Christmas In Australia
In Commonwealth countries in the southern hemisphere, Christmas is celebrated on 25 December which falls during the height of the summer season there. The Australian traditions are quite similar to those of North America and Britain, and similar wintry iconography is commonplace. This results in such incongruities as a red fur-coated Father Christmas riding a sleigh, carols such as Jingle Bells, and various snow covered Christmas scenes on Christmas cards and decorations appearing in the middle of a hot summer.
As Christmas falls in summer, the watching of television is not a strong part of Australian Christmas traditions, unlike the UK where it is one of the most important television ratings days. In Australia over summer official television ratings are not taken and schedules are mostly filled with repeats of old programs or previously cancelled shows. Some Australia-produced programs have a Christmas special though often it will be shown early December and not on Christmas day itself.
According to tradition, children are told Father Christmas surreptitiously visits houses on Christmas Eve placing presents for children under the Christmas trees and putting sweets in stockings which are usually hung by a fireplace. In recent decades most homes and apartments do not have traditional combustion fireplaces, but, with some innovation, the tradition persists.
A Christmas tradition that started in Melbourne in 1938 and has since spread around the world is Carols by Candlelight, where people gather, usually outdoors, to sing carols by candlelight on Christmas Eve or other evening shortly before Christmas.
Traditionally, extended families would gather for a Christmas lunch similar to a traditional English Christmas meal including roast turkey, roast vegetables, hams, followed by mince pies and plum pudding. More recently, as appropriate to the typically-hot weather on the day, meals featuring fish and seafood are another meal, along with barbecue lunches.
Special events for international tourists away from their families are held on Bondi Beach in Sydney, often involving a turkey barbecue, and such humorous stunts as "Santa" surfing in to appear to the crowd.
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