Christmas Day is a holiday generally celebrated on December 25 to commemorate the birth of Jesus. However, Christmas traditions vary depending in which country we are on that day:
In Poland, “Eve” celebrations start after a nightfall. Then all the family gathers around a table and the oldest person in the family begins to pray a nd reads a part from the Holy Bible. Before 12 meals are eaten, people share a special Christmas wafer and wish each other all the best. Under the Christmas Tree there are some gifts but they can be opened after the Christmas Supper is over.
Christmas wafel
In Spain, people don’t have a wafer to share and give wishes but “halvah”.
Before Christmas Eve each family buys a nativity scene (a picture or model of the baby Jesus Christ and his parents in the place where he was born) In the evening everybody gets out from homes to the streets which are always decorated with the colorful lights. People sing Christmas carols, dance and play till the morning. The main dish is roast fish. Presents are given on the 6th of January.
In France, Christmas is always called ‘Noël’. Everyone has a Christmas tree, sometimes decorated in the old way with red ribbons and real white wax candles. Fir trees in the garden are often decorated too, with lights on all the night. Some people send Christmas cards.
Nativity scene
Germans love to decorate their houses at Christmas. Many houses have little wooden frames holding electric candles in their windows, and colored pictures of paper or plastic which look beautiful from the outside at night.
In Sweden the most important day is Christmas Eve. A special Christmas meal is eaten on Christmas Eve - ham (pork), herring fish, and brown beans - and this is the time when families give presents to each other. Many people attend a church meeting early on Christmas Day.