Tuesday 6 December 2011

Christmas differs depending on country - Christmas Flowers south africa


Moving to a different country can be difficult, but adapting to its traditions can be extremely challenging.
I moved from Peru almost four years ago, and I am still learning how this culture celebrates and sometimes doesn't celebrate different holidays. The matter in this case is  christmas flowers south africa .
While growing up in Peru, my favorite holiday was Christmas because it was the end of the school year and the start of the summer. South America is located on the other side of the equator, so the seasons are backward.
There are many reasons why I love christmas flowers south africa blogs . The main reasons are because my family gets together to decorate our home with different Christmas ornaments, then we put together the nativity scene, although Jesus is not revealed until midnight.
Then the party starts. We count down the seconds before midnight, and once it is midnight we hug and kiss. The whole room is full of happiness. Then we sit together and start eating, and the meal mainly consists of turkey, fruit cake, champagne and hot chocolate.
Once we are done, it is present time, and the kids start unwrapping their presents while some adults start lighting up the fireworks outside of our house. The celebration goes on for the entire day, and we don't stop for two days. Those were the really fun times.
I love how Americans celebrate Christmas for the entire month. Once Thanksgiving is over, then the Christmas spirit is everywhere.
For the past four years I've gotten pajamas, socks or pillowcases from my American family on Christmas eve, and then a light dinner is served around 8 p.m., which is the best part of the night because the whole family is around. We then start playing board games or charades.
Once we are done, we watch a movie and then it's bedtime. By this time you can imagine me staring at everybody and wishing to be home. I know it sounds mean, but I believe the spirit of Christmas is not to wait for the big man to come down the chimney to leave your presents but to celebrate it as a family.
Then again, we can get sidetracked with a whole religious turmoil, and that is not the point, because in the United States there are so many people from different countries that belong to different religions and some of them are non-christian.

While America offers a great opportunity to live, it is cultural shock to understand the celebration of a worldwide holiday. Which makes me wonder, is it just me?
Well, in China, Christmas is not an actual holiday because it is a Christian tradition, but some cities, like Hong Kong, celebrate the holiday by decorating their homes while kids wait for Dun Che Lao Ren, their Chinese Santa, to visit. But other than that, by this time they're getting ready for the Chinese New Year.
In South Africa, homes are decorated with pine branches and presents for the children around. On Christmas Eve, children hang up their stockings for presents from Father Christmas, which is a great tradition many countries share. Christmas dinner is an open-air lunch, and it is the traditional dinner of turkey, roast beef, mince pies and more.
Christmas is the most expected holiday for children and some adults. I think every culture has many things in common, but I believe the American tradition lacks celebration.
So, come on America, Let's celebrate Christmas, don't limit yourself and have fun!

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