Christmas is not an international holiday, but countries that do celebrate it have their own ways of doing so. These unique ways depend on the way of life in the country, and of the countries that celebrate Christmas. America, China, Japan, France and Brazil each have their own customs and traditions.
Starting off with America, they have a Christmas dinner, decorate a Christmas tree, and often decorate the outside of their houses and open presents on the 25th. In America, Christmas is considered a Christian holiday.
In China, they spend Christmas going shopping and having a feast. Instead of elves doing the work of making toys, there are sisters who do the work instead. Their Santa also lives in their version of the North Pole, which is a fairytale Arctic Christmas village. It is a non-religious holiday.
In Japan, Christmas is usually celebrated with KFC. This is because they really did not have an actual “Christmas dinner,” so KFC was heavily marketed as a Christmas meal post Vietnam war,This is why so many people in the country adopted the meal. They also party and meet up with friends to eat the meal with. Japan is a country with a large percentage of atheists, so Christmas is not a religious holiday.
In France, Christmas starts with a special church service, and is followed by a family meal afterwards. Children leave their shoes in front of the fireplace so Santa can fill them up. Since there is a typical church service that happens in the morning, it is considered a religious holiday in France.
In Brazil, Christmas is a religious holiday. They attend midnight mass and do large family gatherings to exchange gifts. In general, it is very similar to western Christmas traditions.
Christmas is a fun holiday that anyone can celebrate even if they are or are not religious. It is a time to spend time with friends and family having fun.
