By NELDA MASCHMEYER
nelda@newsroom.byu.edu
Joyeux Noel. Feliz Navidad. Froehliche Weihnachten. Sung Tan Chuk Ha. Een Plesiergiege Kerfees. Maligayang Pasko.
There are many ways to say Merry Christmas and just as many ways to celebrate Christmas.
According to the www.villagelife.org Web site, 5,716,425,000 Christians around the world will celebrate Christmas this year.
In different cultures around the world, this huge amount of Christians celebrate Christmas in a variety of ways and in variety of traditions. International students from across campus share their traditional Christmas experience:
Romina Castroman, 25, a senior from Bremen, Germany, originally from Uruguay, majoring in travel and tourism, said she has been privileged to experience a little of both traditions in her home. She said December 24, rather than December 25, is the day Germans and Uruguayans celebrate Christmas. She said both the 25th and 26th are Christmas holidays in Germany. On Dec. 6, Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated in Germany. Children put their shoes outside of their doors for Saint Nicholas to put candy and add gifts inside if they are good and coal if they are bad.
In Uruguay, the Christmas tree is bought just a few days before Christmas and left in the house until the end of January. On December 24, the children receive the smaller presents because January 6, the Day of the Three Wise Men, is when the children receive the larger gifts.
Maurizio LaRocca, 26, a sophomore from Messina, Italy, majoring in geographic information systems, said most families set up the tree on Dec. 8, the day of the immaculate conception. Santa Claus is called the Babbo Natale. LaRocca said the women of the family start cooking days before the feasts begin. On Dec. 24, a big dinner is held for the extended family that lasts for hours. On Dec. 25, families eat a big lunch with 'hours and hours of meals.' He said during the lunch, relatives tell stories until late in the day. They eat traditional cake, exclusively for Christmas which includes Panettone, somewhat like a fruitcake, and Pandoro, a sweet bread.
'We all kiss each other too. I mean, we kiss each other often in Italy throughout the year but even more during Christmas,' LaRocca said.
He said Dec. 26 is the day of Saint Stephen. Christmas in Italy is not like in America where people go back to work the day after Christmas. Instead there is a lot of holiday and time to celebrate. On Jan. 6, the day of the Three Wise Men, a mysterious old lady called the Befana, kind of like another Santa Claus, brings presents to the door at night. Later on that day, they usually take down the tree.
Jared Pan, 25, a senior from Las Vegas, Nev., majoring in electronics engineering technology, went on his mission to Brazil. He said Christmas in Brazil is a lot different because it happens in the middle of summer.
'People dress with a lot less clothing because it's summer and they don't have to be all bundled up. It's great,' Pan said.
He said that Christmas is celebrated even more in Brazil than in the United States because about 80% of the population is Catholic. He said in rural areas, displays are in front of the many Catholic churches. There are also a lot of parades, he said.
David Orsini, 24, a sophomore from Brussels, Belgium, majoring in microbiology, said the Pere Noel (Santa Claus) brings presents on Dec. 24 when there is a big feast. He said at the feast they always eat La Buche de Noel, a Christmas bread that is shaped like a log with cream inside. He said he has heard the idea of a Christmas tree was introduced during World War Two. He said people go back to work on December 26.
Rosalia Rodriguez, 21, a junior from Buenos Aires, Argentina, majoring in psychology, said on Christmas, also called Noel there, everyone proposes a toast to each other called 'brindis.'
She said gifts are opened at midnight of Christmas Eve and then the younger people go dancing until five or six in the morning. Then they all go to have breakfast at a cafe.
On Jan. 6, the day of the Three Wise Men, the children leave their shoes outside the door with a list of wishes and the next day they get presents in the shoe. They also leave cups of water and grass outside the door for the Wise Men's 'camels.' She said in cities close to the beach everyone goes swimming.
'I love Noel,' Rodriguez said.
Becky Wadham, 24, a graduate student from Provo, studying art history, said her father, from New Zealand, has told her about the day after Christmas called Boxing Day when the boss changes places with the employee for a day.
Sergey Surenkov, 20, a junior from Alchevsk, Ukraine, majoring in computer science said Christmas is celebrated on Jan. 7 and is not as big a celebration as in the United States because it is overshadowed by New Year's. He said there is also a tradition on Christmas similar to trick or treating on Halloween.
Juan Amado, 21, a freshman from Guatemala City, Guatemala, with an open major said Christmas Eve in Guatemala is also a bigger deal than Christmas. He said at 6 a.m. of Christmas Eve people send off firecrackers like crazy. At noon, there is another firecracker explosion. This goes on every six hours both on the 24th and 25th.
He said the extended family gets together for a big dinner on Christmas Eve where they eat tamales and drink hot punch, hot cocoa or atole. Everyone stays up until midnight to open gifts, and everyone goes around giving each other hugs and kisses. He said Christmas is almost like a family reunion.