When you think of Christmas, everyone in the Northern Hemisphere dreams of building snowmen, sledging and toasting chestnuts over a log fire. Not for Australians however! Christmas in Australia falls in summer and no one can remember any snow falling on Christmas Day. To the school children, it means the end of exams and the start of the long summer vacation. The celebrations are largely dictated by the weather and temperatures can be around 30 degrees Celsius.
The settlers from Great Britain, Ireland and Europe brought their traditions with them and these included the Christmas dinner, Santa Claus, Christmas carols and decorated Christmas Trees. In recent decades, many people have migrated from other parts of the world, particularly from Asia. Diverse cultures have introduced other traditions to a Christmas in Australia.
A typical dinner for most Australians on Christmas Day will consist of a turkey, ham or pork with all the trimmings. This is most likely to be followed by plum pudding and mince pies or a slice of fruit cake. Because of the warm climate, eating out is very popular and many families like to have a barbecue at home or a picnic on the beach. People in the Northern Hemisphere get extremely jealous of their Southern Hemisphere cousins! Christmas in Australia for thousands of Sydney inhabitants means going down to Bondi Beach for a bit of dinner and a surf.
Some traditions that other cultures take for granted are not possible down under. Holly and mistletoe is not available as it’s out of season. This is not missed though because there is the Christmas Bush, a lovely native plant with red leaves that Australians buy at this time of year.
Christmas carols are a firm favorite and most cities and larger towns hold a Christmas Concert. The most traditional of these is the Carols by Candlelight concert in Melbourne, which has been in existence since 1937. Thousands of people attend on Christmas Eve. Christmas in Australia for many people means going to Midnight Mass at their local church. Exiles from Down Under can get a taste of home by buying CDs of the most popular yuletide carols and songs sung in Australia. They can also buy a stuffed Koala Bear, sporting a red Santa hat.
Many people, especially in the UK, like to fly to Australia and spend a Christmas in Australia with their relatives. The majority of long haul airlines operate over the Christmas holidays and it’s possible to get cheaper than normal flights on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve.
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