Thomas has
been going around the classes for the last few days explaining the differences
to Christmas in Australia.
To begin
with, the vast continent of Australia lies in the southern hemisphere, so at Christmas
time the Aussies enjoy the sweltering summer heat and sun-soaked beaches, where
they can make a sandman, which won’t melt in the blistering hot weather as a
snowman would. On the beach they also put up Christmas trees and decorations at
the beginning of December.
People like
to decorate their houses, streets and even their cars. Councils organize
contests and give a prize to the best house or street decorated in Christmas
lights and families usually go to other streets or neighbourhoods to see the beautiful
decorations.
Before
Christmas Day, crowds gather outdoors to sing carols. Carols by Candlelight are
organised in the main cities like Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide or
Canberra in open spaces and parks. The traditional concert in Sydney is held in
the Domain Gardens and it is broadcast around Australia. Although the concerts
are free, money is collected to support people in need.
It makes no
sense to wear warm clothes, so after Santa Claus has pulled in the sleigh, he
lets his reindeer rest and changes his clothes. He throws on a singlet, shorts
and thongs. Then, he puts on sunscreen so as not to get sunburnt, and you can
spot him carrying a surfboard on his way to the shore wearing sunglasses and a
cork hat to keep flies off.
The day
before Christmas Santa goes on a fire truck from village to village delivering
lollies and presents to children who run after the truck full of excitement.
On Christmas
Day Aussies head down for a day at the beach or spend the day by the pool. If
you go to Bondi Beach, you will likely come across quite a few surfers dressed
as Santa Claus or playing some beach cricket.
A hot soup
is not very appealing in 35-degree temperatures, instead a variety of salads
and vegetables as well as cold meats are much more preferable. Families gather
for Christmas lunch in the backyard, where meat and seafoods are cooked on the
barbecue. And for dessert, Australians indulge in pavlova, a cool meringue-based
cake topped with whipped cream and sliced fruit. How delicious! If you are
looking for new ideas to surprise your family this Christmas, don’t take any
chances. This is an easy recipe to make and looks impressive!
On Boxing
Day, when all the shops are closed, Aussies settle down for a good Melbourne
Test cricket match, which lasts for 5 days, or the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht
Race, whose race record was set by Comanche to 33 hours, 15 minutes in 2017
over a distance of 1170 km. Unfortunately, in 2020, much to the followers’
disappointment, the race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lots of people
flock to Australia to enjoy a different type of Christmas. What about you?
Would you like to travel to Australia? I wish I could. If you are not planning
on any journey in the near future, you might as well sing the Aussie Jingle
Bells and imagine you are in the land Down Under. Here we go.
Oh Jingle
bells, Jingle bells
Jingle all
the way
Christmas
in Australia on
A scorching
summer’s day
Jingle
bells, Jingle bells
Christmas
time is beaut
Oh what fun
it is to ride
In a rusty
Holden ute
Aussie Jingle Bells- Colin Buchanan
- Lyrics - Bing video
Thank you
Thomas for telling us about your land, your customs and traditions.
How interesting it is!
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