52ºc, New York
A-Z of Global Christmas Tradition
Many countries have their own unique Christmas celebrations, check out this list of A to Z Christmas traditions around the world!
A is for Australia.
In Australia, families decorate their homes with ferns, palm leaves, ivy and a flower called the Christmas Bush.
B is for Brazil.
In Brazil, people watch their traditional plays, Los pastors, in which shepherds and a Gypsy effort to kidnap Jesus.
C is Chinese.
In China, Christmas is celebrated with acrobatics, fireworks and jugglers to entertain the crowd.
D is Danish.
In Denmark, Christmas Eve dinner begins with a traditional rice cake with a secret almond.
E is for England.
In the UK, the Queen has a traditional afternoon speech, which is broadcast via radio and television at 3pm.
F is for France.
In some parts of France, thirteen desserts are eaten.
G is for Germany.
In Germany, children leave their shoes on and fill them with carrots, which St. Nicholas's reindeer will eat.
H is for the Netherlands.
In the Netherlands, families eat bedding on Christmas Eve.
A letter is a cake shaped in their first letter of family.
I am for Italy.
In Italy, when the first star appears on Christmas Eve, families light candles to help the Child find their way.
J is for Japan.
In Japan, many families eat KFC's special Christmas chicken party.
Many people ordered the meals first and the queue for hours to collect them.
K is for Korea.
In Korea, gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve, when a customary gift (usually money) is given.
L is for Lapland.
In Lapland, families visit the cemetery, after Christmas dinner, to light candles in memory of the deceased.
M is for Mexico.
In Mexico, they have their own version of the Christmas dinner.
It started with a cow tail soup with beans, and hot peppers.
Then there's roast turkey, with a salad of fresh fruits and veggies.
N is for Norway.
In Norway, families dance around their Christmas tree, singing traditional carols before gifts are exchanged.
O is for Oman.
In Oman, the elders of the family distribute sweets and biscuits to the whole family.
P is for Poland.
In Poland, straw is placed on the floor to remind people of the birth of Jesus.
Q is for Qatar.
In Qatar, the card reads 'welcome season' to not respect Muslim faith.
R is for Romania.
In Romania, pigs are raised and slaughtered on December 20, in line with Ignatius' Christmas traditions.
S is for Spain.
In Spain, families put their names in hats.
T is from Thailand.
In Thailand, the younger generation buys and gives gifts as a show of respect for their elders.
U is for Uganda.
In Uganda, Christmas is a time to share love, food, family and clothes.
V is for Venezuela.
In Venezuela, Christmas is celebrated on December 24.
W is for Wales.
In Wales, many families spend Christmas Eve making toffee to wake up for a church service in the morning.
X is for ...
There is no country in the world that starts with X!
Y is for Yugoslavia.
In Yugoslavia, it was believed that if the fire of Yule Log died out, it was a symbol of bad luck.
A member of the family was elected to watch it at night.
Z is for Zambia.
In Zambia, children bring gifts to church on Christmas day.
These gifts will then be given out to children on holiday in hospital.
