| Christmas season celebrations in Australia | | | | Carols by Candlelight events today range from huge |
| | | | gatherings, which are televised live throughout the |
| Violet Teague (1872-1951), Adoration of Shepherds, | | | | country, to smaller local community and church |
| 1931, oil on canvas. Photograph by Colin Holden. | | | | events. Sydney's Carols in the Domain has become a |
| Image courtesy of Anglican Church of Australia | | | | popular platform for the stars of stage and music. |
| Archive. | | | | Some uniquely Australian Christmas carols have |
| Christmas is celebrated in many parts of the world | | | | become popular and are included alongside the more |
| on 25 December. Protestant and Roman Catholic | | | | traditional carols sung at carol services and at |
| churches hold Christmas Day services on 25 | | | | Christmas church services: John Wheeler's The Three |
| December. The Eastern churches - the Ethiopian | | | | Drovers is perhaps the best known of these. |
| Orthodox church, Russian Orthodox church and the | | | | Many light-hearted Australian Christmas songs have |
| Armenian church - celebrate Christmas on 6 or 7 | | | | become an essential part of the Australian Christmas |
| January. There have been rituals, parties and | | | | experience. These include Rolf Harris's Six White |
| celebrations at this time of year for thousands of | | | | Boomers, Colin Buchanan's Aussie Jingle Bells and the |
| years. The birth of Jesus | | | | Australian Twelve Days of Christmas. Christmas |
| Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus | | | | plants |
| Christ. Christians believe that Jesus is 'the son of | | | | Denise Greig, Blandfordia nobilis - Christmas bells. |
| God', the Messiah sent from Heaven to save the | | | | Image courtesy of Australian National Botanic |
| world. | | | | Gardens: A6952. |
| The 'Christmas story' tells of the birth of Jesus in a | | | | There are many native Australian plants in flower |
| stable in Bethlehem, the angels announcing the birth | | | | over the Christmas season. A number of these have |
| to the shepherds in the fields, and the Magi (wise | | | | become known as 'Christmas plants' in various parts |
| men from the East) visiting the stable and offering | | | | of the country, including Christmas bells, Christmas |
| gifts to the newborn child. The origins of Christmas | | | | bush and the Christmas orchid. |
| A Roman almanac confirms that 25 December was | | | | When Europeans first arrived in Australia they were |
| used to celebrate Christmas in 336 AD, although it | | | | delighted that they could pick wildflowers resembling |
| was nearly 600 years later that the churches created | | | | bells and bright green foliage covered in red or white |
| a liturgy - a service for public worship - for the | | | | flowers to use as Christmas decorations. This was a |
| occasion. | | | | huge contrast to the bare trees and dormant |
| The choice of date is believed to have been | | | | gardens they had left behind in Europe. Food |
| influenced by the northern hemisphere winter solstice, | | | | Christmas in Australia comes at the beginning of |
| as well as ancient pagan rituals that coincided with | | | | summer and many people no longer serve a |
| the solstice. These rituals included the Halcyon Days in | | | | traditional hot roast dinner. Cold turkey and ham, |
| Greece, a period of calm and goodwill when it was | | | | seafood and salads are often served instead. It has |
| believed the sea was calm for birds to lay their eggs; | | | | even become acceptable to serve the traditional |
| and the Roman celebration of Saturnalia, a celebration | | | | Christmas plum pudding with cold custard, ice cream |
| of the god Saturn, which involved wild parties, the | | | | or cream. Pavlova, a meringue base topped with |
| exchange of gifts and the temporary suspension of | | | | whipped cream and fresh fruit, and various versions |
| social divisions between slaves and masters. | | | | of the festive ice-cream pudding have also become |
| Christmas traditions and symbols | | | | popular Christmas desserts. |
| A photo of Santa arriving at the beach by boat. | | | | The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research |
| Image courtesy of the National Archives of Australia: | | | | Organisation (CSIRO) and the Coles company are |
| A1500, K26950. | | | | engaged in a project to cultivate native foods. They |
| Christmas trees are part of a long tradition of | | | | are working with Mandawuy Yunupingu (of the band |
| greenery being taken into the home at Christmas to | | | | Yothu Yindi) and Aboriginal communities to grow |
| brighten the dreary winter. Mistletoe was popular with | | | | sufficient quantities for sale in supermarkets across |
