Russia – In Russia, Christmas is celebrated in a whole different way than it is in Jamaica. For starters, Russians don’t celebrate Christmas on December 25, but rather on January 7.

They also do not call it Christmas, but the festival of winter. However, one similarity shared between Russian Christmas and that of Jamaican Christmas is that they hold a big feast, but not on Christmas day, on Christmas Eve. The feast is celebrated in honour of the 12 apostles and a 12 course meal is served. Food such as cooked dried fruit, along with fish and beet soup are consumed at this feast. This feast, however, comes after a big fast which can last up to 39 days.

Church services are attended on Christmas day and big dinners are also held, where food such as pig and goose are prepared and eaten. Traditional Christmas celebrations include, people making clucking sounds to persuade their hens to produce eggs.

Traditional Christmas figures include a woman by the name of ‘babushka’, which means grandmother in Russia. Her story is that she was supposed to go with the wise men to visit baby Jesus, but did not go because the weather was too cold. She regretted not going and filled a basket with presents and went to find Jesus, but could not. In order to make up for her lack of attendance she goes around and gives the presents to the Russian children. Another Christmas figure is that of ‘dedushka moraz’, which translates to Grandfather Christmas.

Haiti – The island of Haiti, though in the Caribbean like Jamaica, does not quite celebrate Christmas the same way Jamaicans do. They do not buy artificial trees, but rather buy real trees from markets or venture into the forest themselves and cut down pine trees. The trees are decorated with lights and ornaments.

On Christmas Eve, everybody is out and about having fun and getting ready for Christmas the next day. Oftentimes houses are opened up until the wee hours of the morning and children are left to their own devices.

Huge church celebrations are also attended and some people might also go to big squares and sing carols. After the celebrations, families host a large dinner called ‘reveillion’, which means to wake up in French, the official language of Haiti. After the big celebrations on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day in normally a quiet affair, for people are so tired from the night before. Later in the night, however, there are more dinners.

The Haitian’s call Santa Claus ‘Ton Ton Nwel’, and he would visit houses and place gifts in the shoes of children that were placed outside and filled with straws earlier in the day.

Iceland – Christmas in Iceland is in many ways similar to Christmas in the western hemisphere. As families get together, enjoy good food and exchange presents. It is Iceland’s longest holiday as everything is closed from noon on Christmas Eve until December 27.

However, Icelanders celebrate on Christmas Eve and the family gets together in the evening and that is when presents are exchanged. During the following two days everyone goes to Christmas parties and meets with grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and friends.

Christmas is taken very seriously in Iceland as the whole house is cleaned, everyone gets something new to wear, people buy the best food, decorate the house inside and out and bake hundreds of cookies. Thorláksmessa is December 23 and is generally the biggest shopping day in Iceland as people run to the stores in a frenzy to get the last Christmas presents.

As of recent the most common Christmas dishes in Iceland are ham, smoked lamb and ptarmigan. Ptarmigan is no longer a food for the poor and has become very popular with Icelanders, and the ptarmigan hunting season is one of the most anticipated events of the year for hunters. These dished are lavishly prepared with side dishes including potatoes, prepared in many different ways, peas and beans, gravy, jam etc. The cook usually spends most of the day preparing meals, with help from other family members.

According to Old Icelandic folklore it is custom that everyone has to get one new piece of clothing at Christmas. Anyone who decided to disobey this was in danger of being eaten by a malicious beast called the Christmas Cat. As a result everyone worked very hard to make a new piece of clothing for each member of the family.

South Africa

South Africans don’t have a cold Christmas. In fact, they have the complete opposite because their Christmas is celebrated in the summer.

Being in the southern hemisphere means they get summer way later than Jamaica, so it is particularly hot and sunny in December. On Christmas Eve, candlelight services are oftentimes held and going carolling is another South African Christmas eve tradition.

On Christmas Day, church services are held in the morning and people usually go swimming or to the countyside in the afternoon. In the evening, Christmas dinners are held with families and friends, where they feast on vegetables, bobotie (mince pies served with yellow rice and raisins), turkey,and roast beef, among other items. Much like in Jamaica, after the meal a Christmas pudding is served.

Important Christmas figures include Santa Clause, who is called Sinterklaas or Kersvander. Places like Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban usually have big Christmas parties or celebrations straight through the night. South Africans also celebrate Boxing Day.

Ghana

Unlike the European-influenced countries and the Americas, Ghana’s Christmas traditions are mostly focused on religion and less about the commercial aspect.

With that being said many presents bought at Christmastime by the wealthy usually consist of clothes to be worn to church. Going to church is generally the main focus of Christmas celebrations in Africa as nativity scenes are played out, carols are sung and, in some cases, dances are performed.

