Christmas Day falls on December 25 and
is an occasion for Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Many Australians
give each other gifts, prepare special meals and decorate their homes at this
time of year. Many aspects of the Christmas celebrations are originated from
winter celebrations in Europe. However Christmas celebration in Australia is
increasingly influenced by the Australian climate and wildlife.
A day before Christmas Day usually is
called as Christmas Eve. It is a busy time of the year for many people who
celebrate the Christmas season, as many spend Christmas Eve preparing for
Christmas Day. Many offices have pre-Christmas lunches or parties on Christmas
Eve. Some workers may have a half or full day off. Those who have time off may
take part in summer (southern hemisphere) activities or sports such as
swimming, surfing, tennis, windsurfing, football, cricket, barbecues and beach
volleyball. For some, it is a time to travel to the northern hemisphere to
experience a Christmas with snow. Why? It is since the weather is hot in
outback Australia and other regions during this time of the year. Christmas in
Australia occurs at the height of summer where the temperature can reach a
sweltering 30°C whilst here in the UK, us Brits are wrapping up warm to beat
off an average temperature of just 1°C with only 1 to 2 hours of sunshine,
whilst down in Oz the sun shines all day long. Therefore, Australians celebrate
their Christmas without all traditions of Europeans have such as ‘Santa Claus’
with his smart deer, snow, Christmas Tree, praying socks, candies, and other
stuffs that we usually recognize in common.
In addition, some people spend the day
doing last-minute preparations, particularly if they are expecting guests in
the evening or on Christmas Day. Some shopping centres are open until midnight
for last-minute shopping for decorations, food, presents and other Christmas
items. Some churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, may have midnight masses
that occur at midnight between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Popular
Christmas songs during this time of the year include “Jingle Bells”, “Deck the
Halls”, “Here Comes Santa Claus”, “Silent Night”, and “We Wish You a Merry
Christmas”.
On
the day of Christmas, Australians, after the praying done, get traditional meal
as what Brits in UK have with a turkey dinner topping the list and a flaming
plum pudding for dessert. However, after getting their lunch, in fact, Bondi
Beach, a favourite beach for Australians, becomes crowded with thousands of
Christmas Day picnickers. Charades and board games are being the most popular
in UK after getting meal and they try to be apart from TV on the day. Whilst in
Australia, because of the warm weather, Aussies prefer to play cricket, the
most popular sport in Australia, or swimming. Australians also have their own
version of a White Christmas. It’s a type of confectionery made of rice crispiest,
fruit and coconut oil and traditionally eaten around Christmastime.
Santa Claus arrives in Australia – by
surfboard! Santa surfing is now popular down under as hundreds of people take
to the warm oceans and ride the waves dressed as Santa. Many surfing clubs now
hold Christmas charity events where participants done the famous red costume
for charity. Talking of Santa, in the hot Australian outback what better animal
to pull Santa’s sleigh along than six white boomers? A boomer is a special
kangaroo that Santa uses to pull his sleigh along the rough terrain of the
outback. The boomers were made famous in the song by Rolf Harris and John Brown
back in 1960. The boomers’ names are Jackaroo, Bluey, Two-up, Desert-head,
Curly and Snow.
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