Christmas Day
Christmas Day
Christmas Day, the holiday on December 25 associated with snow and hot drinks, in Australia and New Zealand actually falls in the summer. For schools and most employees, it is part of the summer vacation period; the celebration of Christmas there might be exotic for the Northern Anglophones, such as Ireland or Canada.
The Land Down Under enjoys a December festivity that mixes British and American imagery (winter and conifers) with the native nature and climate. That is why most Australians and New Zealanders, instead of spending Christmas at home watching special programs on TV, head to the beach or organize outdoor barbecues. It is a world upside down, though taking advantage of many old European and American traditions.
The date and some features of Christmas can be traced back to the pagan festivals, particularly the Roman Natalis Invicti worshipping the Sun and winter solstice. It used to fall around December 25, similarly to Christmas Day nowadays; it is not deciphered whether it was Christians that adopted the pagan date or if it was the other way around. Regardless, official Christmas celebrations have begun in Rome in 336 A.D. It took more than a millennium for the holiday to become widely accepted and proclaimed. Christmas was banned by Puritans in England in 1647, only to be restored by Anglicans 13 years later. It was not until the 19th century that both British and American writers began to praise the holiday and build its positive image in the world. Christmas had already been known in Australia and New Zealand by then, since Governor Philips introduced the celebration to people in the former country in 1788. Soon after, the citizens of the Land Down Under would hold annual Christmas festivities, using traditions developed on the Old Continent and in the New World. It was in the late 20th century that Australia and New Zealand started to transform the holiday.
The traditions that the culture of Oceania borrowed from America and Europe are: the image and legend of Santa, Christmas cards, special dishes, Christmas decoration, carols and the natural iconography. All of these, however, are nowadays displayed in Australia and New Zealand with a twist. Santa Claus in the former country is presented wearing Akubra hat and sandals called thongs, sitting in a ute drawn by six white kangaroos; in the latter country, where he is called Father Christmas, he wears the traditional New Zealand jandals (Japanese sandals) and a rugby shirt.
There are annual Santa parades, the most prominent one organized in Auckland, where decorated floats, marching girls and bands go down Queen Street. Christmas cards and decorations feature elements of Australian and New Zealand fauna and flora, such as kangaroos, bilbies, koalas, Christmas bush and bell, Waratah flowers, Pōhutukawa (“the Christmas tree” in New Zealand), and more. When it comes to carols, they are mainly old British Christmas songs, yet instead of the usual snow-and-cold associations, there are inserted words connected with the summertime and respective countries. Moreover, predominantly British food comprising of turkey with cranberries, roast vegetables, pudding and other warm dishes, is continually being replaced by a hot-weather cuisine. Australians and New Zealanders nowadays enjoy seafood, fresh kiwi fruit, salads, pavlova desserts and meringues. As these alterations to the old tradition have appeared relatively recently, there are hopefully more customs and special Christmas events to come.
Christmas Day is a public holiday in both Australia and New Zealand; most employees in these two countries have the day off. In addition, in New Zealand, TV and radio advertisements are banned on that day. December 25 is a special occasion even in the Land Down Under, where everything seems completely different. Although the weather is reversed, many traditions are only slightly changed. The spirit of Christmas is there, within the barbecues and summer parades, though it is considerably altered.