CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR´S EVE ALL AROUND THE WORLD

Christmas is celebrated all around the world.There are different celebrations in Europe,Australia and the USA, but they all symbolise the birth of Jesus Christ.

In most East European countries Saint Nicholas Day is an important day.On the night of 5 December children wear angel and devil costumes, go from house to house singing carols and receive present. In some countries Saint  Nicholas visits children on the morning of 6 December. The German Christmas tree has become a universal motif of European Christmas traditions. Christmas dinner differs from country to country, e.g.in Germany it consists of fish, warm dishes, cold meats, cheese and biscuits. In the USA Christmas celebrations are very different in individual regions.A Christmas tree is often topped by  a star representing the Star of Bethlehem. Many families  use lighting to decorate their homes and yards. Traditional American  Christmas dinner includes turkey with vegetables  and succes, goose, duck or ham served with cranberry sauce and rich fruity Christmas pudding.Christmas in Australia is different, becuse in December it is summer there. Many families spend Christmas on the beach. Australians decorate their homes with flowers and other plants. Traditional Christmas meal are hams, turkey and plum pudding which are often serverd cold. In Europe there is a custom of making noise to welcome the New Year and scare off the bad spirits. People blow trumets,horns and whistles, and bonfires and fireworks  can be seen all around. There are  live concerts and shows. In the USA people sometimes have masquerade, balls, where they wear costumes, cover their faces with  masks and at midnight they unmask. New Year´s Eve celebrations in Australia  include outdoor activities like picnics, campin, surfing or various parties. The main attraction of an Australian New Year is its amazing fireworks. The New Year´s celebration  in Sydney is the second  largest in the world. More than 80 000 fireworks light the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which can be seen from distance of 16 kilometres around Sydney.