No St. Nicholas, no Christmas tree, no chocolates for Christmas dinner- this is what Russian Christmas looked like under the Soviet government. With the fall of communism in 1992, Christmas is openly celebrated throughout the country although New Year is still more popular among Russians. Together, New Year and Christmas make up a holiday season which starts on December 31st and continues till January 19th. These winter celebrations in Russia are associated with a number of practices, which represent a blend of tradition from Russia’s Christian, pre-Christian and Soviet past.

Christmas is coming soon and I am wondering whether there is anything German about this charming holiday. To my knowledge Jesus wasn’t born in Germany, the Christmas Carols as well as the motifs are from the US and the colors originate from Coca Cola! Our Christmas chocolate comes from Switzerland and the Christmas game, White Elephant, is derived from an American tradition….

Weihnachten steht vor der Tür und ich frage mich, ob es etwas Deutsches an Weihnachten gibt. Soweit ich weiß, wurde Jesus nicht in Deutschland geboren, Weihnachtslieder und –motive kommen aus den Staaten und die Farben stammen von Coca Cola. Unsere Weihnachtsschokolade kommt aus der Schweiz und das weihnachtliche Wichteln hat seine Ursprünge in den USA [...]

Naszym tematem przewodnim w tym tygodniu są Święta Bożego Narodzenia i wszystko, co z nimi związane. Wśród wersji angielskich możecie poczytać o tradycjach świątecznych w różnych krajach i różnym podejściu do tych Świąt. Ponieważ uświadamianie Polaków o polskich tradycjach wydało mi się mocno bezsensowne, postanowiłam napisać dziś trochę bardziej osobiście, od siebie. Tydzień temu pisałam [...]

In Poland, Christmas anticipation begins with the Advent. There’s a very nice tradition of a daily mass for children called Roraty. It takes place early in the morning before school (when it’s still dark) or in the afternoon (when it’s dark again) and every child brings a small colorful lantern with them to hold during a procession opening the mass.

Christmas represents a special moment for all of us. It is a celebration that changes for the better our take on life, makes us see the good in others and open our hearts to them. All around the globe Christmas combines universal elements, like decorating the tree, with other, less known, region-specific ones.

Crăciunul reprezintă pentru fiecare dintre noi un moment deosebit. E o sărbătoare care ne face să ne privim viaţa altfel, să-i vedem pe ceilalţi într-o lumină mai favorabilă, să ne deschidem sufletul mai uşor. În fiecare colţ de pe glob datina Crăciunului îmbină elemente universal întâlnite, cum ar fi îmbodobirea bradului, cu altele, mai puţin [...]

Sí, luces de todos los colores y cada año con una temática diferente sobre el río Medellín y en todas las ciudades principales en Colombia durante la época navideña, pero eso no es lo único que caracteriza la navidad en este país, hay muchísimas cosas para decir. Al igual que la mayoría de países de [...]

As any other country in Latin America, in Colombia most of traditions have a deep religious origin. Everything stars on the 30th November, when at midnight fireworks are release announcing that the best time during the year just began: Christmas.

圣诞节在西方社会是一个充满宗教气息的节日。自从公元354年罗马帝国西部拉丁教会在年历中把12月25日定为耶稣诞生日，圣诞节就成为了西方国家基督教纪念耶稣诞辰的世俗节日。 如今，在“世界是平的”的日子里，与好莱坞电影、可口可乐和windowsXP这些以美国为代表的物质层面的消费文化一样大行其道的还有其精神层面的价值观。因而，即使在没有基督教的地区，圣诞节也可以以一种非宗教的方式被人们庆祝；——圣诞节已成为全球的节日，又有着各地不同的习俗。 于是在圣诞前的平安夜，美国小伙子John可能一边在和家人安静的享用火鸡，一边动脑筋想着怎样把邻居家的姑娘引到槲寄生树枝下面，好理直气壮地亲她一下；澳大利亚的小男孩Tim则在期待着能收到来自“Santa, the north pole,9999”地址的回信；德国的Thomas先生可能在饮着一杯Glühwein，一边看着他精心修剪的圣诞树；保加利亚的父亲们则会在家燃起火堆以驱妖镇邪；菲律宾人则在享用他们的“Simbang Gabi”，享受他们悠长的“Simbang Gabi”；于此同时，中国、新加坡和日本的年轻人则或许会在通宵营业的购物中心里疯狂“血拼”。 似乎，许多并不信仰基督教的年轻人在没有宗教原由的情况下热衷于圣诞节会让人觉得匪夷所思；甚至他们把原本祈求平静和安宁的圣诞节变成“热闹的群体狂欢”的方式会让人惊讶。但是，对于大多数年轻人——例如那些漠视本土节日而推崇西方节日的亚洲年轻人——来说，他们完全不知所以然的圣诞节其实只是一件西方舶来的时髦消费品。过圣诞节只不过是为了找个娱乐、放任消费的理由。当然，与此同时，西方国家的许多家庭还仍在圣诞餐桌前虔诚的感激。 因此，lexiophiles打算在接下来的日子里介绍不同国家的圣诞习俗。我们会每天发布一篇新的文章。在这里，你可以找到关于不同国家圣诞节文章的更新： * 比利时: 英语 | Français * 哥伦比亚: 英语 | Español * 罗马尼亚: 英语 | Română * 波兰: 英语 | Polski * 德国: 英语 | Deutsch * 俄罗斯: 英语 | Pусский * 巴西: 英语 | Português * 中国: 英语 | 汉语 * 美国: 英语 … … [...]