Eve: this is an opulent feast of sharing dishes, normally including biriyani, meat curries, and a collection of Goan sweets and pastries called kuswar. After dinner, local Christians attend midnight mass in churches that have been decorated with Poinsettias and candles.
Every December in the city of Thessaloniki, a huge Christmas tree and three __________ are put up as decoration.
Ships.
There are also large boat displays in other large Greek cities like Athens. Decorated ships are an old tradition in Greece where small ships were put up in homes when sailors had returned from sea voyages.
Christmas dinner in Australia is often prepared as a ________.
Barbeque. Australians love spending time outdoors and may also have picnics or go swimming at the beach on Christmas.
This is a popular fruited yeast bread eaten at Christmas
Stollen
'La Fêtes des Rois' or 'The King's Feast' is held on which holiday after Christmas?
Epiphany on January 6th. A flat cake/tart made with and puff pastry and almond cream is eaten called 'Galette des Rois'. The cake traditionally has a 'fève' baked inside it. The fève was originally a bean (often made from porcelain, ceramic or metal). Now it can be a little crown, a figure or other shapes/small ornaments. The Galette is decorated on top with a gold paper crown. If you find the fève you wear the paper crown and are meant to bring the Galette des Rois the following year!
Malaysia:
As Christmas gifts, many people give money in what kind of envelope?
Red envelopes or 'Ang Paus'.
There are normally sales in shops around Christmas and the new year, so they like to spend their Ang Paus after Christmas in the sales!
Greek children look forward to gifts from 'Agios Vasilis', also known as Saint _________.
This saint's day is celebrated on January 1st.
Saint Basil.
Many kids do not get their presents on Christmas Day in Greece, but will open them on New Year’s Day instead. More modern Greek families have made a date shift to December 25.
Many Australian families do not leave milk and cookies for Santa, but rather a cold ________.
Beer!
Over Christmas and the New Year in Germany and Austria, the famous 'Four Hills Tournament' ('Vierschanzentournee') is held. What sport is featured?
Ski Jumping
The main Christmas meal is called ____________.
'Réveillon'. It is eaten on Christmas Eve/early Christmas morning after people have returned from the midnight Church Service. Dishes might include roast turkey with chestnuts or roast goose, oysters, foie gras, lobster, venison and cheeses. For dessert, a chocolate sponge cake log called a bûche de Noël is normally eaten.
Philippines:
The Philippines are known to have 'The World's ___________ Christmas'
Longest. The Philippines has the longest Yuletide season in the world. The official Christmas – or ‘Ber Months’, as they’re known – countdown starts on 1 September, and continues until the Feast of the Three Kings in early January.
A traditional table decoration are loaves of 'Christopsomo'. Christopsomo means ___________.
Christ's Bread or Christmas bread.
It's a round sweet bread which is flavored with cinnamon, orange and cloves. The top is decorated with a cross. The bread is made on Christmas Eve ready to be eaten on Christmas Day.