It was hard for me at the beginning to imagine Santa Claus working under the scorching sun, but I got used to it.
In Australia, people flock to the beaches, to enjoy the sun, the sea and to practice water sports during the Christmas break.
The day itself is experienced differently than in Europe: here it is not unusual to spend the whole day on the beach, wishing each other a Merry Christmas with a nice dip in the ocean to cool off a bit or with a barbecue or a picnic in the park! In addition to the climate, there are other elements that make Christmas in Australia different from the European one.
Christmas traditions in Australia.
Despite the weather, Christmas is a very heartfelt holiday in Australia too and, throughout the Christmas period, there are numerous events organized to celebrate it at its best and traditions that are still respected today. In the weeks before Christmas, citizens gather in a local place, each bringing their own candle and singing together the most popular Christmas songs, generally led by a choir or orchestra. The most important events are broadcast on TV and it is traditional to gather in front of the TV and watch them on Christmas Eve.
After the carols, all that remains is to wait for the arrival of Santa Claus who, of course, adapts to the Australian climate and context. The Australian Santa Claus is always in swimsuit, at the beach and under a beach umbrella and is not accompanied by his trusty reindeer: as the song Six White Boomers tells, in Australia, given the high temperatures, the sleigh is pulled by six white kangaroos.
When you wonder how Christmas is celebrated in Australia, you can't help but think of Bondi Beach, one of the most famous beaches here in the Sydney area and a true Christmas gathering place. Every year Bondi Beach, like many other beaches on the Australian coast, is filled with visitors from all over the world. Those who are away from home during the holidays - the so-called “Christmas orphans” - gather on the beach to celebrate together. The official holiday uniform thus becomes the swimsuit, to be combined with a red hat, to take some photos together with old and new friends.
On the beach, Christmas lunch includes a Christmas Day BBQ of fish or meat. One of the area's specialties is a sausage sandwich with kangaroo meat.
If you're not a beach person, it's also very common to organize picnics in the park or Christmas parties in the pool or in the garden. The essential elements, in this case, are turkey and Christmas Pudding. This is the traditional Australian Christmas dessert, which often hides a coin or a small jewel inside: whoever finds it is said to have good luck all year.
On Christmas Eve, children hang the stocking but instead of the classic glass of milk, a bottle of cold beer and the typical Australian Anzac biscuits or a slice of cake are left for Santa Claus. Isn’t that fun? Happy holidays!
For decorations and ornaments such as the classic garland to be hung strictly outside the front door, the Christmas Bush is used, a native Australian plant that produces flowers in the shape of red berries similar to those of holly. Following the British tradition, here too, greeting cards are sent to friends and acquaintances, even if it is undoubtedly a custom respected more by the elderly than by the young. These include actual letters in which families summarize the year just gone by, a beautiful tradition in my opinion.
On Christmas Day, people who live in the Outback exchange Christmas greetings through the radio network and everyone exchanges Christmas crackers during Christmas lunch. Of British tradition, the Christmas crackers that are used today are short cardboard tubes wrapped in colored paper: when these are pulled – with a bang! – inside there is usually a colored paper crown (to symbolize the crowns worn by the Three Wise Men), a toy or a gift, and a Christmas joke that is usually not so funny.
