After spending Chinese New Year, I said “Goodbye” to my family and left for Australia. Now I have stayed in Brisbane for about three weeks. Everything here is interesting, exciting and surprising to me. People here are all friendly and enthusiastic. On the first weekend, Jane, David, Long and I watched a parade because on that Saturday it was St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. We felt the exciting atmosphere of celebrating their own festivals. There are many festivals in Australia. Christmas in western countries is as important as Chinese New Year in China. I also know that with opposite seasons to the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas in Australia is quite different from that in other Western countries. Instead of white, snowy scenery, Australia is filled with blue skies and sunshine and intense heat sometimes up to 35 degrees. I like Christmas in China because I have a certain excuse to go shopping, chat in a bar and have a party till midnight with my family and good friends. So I would like to know more about how Australians celebrate Christmas. In order to do it, I prepared some questions for this report and I interviewed 3 Brisbane people.   

1. Do you know the story of Father Christmas?

2. Do you eat special food? What food do you eat?

3. How do people decorate homes?

4. How do you spend Christmas?

5. Does Christmas still have a religious meaning to you?

Father Christmas

Children all like Father Christmas because they can receive gifts. Some elder children may know the story of Father Christmas. The elder daughter in my homestay told me that Father Christmas is an old man with long white beard, red coat and bag of toys. Children are taught that he brings them presents the night before Christmas and my homestay mum said many children up to the age of 7 or 8 really believe this is true. He comes into houses down the chimney at midnight and puts gifts for the children in socks or bags by their beds or in front of the family Christmas tree. In shops or at children's parties, someone will dress up as Father Christmas and give small presents to children. So in my homestay, Mum is her children’s Father Christmas. After her children have fallen asleep, she puts their favourite toys and story books into their socks. When they wake up next morning, they are very happy and excited.

Christmas food

A lady at the bus stop told me that because it is summer at Christmas, they eat cold meat, salads, seafood and some fruit like mangoes, watermelons, plums, cherries and peaches. They have the main meal at lunch time. She said she always has Christmas lunch with her family members together on the beach. My homestay has picnics or barbecues in parks because her four children can play in the park. A typical Christmas menu includes seafood, glazed ham, cold chicken, turkey, pasta, desserts, fruit salad, ice-cream plus Christmas mince pies, fruit cake and chocolates. It is a time for Australians to be with friends and relatives to share food, love and friendship, and to enjoy and relax themselves.

Decorating homes

A student in QUT said that Australian shops and homes are decorated with tinsel and bright Christmas decorations. City squares and other public places like Shopping Centres have many decorations and giant living Christmas trees. The children in my homestay help to decorate the family Christmas tree with many small things such bells, balls and colourful lights. Christmas stockings are  hung in their home.  They also decorate the exterior of her home with special lights and displays to share Christmas with her neighbours. I can imagine that the whole city is full of Christmas happiness because of the decorations.

Spending Christmas

According to what people said, Australians enjoy Carols by Candlelight on Christmas Eve. Many people who are religious attend church services both on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day and celebrate the religious aspect of Christmas and the Birth of Jesus. The QUT student told me Christmas is special to the majority of Australians for it is their Summer Holiday season and students are sitting for end of semester tests or exams and waiting for their results, as well as getting ready for the summer holidays. For them it means an end to homework and school studies and the beginning of lots of time for fun. Many families spend their Christmas Day away from home - in a caravan or flat at the beach, in a tent in the bush or going overseas for their holiday. My homestay sometimes goes camping with their good other family members.

Christmas meaning

Approximately 70% of Australians are either Catholic, Anglican or Lutheran. They consider Christmas a time for remembering the true meaning of Christmas, a time for remembering the birth of Jesus and the spiritual meaning of Christmas. But for many people who have no religion, just like my homestay Mum, they consider it a time for getting together with families, relatives and friends, a time for relaxing themselves, or just for spending a holiday.

Christmas in Australia is almost the same as Chinese New Year except for the  religious meaning. Chinese people celebrate New Year by having a big dinner with family members on the Eve of New Year and visiting relatives and friends on the first day of New Year. Children all like it because they can get red packets, set off fireworks and have fun. Of course now, more and more people travel to other cities, even foreign countries for New Year. In my opinion, wherever we are, we all feel the harmony and peace but also the happy and exciting atmosphere of celebrating different festivals.