Origin and History of Christmas in Australia
Although the Christian calendar confirmed December 25th as Christmas celebration in 336 AD, it took nearly 600 years for the orthodox churches to declared public prayer services and community gatherings for the celebration. The choice of date is believed to have been influenced by the winter solstice and the ancient pagan rituals. The ancient observation included the Halcyon Days in Greece, which is observed for the good will of the people. And some of the other ancient winter celebrations include Babylonian’s and Persian’s rituals to welcome the new change in the weather and for the peace of the country.
Local name: Christmas
Ways to celeberate Christmas in Australia
The warm weather allows Australians to enjoy the Christmas vacation to the fullest. Almost a week before Christmas, people decorate their home with Christmas trees, colorful electric lights, snowmen and many other Christmas decoratives. Typical Australian decoratives such Australian flowers and wildlife are also used in beautification. On Christmas Eve, the evening is lit by beautiful aromatic candles and people sing carols under a clean night sky. During the Christmas day people visit churches to attend the special prayer meet. Christmas being the family celebration people enjoy the holiday by organizing a family picnic to blue beaches. If they are at home the day is enjoyed by playing games in the backyard and by welcoming guests for the rich festive meal. The food for the occasion is almost similar to festive meals of European countries. The feast usually consists of fruit cake, roasted meat, turkey and rich desserts. The day after Christmas is celebrated as Boxing Day in Australia. On this day the Australian cricket team competes with its opponents and people enjoy this day by watching the match.