| Druid priests because it remained green throughout | | | | Australia. The aim is to offer all Australians a Bush |
| winter. Holly placed over the doorway was believed | | | | Tucker Christmas. Film and television |
| to drive away evil. Placing branches from trees in the | | | | Cover of Wombat Divine by Mem Fox. Image |
| home was first recorded in 1494, and by the | | | | courtesy of Mem Fox. |
| beginning of the 1600s there are records of fir trees | | | | The films Bush Christmas (1947) starring Chips |
| being decorated with apples. | | | | Rafferty and the remake Prince and the Great Race |
| The story of Santa Claus has its origins in the | | | | in 1983 (with Nicole Kidman), and Miracle Down Under |
| legends surrounding the humble generosity of Saint | | | | starring John Waters (telecast as Bushfire Moon) are |
| Nicholas, whose feast day is celebrated on 6th | | | | insights into the early Australian Christmas culture. |
| December. Saint Nicholas was a 4th century Christian | | | | Many television series have used Christmas episodes |
| Bishop from Myra (in modern-day Turkey) who | | | | to explore the changing culture of Christmas in |
| became the Patron Saint of Children. In Germany and | | | | Australia. Children's stories |
| Poland, boys dressed up as bishops begging alms for | | | | Australian children grow up enjoying traditional |
| the poor. Later, the Christ child 'Christkindlein' was said | | | | Christmas stories such as Clement Clarke Moore's |
| to have accompanied Nicholas-like figures on their | | | | 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and Charles |
| travels. The 1822 poem 'Twas the Night before | | | | Dickens' A Christmas Carol, but children's authors and |
| Christmas forged the link and Saint Nicholas (Father | | | | illustrators are beginning to create truly Australian |
| Christmas, Pere Noel, Christ Kind, Kriss Kringle or | | | | children's Christmas literature. One favourite is |
| Sinter Klass) became known as Santa Claus. | | | | Wombat Divine by Mem Fox, while a more recent |
| Christmas in the southern hemisphere | | | | addition is Aussie Night Before Christmas by Yvonne |
| The heat of early summer in Australia has an impact | | | | Morrison. Major sporting events |
| on the way that Australians celebrate Christmas and | | | | The Christmas break is an opportunity for sports |
| on which northern hemisphere Christmas traditions | | | | fans to enjoy two major sporting events. The 26 |
| are followed. | | | | December is the opening day of the 'Boxing Day |
| In the weeks leading up to Christmas houses are | | | | Test' between the Australian Cricket Team and an |
| decorated; greetings cards sent out; carols sung; | | | | international touring side at the Melbourne Cricket |
| Christmas trees installed in homes, schools and public | | | | Ground. This has been well attended since the first |
| places; and children delight in anticipating a visit from | | | | match in 1950, and watched by many others on |
| Santa Claus. On Christmas Day family and friends | | | | television. In Sydney one of the world's most |
| gather to exchange gifts and enjoy special Christmas | | | | prestigious ocean races, the Sydney to Hobart Yacht |
| food. | | | | Race, starts on Boxing Day from Sydney Harbour. |
| Many Australians spend Christmas out of doors, going | | | | Indigenous Australians |
| to the beach for the day, or heading to camping | | | | A. Shnukal, Celebrating the Coming of the Light at |
| grounds for a longer break over the Christmas | | | | Kemus on the anniversary of the arrival of the |
| holiday period. It has become traditional for | | | | London Missionary Society on 1 July 1871. Darnley |
| international visitors who are in Sydney at Christmas | | | | Island, Torres Strait. Image courtesy of Aboriginal |
| time to go to Bondi Beach where up to 40,000 | | | | and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, University of |
| people visit on Christmas Day. Carols and music | | | | Queensland. |
| Christmas tree in Martin Place, Sydney 2005. File | | | | Indigenous Dreamtime stories obviously do not |
| photograph. Copyright Commonwealth of Australia. | | | | include Christmas. However, this date in the calendar |
| The tradition of an Australian Christmas Eve carol | | | | coincides with other seasonal changes. In Arnhem |
| service lit by candles was started in 1937 by radio | | | | Land, Northern Territory, Yolngu Aboriginal people will |
| announcer Norman Banks. This outdoor service has | | | | observe the last season of their six-season cycle. |
| now been held in Melbourne every year since then. | | | | Gudjewg, the wet season, begins in late December. |