Christmas takes on various forms in different countries, as each country has their own traditions reflecting the culture of the region. This diversity in celebration is reflected in how international students at Mater Dei commemorate the occasion. Hop on your sleigh, open your minds, and we’ll take you through Christmas traditions around the globe.

PERU

Christmas takes on various forms in different countries, as each country has their own traditions reflecting the culture of the region. This diversity in celebration is reflected in how international students at Mater Dei commemorate the occasion. Hop on your sleigh, open your minds, and we’ll take you through Christmas traditions around the globe.

SPAIN

Dia de la Inmaculada (Day of the Immaculate Conception) is the first sign of the arrival of Christmas in Spain on Dec. 8th. According to Veebrant, the liveliness of Christmas in Spain come from Holy Innoncent’s Day, version of April Fools Day, where people would play pranks and jokes on each other.
“On Christmas, I would meet my family. So we have two different sides in my family. So what we would do is go to one of my family side for Christmas eve. And then for Christmas, I go to spend a day with the other side,” sophomore Javier Paredero Del Bosque Moreno said.

VIETNAM

Despite the dominant religion being Buddhism, Christmas is still a big holiday in Vietnam. According to whychristmas.com, during the week of Christmas, the centre city is filled with luminous and colorful street lights from hotels and department stores. On Christmas Day, the streets are crowded with people stopping to take photos, mesmerized by the Christmas decorations.

“[In] my country [we] decorated the neighborhood and the house, and we usually go eat,” Junior Khoa Tran said.

CHINA

Since the majority of Chinese people are not Christians, Christmas is not a well-known public holiday in China. However, Christmas acts as a commercial event as well as a friendly meet-up occasion with family and friends, Apple Giving is a popular tradition during Christmas Eve.
“We don’t have that much of celebrations compared to America. But it’s a good time to go shopping, and would also give apples to friends, teachers, and families,” junior Lind Hee, a Chinese international student, said.

POLAND

Poland begins their Christmas season on Advent. Since Poland is rich in the Catholic religion, their traditional dinner consists of 12 dishes, symbolized for the 12 apostles, and brings good luck for the upcoming 12 months in the new year. These dishes are served without meat with the exception for fish, according to Trip Savvy website.
“We don’t start dinner until we see the first star in the sky. So usually kids wait just like what I used to do, look at the sky to the window and be like “Oh my gosh mom, I see a star!”” junior Kornelia, a Polish student, said.

UNITED STATES

Here at Mater Dei the Christmas season is kicked off by our annual Madrigal Feast performance that is put on by choir and held at Chapman University. Read more about this annual event here!