Genealogy Research. Heritage and History. News and Events. Personal History. The Beginning of Christmas Christmas got off to a slow start on the world stage. A Time to Celebrate Today, more than 2 billion people in more than countries consider Christmas to be the most important holiday of the year. Christmas Around the World In a non-Christian culture such as in Thailand —where more than 90 percent of the people are Buddhist—Christmas is not a national holiday, but decorations can be out by Christmas time.
Religious Ceremonies In many cultures, many separate religious ceremonies other than Mass have been adopted: Advent signifies the coming of Christ and marks the beginning of the four-week Christmas season. Special church services are held to focus on the Nativity rather than commercial activities. Epiphany is celebrated 12 days after Christmas on January 6 to remember the Wise Men who visited the baby Jesus. In some countries, gifts are given. Las Posadas is primarily celebrated in Latin America although it is gaining popularity in other places.
The year-old tradition consists of 9 days of candle-lit parades of families and friends depicting Joseph and Mary seeking a place in the inn. The group travels to a different house each night singing a plea to let Mary and Joseph in.
Once the couple is accepted, the group prays and shares traditional food such as tamales. It began in a Moravian congregation in Germany in , but it is now celebrated by congregations worldwide.
On Christmas Eve , many families start decorating their trees and hanging mistletoe in their houses for good luck. In Germany , preparing for Christmas often includes strolling through markets while sipping mulled wine. Families also decorate their trees with angel ornaments and light candles in their windows. A few traditional holiday desserts include stollen, a cake filled with dried fruit and sprinkled with powdered sugar, and lebkuchen, a large spiced cookie that often features a message written in frosting.
An actual Yule log is also often burned in the fireplace on Christmas Eve after being sprinkled with red wine to make it smell even nicer. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Sophia Mitrokostas. People who celebrate Christmas don't have all of the same traditions around the world. In Japan , a bucket of KFC fried chicken has become a holiday staple.
Christmas Eve in Finland can involve going to the sauna with your whole family. Although people in many countries exchange gifts around the holiday, the day is different depending on where you are.
Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Some people in the Philippines celebrate Christmas for five months. Many people in Japan like to eat fried chicken on Christmas.
One Christmas tradition in Poland involves keeping a fish in your bathtub. Many people in Finland celebrate Christmas with a trip to the sauna.
In the UK, stockings are hung from the end of beds and the queen gives an annual speech. Christmas in Croatia can involve cleaning your shoes and avoiding Krampus. People in Greece might keep a fire burning during Christmas to ward off holiday goblins. Christmas in Australia is often celebrated on the beach. In Argentina, some celebrate Christmas with fireworks. For many in Ukraine, Christmas is celebrated on January 7. In the US, children leave cookies for Santa and hang their stockings on the fireplace.
Research Topics. Note: This is an update of a post originally published on Dec. Share this link:. Michael Lipka is an editorial manager of religion research at Pew Research Center. Sign up for our weekly newsletter Fresh data delivered Saturday mornings.
Many Millennials see Christmas as more cultural than religious holiday. What do Americans like least about Christmas? Please Enable JavaScript Safely. The Short Answer. Author s Lydia Saad is the Director of U.
Social Research at Gallup. Survey Methods.
0コメント