Page 62 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - December 2015 Late Edition

62 Celebrating Christmas Around The World
Celebrating Christmas
Around The World
Continued from Page 61
Christmas in Venezuela
Christmas in Venezuela is one of the most
colourful in Latin America and the whole
world! Firework shows are very popular.
Some traditional Christmas music in
Venezuela is 'Gaita' music. This is a type of folk
music from the Zulia state. It's played on several
instruments including the 'Cuatro' (a guitar with
four strings) a 'Tambora' (a Venezuelan drum),
the 'Furro' (a type of drum but it has a stick
coming up through the middle of the skin of the
drum - this can make it have some different
sounds) and the 'Charrasca' (a ribbed tube that
you rub a stick up and down). The singers are
known as 'Gaiteros'. Another type of music in
Venezuela is called 'Aguinaldos y Parrandas'.
This style is also popular at Christmas as the
songs are like carols.
Some homes will have a Christmas Tree,
but they're normally artificial ones as pine and
fir trees aren't common in Venezuela. Nativity
Scenes (Nacimiento) are very popular and in
some regions they are more common than
Christmas Trees.
Going to Midnight Mass (Misas de
Aguinaldo) is very popular and there many
other masses and church services in the days
before Christmas. In Caracas, the capital of
Venezuela, there's a tradition of people
rollerskating to the early morning church
services from 16th to 24th December. The roads
are often closed to traffic by 8.00am to make it
safe for people to skate!
Traditional Venezuelan Christmas foods
include 'Hallacas' - a mixture of beef, pork,
chicken, capers, raisins, and olives that is
wrapped in maize and plantain leaves and tied
up with string into a parcel and then boiled or
steamed afterwards; the Pan de Jamón - a type
of bread that's made with puff pastry, filled up
with ham, raisins, olives and bacon and shaped
like a 'swiss roll'! Chicken Salad and Pernil (a
leg of pork).
Some people also celebrate Santa
Barbara's day on December 4th. The real
Christmas celebrations start on December 21st.
Another important day, is Epiphany or 'El Dia
de los Reyes Magos' (the day of The Three
Kings) on January 6th.
Main presents are given at midnight on
Christmas Eve.. In Venezuela presents are
brought by 'San Nicolás' (St. Nicholas) & 'Niño
Jesús' (Baby Jesus).
It was also a tradition for people to paint
their houses two to four weeks before
Christmas, so it was all nice and smart and
ready to be decorated for Christmas. Many
people have new clothes for Christmas and New
Year's Eve. Many people believe that if you
wear yellow on New Year's Eve you will have
good luck next year.
Christmas in Vietnam
In Vietnam, Christmas Eve is often more
important than Christmas day!
In Ho Chi Minh city (which is the
largest city in Vietnam and used to be called
Saigon) people (especially young people) like to
go into the city centre, where there is a Catholic day! At every house you have something to eat,
Cathedral. The streets are crowded with people
on Christmas Eve and in the city centre cars are
not allowed for the night.
People celebrate by throwing confetti,
taking pictures and enjoying the Christmas
decorations and lights of big hotels and
department stores. Lots of cafes and restaurants
are open for people to enjoy a snack!
Not many people in Vietnam are
Christians, but some people like to go to
Midnight Mass services.
Vietnam used to be part of the French
Empire and there are still French influences in
the Christmas traditions.
Many Catholic churches have a big
nativity crib scene or 'creche' with nearly life
size statues of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the
shepherds and animals.
In some areas of Ho Chi Minh city,
usually in Catholic parishes, people have big
crib scenes in front of their houses and decorate
the whole street, turning it into a Christmas
area! These are popular for people to visit and
look at the scenes.
Happy Christmas in Vietnamese is Chuć
Mưǹg Giańg Sinh. Happy/Merry Christmas in
lots more languages
Also like in France, the special
Christmas Eve meal is called 'reveillon' and has
a 'bûche de Noël' (a chocolate cake in the shape
of a log) for desert. Vietnamese people like to
give presents of food and at Christmas a bûche
de Noël is a popular gift. Other Christmas
presents aren't very common, although some
young people like to exchange Christmas cards.
It's very hot for Santa in Vietnam and it the Christmas Day parties.
can't be very comfortable wearing all that velvet
in a hot country! Santa is called 'Ông già Noel'
(it means Christmas old man).
Christmas in Zambia
Many churches in Zambia have nativity plays
and a crib in the church. One or two days before
Christmas, Zambians like to go carol singing
around the local streets for charity.
On Christmas day, children are
encouraged to bring a present to church for
children who are in hospital or might not get a
present because they are less fortunate. After
church, on Christmas day, it is a custom that all
the children go to one house and all the adults
go to another house to have a party and to eat!
Thank you to Hope Mwenda for her help
in giving me information on Christmas in
Zambia!
Christmas in Zimbabwe
For most people in Zimbabwe, Christmas day
starts with a Church service. After the Church
service, everyone has a party in their homes and
people go from house to house, visiting all of
their family and friends on the way home!
Sometimes, this can take all of the rest of the
exchange presents and enjoy the party.
A lot of people get their biggest stereo
speakers out and put them out side the front of
the house and play their favourite music very
loudly! It is not only Christmas music that is
played, but also the latest pop tunes and old
African favourites.
Everyone wears their best clothes for
Christmas, as for some families the only new
clothes they get every year are for Christmas.
The parties are a good place to show off their
new clothes.
Children in Zimbabwe believe that Santa
Claus brings them there presents early on
Christmas Day, ready to show their friends at
Church and at the parties.
Only the main room in the house is often
decorated in Zimbabwe. Some Zimbabweans
have a traditional 'European' Christmas Tree, but
they decorate the room with plants like Ivy. This
is draped around the whole of the top of room.
Christmas Carols are sung during the
Christmas Day morning service and in services
leading up to Christmas. There are also
sometimes Carols by Candlelight Services in
city parks.
The Christmas Cards that are used in
Zimbabwe sometimes have African pictures on
them, such as wild animals, but most are
imported so they have the traditional 'snow
scenes' and pictures of the Christmas story on
them.
The special food eaten at Christmas in
Zimbabwe is Chicken with rice. Chicken is a
very expensive food in Zimbabwe and is a
special treat for Christmas. This is often eaten at
Santa might sometimes arrive at big
stores in a Fire Engine. The streets in the big
cities also can have colorful Christmas lights. []