On the other hand, with three-quarters of the Ghanaian population being poor most parents cannot afford to buy their children toys so they buy necessities such as books, pens, pencils, soap and other practical goods.

In Ghana, it is very hot, so most spend their Christmas on the beach with family. As any other culture the Ghanaian Christmas dinner is not complete without their special foods such as fufu and okra soup.

Philippines

To the Filipino people Christmas is referred to as Pasko and they are known for having the longest Christmas season around the globe.

According to them, the four months of the year that end with ‘ber are considered to be the Christmas months. Their holiday season extends beyond December 31 to end on January 6 (Feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings).

In the Phillippines they have a Parol, which is a Christmas lantern, most commonly in the shape of a five-pointed star. The bamboo or rattan frame is covered with rice paper, tissue, or cellophane. As it is tradition, almost every family either builds or buys one to hang by the window or door. Store owners construct giant parols and places them in stores and malls. Traditionally a candle is placed inside for light to shine through.

The Filipinos have a special name for Christmas gifts as they refer to it as pamasko . On December 16, the Catholics begin a series of nine masses locally known as a ‘novena’. The masses are part of the cherished religious tradition of Simbang Gabi, which literally means ‘night worship’.

They go to church at four o’clock in the morning and afterward have breakfast together. A traditional drink during this season is a warm ginger tea called salabat and a traditional treat of a flat, but thick yellow rice cake called bibingka.

On Christmas Eve (Bisperas ng Pasko), a few Filipino towns commemorate Joseph and Mary’s search for a place to stay with a re-enactment called panunuluyan, a tradition very similar to the Mexican posadas. What every Filipino looks forward to is Noche Buena, as they have a grand family dinner after the midnight mass.

Greenland

Greenland, the home of Saint Nicholas himself, spends the entire winter in darkness because they are so far north.

So, Christmas for Greenlanders is a dark, but cheerful affair. During Christmas time, lots of persons get together and have parties with family and friends, where they eat cake and drink wine. On Christmas Eve, church services are held, but people don’t just put on their Sunday best, they dress up in their national costume.

There are no big celebrations during Christmas day; instead the festivities happen at night. Greenland’s tradition has the men taking care of the women by cooking them food. Some of the foods eaten include ‘Mattak’, whale skin and ‘Kiviak’, the raw flesh of little Auk birds. After the meal various games are played between friends and family of all ages.

Christmas trees are also erected in Greenland, however, because of Greenland’s location they do not grow trees and so they have to import them. A star is also placed in the window for Christmas decoration. Everyone in Greenland gets a gift on Christmas day and the children go house to house singing songs.

Egypt

In Egypt, only about 15 per cent of the population are Christians. And with Christmas originating from the Christian faith, not much Christmas celebrations are practised in Egypt.

Amongst the 15 per cent, most of them belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church and they celebrate Christmas differently. Unlike the western side of the world, they celebrate Christmas on January 7. It is interesting because for 43 days before their Christmas celebration (November 26 to January 6) they go on a special fast called the ‘The Holy Nativity Fast’, where they only eat vegan.

When their Christmas service ends, everyone goes home to eat their dinner; which consists of all the foods they weren’t allowed to eat during Holy Nativity Fast.

As the world evolved, Christmas was gradually becoming a secular holiday, so as the times went by, Egyptians started decorating their homes and stores with lights, and Christmas trees are sold at local supermarkets. In Egypt, Santa Claus is called Baba NoÎl (meaning Father Christmas). Chimneys not being very common in Egypt, the children would instead hope Baba would climb through their windows and bring them presents.

Jamaica

Everyone, if not most Jamaicans, look forward to the Christmas season. For some, Christmas celebrations begin from December 1; others in the second week of December after schools give a break.

Christmas is that time of the year where the lights are at its brightest in shopping plazas and malls and the streets flooded with busy-bodied people. Christian or not, this is a celebration that 90 per cent of the population anticipate. From its abundance in food at the dinner table on December 25, to the spirit and vibes that fill the streets and the coming together of family members, those who you have probably not seen in months. The atmosphere is filled with laughter and cheer and just pure happiness. Especially when the cool ‘crismus’ breeze hits you.

Everything is at its peak on Christmas Eve (December 24) as everyone runs around to do last-minute shopping and adults are preparing for Christmas day cooking. Children feel free as ever as they dress up in their new clothes and head to grand markets. It is that night where they stay out as late as they want and count down for the next day.

Christmas day usually starts off with the traditional breakfast — ackee and saltfish, breadfruit, fried plantains, boiled bananas, and tea. Church almost always follows with the singing of Christmas carols.

The day of Christmas is usually topped off with family dinners, as all living generations come together to share this cheerful season. Sorrel, Jamaican red wine and rum fruit cake top off the meal.