How is Christmas celebrated in Australia?

Answer 1

Australians decorate in any of the following ways:

• putting up a Christmas tree and decorating it with tinsel, baubles, bells, lights, stars, angels, etc.
• displaying lights outside their houses at night
• putting nativity scenes in their homes or gardens
• stringing up their Christmas cards for display

For more information about the sort of Christmas trees Australians decorate, see the related question.

Answer 2

Christmas in Australia(from various contributors)

• Mixed grill on the barby (barbeque) is a popular Christmas meal.
• Lots of family, lots of presents , good food and a lot of times a barby on the beach. Australians who celebrate Christmas do so by getting together with friends and family and partaking in the foods that they traditionally reserved for this time of the year. The traditional Christmas also put an extra onus on people to try to be a little more tolerant and forgiving with each other and to show charity to those less fortunate. Homes and yards are decorated with various motives some in the religious vein while others concentrate more on the Santa Claus side of thing enjoyed by the children.
• Some celebrate with the traditional hot Christmas dinner familiar to those in England, but many have cold meats and salads. Christmas Day comes in the summer and temperatures can be high. Many attend Christmas Eve or Morning church services. Increasingly, towns and suburbs are lit with coloured lights, and people vie with each other to have the biggest or most spectacular display. Touring the Christmas lights displays is becoming an increasingly popular evening activity just before Christmas.
• Christmas is the most looked forward to holiday of the year. Christmas is celebrated with family and is a time for exchanging gifts with loved ones. As Christmas occurs in the summer, it is common to celebrate with a family dinner or lunch of cold food or a barbecue and, for some people, lots of alcohol. Non-alcoholic drinks are also available. It is also traditional to decorate a Christmas tree for the occasion, and for 'Santa' or 'Father Christmas' to visit and deliver gifts to young children at midnight. Traditions of Christmas also involve carols by candle light, and midnight masses.
• A lot of people in Australia are Christians, so many of them attend Christmas Eve services (in some denominations) and/or Christmas Day services. "Carols by Candlelight" services are held at churches and in communities all around the country in the lead-up to Christmas.
• The Christian background is the historic origin of the Christmas celebration. Many people still have strong religious convictions and many that don't still have a place in their heart for the principles put forward by Jesus Christ in relation to the love and peace that most of us would like to see among each other. However, these days a lot of pressure is put on parents, relatives and friends alike to bring this festival into a very materialistic realm, Why in the USA they are actually afraid to call it Christmas and there is talk that the Christmas may be renamed Jesus holiday.
• Christmas Day can end up being extremely hot in Australia. In the north, it is the beginning of the cyclone season (Cyclone Tracy destroyed Darwin on Christmas Day 1974). Outdoor entertaining is very popular, and many families celebrate Christmas on beaches, in parks, or outdoors at home. Many still lay on the full traditional hot dinner, but it is equally likely that cold meats and salads will be on the menu.
• Paradoxically, the decorations, cards and related paraphernalia all reflect a northern hemisphere theme. Icicles, snow, 'Jingle Bells', and 'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas 'still hold sway in stores and homes. After all, 'I'm Dreaming of a Brown Christmas' would be more accurate, but just doesn't put you in the same festive mood! Sure, there are Australian Christmas songs, but they are well and truly in the background, although coming to increasing prominence.
• Australians that celebrate Christmas do so by getting together with friends and family and partaking in the foods that they traditionally reserved for this time of the year. the traditional Christmas also put an extra onus on people to try to be a Little more tolerant and forgiving with each other and to show charity to those less fortunate. homes and yards are decorated with various motives some in the religious vein while others concentrate more on the Santa clause side of thing enjoyed by the children. pine trees are brought inside and decorated with ornaments and lights. and on the night before Christmas day when the Little children are asleep gifts for them and others in the family are placed under the tree to be opened on Christ mass morning.
• Each and every Australian celebrates Christmas differently like any other country. For example, the members of one family may get up, open presents and then go to see the family and just spend time together the whole day. But every person is different - instead of having fun in the snow some may go to the beach or go in the pool.
• Christmas in Australia is very warm, so typical activities include playing cricket or other outdoor sports, visiting the beach, barbequeuing, etc., in addition to Christmas traditions such as exchanging gifts, eating and drinking, spending time with family and going to church.
• Outdoors displays of nativity scenes, besides having the traditional figures, often feature Australian native animals, particularly kangaroos and koalas. Similarly, Christmas plays often follow a uniquely Australian storyline involving the "babe in the bush".
• The same as people do elsewhere, except that in Australia it's Summertime in December, so many people have their Christmas dinner out of doors or take it down to the beach! But they still mark it just as people do in the Northern hemisphere, with decorations, carols, Christmas trees, cards, presents and so on. This may sound strange to a Northern hemisphere person, but it's worth remembering that the true month of Christ's birth was in June, not December, so the weather in Australia in December is actually closer to what it would have really been like in the Middle East when Jesus was born. The date was moved to December by Pope Julius I in the 4th Century, because he thought that it was too close to the Pagan festival of the Summer Solstice and wanted to distance the celebration from Christianity as much as possible.
• Christmas celebrations in Australia take on a variety of forms. Some of the traditional customs from England remain, and Christmas trees, Christmas carols, and fancy Christmas dinners are all very popular. "Carols by Candlelight" services are held at churches and in communities all around the country in the lead-up to Christmas, and of course there are choirs singing carols in shopping centres.
• Due to the fact that Christmas falls during summer and so many parts of Australia can be very hot during Christmas, Australians often seek alternatives to hot Christmas dinners. Barbequed meats are very popular, along with cold salads and cold desserts. Turkey, ham and fresh prawns top the list for Christmas dinners. Outdoor entertaining is very popular, and many families celebrate Christmas on beaches, in parks, or outdoors at home. Many attend Christmas Eve or Morning church services. Increasingly, towns and suburbs are lit with coloured lights, and people vie with each other to have the biggest or most spectacular display. Touring the Christmas lights displays is becoming an increasingly popular evening activity just before Christmas. Gift-giving is high on the list. It is something of an anachronism to see Father Christmas aka Santa Claus in his thick, red suit in shopping centres when it can be sweltering hot outside. Some families open their gifts on Christmas Eve; most open them in the morning. Outdoors displays of nativity scenes, besides having the traditional figures, often feature Australian native animals, particularly kangaroos and koalas. Similarly, Christmas plays often follow a uniquely Australian storyline involving the "babe in the bush".

