Australian Christmas TraditionsFood: After a hearty afternoon feast, supper may be a picnic in the countryside or at the beach. Decorations: Christmas bell and the Christmas bush. The world's largest carol-singing festival, Carols by Candlelight takes place in Melbourne each year. It began in 1907, when the city organized large-scale community singing, a practice which soon spread to other cities, eventually broadcast around the world. The name of the festival comes from a line of the first Australian carol, The Melbourne Carol, written in 1913 by Norman Banks. More than a quarter of a million people sing by candlelight, and join hands at midnight for "Auld Lang Syne." Special candles are sold, the profits going to charity. The tradition of mass caroling came to South Australia with Cornish miners in in the 1800's, who on Christmas Eve sang Wesleyan carols by the light of their miner's lamps. Australian Christmas Links Afrikaander Kersfees TraditionsSome Christmas words in Afrikaans: Christmas-tree (kersboom), Christmas (Kersfees, Kersmis), Christmas feast (Kersfees), Father Christmas (Kersvader) Syrian ? TraditionsSanta: there is no Santa, instead a camel comes to deliver gifts. Greetings: Food: Legends: Miscellaneous: Miscellaneous TraditionsPhillipines - a band leads a parade after Christmas mass, followed by children wearing wreaths made of tropical flowers Ethiopia - In Addis Ababa (the capital city) church bells ring in Christmas at four in the morning. Later that day, kids dress up and go to the Royal Palace to receive presents from the Emperor. The North Pole - For these hard-working inhabitants, Christmas day is vacation to rest up for next year. Some Christmas words in Esperanto: Christmas, Christmas feast (Kristnaska (Festo)), Father Christmas (Kristnaska Viro, Patro Kristnasko), Christmas/Yule (Kristnasko), Christmas-tree (kristnaskarbo),
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