How do people in Hungary and in English-speaking countries celebrate Christmas?
Christmas is celebrated worldwide, however, the holiday traditions and customs are different in each country. We have collected the difference between English-speaking countries and Hungary. Read our article to find out how Christmas is celebrated in these countries!
Christmas in the US
As every American holiday movie shows, Americans like to decorate the front of their house with bright lights. They tend to go to great lenghts to impress the neighbourhood with their Christmas decorations. In addition, most families take their traditions from Western European culture and they will typically eat turkey or ham as their main Christmas meal, writes blog.lingoda.com. Gifts are typically exchanged on the morning of Christmas Day (25th December), and the one who brings the present is Santa Claus.
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UK Christmas traditions
Boxing Day is a British public holiday on 26th December, and is only celebrated in the UK. As for the origin of this day, it is generally thought that the day was created for people to ‘box up’ their unwanted gifts and give them to the poor who had nothing, writes communicateschool.co.uk. However, nowadays, the British spend Boxing Day with their relatives, traveling or just relaxing at home. Another UK Christmas speciality is the Christmas pudding. This dessert is made of currants, raisins, prunes, spices, wine, eggs and breadcrumbs and cannot be missing from the Christmas menu.
Christmas celebrations in Ireland
In Ireland, Boxing Day is known as St. Stephen’s Day, which is spent with family gatherings and eating leftover food. Similarily to the British, the Irish have turkey or goose at Christmas lunch, writes secretfoodtours.com. According to an old Irish tradition, people dress up and go from house to house, singing songs and playing musical instruments. Moreover, horse racing meetings and football matches also take place on this day.
Christmas in Canada
Although people living in other countries often use real trees for the Christmas tree, Canadians are the most likely to choose real fir or pine Christmas trees. This is especially common in the eastern province of Nova Scotia. The opening of the presents can happen on Christmas Eve, but many open one present on Christmas Eve and the rest on the 25th December. In some parts of the country, such as northern Ontario, stores are not allowed to open on Boxing Day, therefore, shopping is done in another day.
Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa
Christmas occurs in the height of the summer season in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, which makes the Christmas feeling different. Due to the sunny weather, on Christmas Day, families spend time outside, playing games or swimming. Other traditions are very similar to the British Christmas customs. In Australia, the holiday meal consists of turkey and salad. New Zealand has an indigenous tree known as the PÅhutukawa. It produces large red flowers, and is an important symbol of Christmas in the country, sometimes referred to as a New Zealand Christmas tree.
Hungarian holiday customs
Unlike in other countries around the world, the most important day of Christmas in Hungary is 24 December, writes studyinhungary.hu. Traditionally, this is the day when angels bring the Christmas tree, families open presents and sing Christmas carols. As for the Christmas menu, Hungarians enjoy a nice halászlé (fish soup), stuffed cabbage and beigli, a pastry roll traditionally stuffed with poppy seed or walnut. A huge difference between Christmas in Hungary and English-speaking countries is that traditionally, the tree is not decorated until Christmas Eve. Usually, 24 December is just for the close family and on 25 and 26 December, big family gatherings take place.
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Source: blog.lingoda.com, communicateschool.co.uk, secretfoodtours.com, studyinhungary.hu
Massive correction – what is recorded in this article relating to Australia – what constitutes there Christmas Lunch.
Ironically the reference to Turkey be about number (3) three possible (4) four on the list, what goes on the plates to eat for Christmas Lunch and “Traditional” evening Dinner.
Poultry/Chicken, Fish, Beef & Lamb – then the Turkey, but certainly not the ALWAYS on the Australian Christmas Plate.
Hungarians may rightfully see Australia being an AFFLUENT country to live but ironically Turkey because of the higher cost noticeable of a Turkey – to a Chicken, to find Turkey being eaten on a regular basics in an Australian family home – NO.
Salads on Christmas Day, the heat of Australia normally mid to High 20 degrees, can be even higher – the Christmas Plates “overflow” with oven cooked vegetables.
Salads found for the evening Christmas Day meal – when the poultry & meats normally served Cold, the “left-overs” from the Christmas Day lunch.
The conclusion of a NORMAL Australian Christmas Day lunch traditionally as a desert is the choice of Trifle or Pudding.
The puddings are boiled wrapped in a cloth to keep them to-gether, some weeks prior to the Christmas Day lunch.
The serving of them on Christmas Day – again boiled then un-wrapped on a largish serving plate, a glass of brandy over it, and ignited to “burn off” the excessive alcohol, so the story goes, that still may be contained in the Pudding.
The “little ones” love this tradition at the Christmas dining table.
The Trifle offered served cold but the Pudding, filled with nuts and “soaked” in Brandy – served hot that to your choice toped in Double CREAM or Custard, that normally has a “generous” helping of Brandy in it.
NEVER had answered why – the Christmas Pudding had placed in it a amount of old coinage.
English grand-parents did it in my childhood, and the Joy it bought all the grand-children eating there piece of the Christmas Pudding – Special.
Merry Christmas Hungarians & others.
From an individual born in the “land under” – Australia.