Answer 3

Australia is a very typical Western-style culture and so the Christmas preparations are similar to others. The shops are crowded out with people buying gifts, shops stay open later, Christmas cards are written and sent, places of employment have their end of year parties during December, and family Christmas celebrations are planned for the day or days around Christmas. Because December in most of Australia is summertime, outdoor celebrations are common and the food more likely to be relaxed in style.

Many churches have the season of Advent in preparation for Christmas, and many children practice for their parts in Christmas Eve services. Many performances are held of Handel's 'Messiah' both by professional groups and also in communities where anyone can join in. The capital cities all hold well attended Carols By Candlelight events sometimes on the banks of the city's river. Many communities have Christmas Pageants ( parades) in which Father Christmas is usually the last float to arrive. The most notable one is the pageant in Adelaide.

Answer 4

Christmas dinner in Australia varies, often according to which part of Australia one lives in, and one's personal cultural heritage.

Many Australians enjoy a traditional roast turkey, duck or chicken, and roast ham or honey-glazed ham is popular. This may be cooked in an oven, or on the "Weber" barbeque outside, along with roast potatoes, pumpkin and other trimmings.

Others may take to the nearest park or beach, and simply cook up a barbeque there, consisting of a variety of meats.

Prawns, crabs and salads are also very popular. Australians eat more seafood around Christmas time than at any other time of year, with many specialist seafood outlets taking orders for prawns to ensure supply meets demand. Australians do not eat "shrimp on the barbie"; Australians eat prawns, not shrimp, and very few people waste good prawns by throwing them on the barbeque.

For desserts, Christmas cakes based on the heavy fruit cakes and puddings as made in Britain (and usually served with custard, cream or ice cream) are also popular, as are fruit mince pies. The ever-popular pavlova with fresh cream and fruit is often consumed, as are flavoured ice creams and "Christmas logs", made with ice cream, chocolate, nuts and various other things. Trifle is also common, as is fruit salad.

Generally, because Australia is so multi-cultural, there is a wide range of foods available that conform with Christmas traditions the world over.

Answer 5

Australians traditionally celebrate Christimas in one of three ways:

• a barbeque (may be roast meat, or sausages and steak)
• a traditional oven-cooked ham, chicken, turkey or other meat
• going out to a meal cooked by someone else ...

Answer 6

People in Australia usually celebrate Christmas at home, either indoors or outside around the backyard pool and/or barbeque. Because of the excellent weather, many may head to the beach to celebrate Christmas.

Answer 7

However their family celebrates Christmas. Because Christmas in Australia falls in Summer, a lot of out doors activities are involved. A few go to Church but not very many. They get presents, pull Christmas crackers, eat Australian and traditional Christmas food and have fun! It is always warm, very warm and hot around Christmas time because it is Summer.

Answer 8

Depends on their religion, but it's mainly the same as any other western country... give gifts under the Christmas tree, eat a big family dinner etc. The only difference is that its summer there in December!

Answer 9

Christians in Australia celebrate Christmas in different ways. Many of them attend Christmas Eve services (in some denominations and cultural traditions, such as the German Lutherans) and/or Christmas Day services. Christmas Day services in the Protestant churches may be simple celebrations of Jesus's birth, although some churches may have grand litrgical services for this celebration. It differs, according to the denomination.

"Carols by Candlelight" services are held at churches and in communities all around the country in the lead-up to Christmas. Though these are often sponsored by local councils, they are more often promoted by the churches, so have a decidedly Christian theme and flavour to them.