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As Australia was settled by the British, Christmas customs are the descendants of the traditional British Christmas. Christmas in Australia is a bit surealistic because of the summer henisphere season reveral. Thus traditional snowy Christmas scenes make absolutely no sence to Australians who in December face a summer heat wave. As the weather is warm and snow never falls, there are no sleigh rides, or Yule logs, or any other comforts against the cold. The main articles of decoration are the Christmas bell and the Christmas bush. After a hearty afternoon feast, supper may be a picnic in the countryside or at the beach. One tradition that is purely Australian began in 1937 by a radio announcer, Norman Banks who saw a lonely old woman listening to Christmas carols on the radio while a lone candle burned forlornly in her window. The following Christmas Eve he broadcast a great carol sing by all who want to join in , from the Alexandra Gardens along the banks of Melbourne's main river. "Carols by Candlelight" became a joyous annual event and was eventually broadcast in many other countries around the world. Each year, more than a quarter of a million people gather to sing carols and join hands at midnight for 'Auld Lang Syne'. It is a great showing of community and Christmas spirit that is almost unequaled anywhere else in the world.
As Australia was settled by the British, Christmas customs are the descendants of the traditional British Christmas. Boxing day, for example, is an important part of the Christams celebration. Unknown in America, it is a very English part of Christmas.
Christmas in Australia is a bit surealistic because of the summer henisphere season reveral. Thus traditional snowy Christmas scenes make absolutely no sence to Australians who in December face a summer heat wave. As the weather is warm and snow never falls, there are no sleigh rides, or Yule logs, or any other comforts against the cold.
The main articles of decoration are the Christmas bell and the Christmas bush. The shortage of trees required that the Victorain Chrostmas tree be replaced by a bush. After a hearty afternoon feast, supper may be a picnic in the countryside or at the beach.
One tradition that is purely Australian began in 1937 by a radio announcer, Norman Banks who saw a lonely old woman listening to Christmas carols on the radio while a lone candle burned forlornly in her window. The following Christmas Eve he
broadcast a great carol sing by all who want to join in , from the Alexandra Gardens along the banks of Melbourne's main river. "Carols by Candlelight" became a
joyous annual event and was eventually broadcast in many other countries around the world. Each year, more than a quarter of a million people gather to sing carols
and join hands at midnight for "Auld Lang Syne." It is a great showing of community and Christmas spirit that is almost unequaled anywhere else in the world. A reader tells us, "I have been to carols by candal light and it is one of my favourite moments of the whole year."
An Australian reader tells us, "Our annual city Christmas Pageant is on in November and is a lot like your American razzamattazz parades with clowns, bands, themed, costumes, childrens theme section, and many many floats like in the cult film 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' with Matthew Broderick. I love our big pageant because to me it is a little slice of Americana at its best. The adults really love seeing the absoluteness of pure wonder and innocence on the faces of the little children on their laps on chairs and standing on the roadside with smiles a mile long. Our lovely parade has been around since 1933 and I think it is the oldest christmas parade in the world. It was founded by big general merchant store 'John Martin's' of Adelaide' south Australia which sadly is no longer existing or operating in any form or other." Another reader ewports, "I was in four Port Pirie
Christmas pageants: two as a Bakerboy aged 8 and 9 and two as an adult aged 21/22 as a cowboy and Dr Who in Whyalla. The Christmas pagent is held in November to signals the coming of Christmas and initially concerived as a marketing strategy to get the shopping going, rather like the Macey's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York, beautifully recorded in Miracle on 34 Street".
Another Australian raeder reports, "We have Christmas trees too and we exchange gifts and we acknowlege snow and the cold because we sing the same carols that you guys sing. The American Christmas CD's sell pretty good as well because I buy 2 or 3 every year but not the really good ones like Rosey ODonnell some fine country christmas albums from Nashville but I have a really nice and special cd by Billy Gilman called Classic Christmas and I had to send away to Sony to get it and 'Warm And Fuzzy' is my current favourite carol and I am trying to get Rosey's 2 compilations hopefully. We watch American Christmas movies and we really do have puddings, turkey, chicken, alcahol, trinkets, party poppers [HBC note: more English than American], bonbons and all other American style feastings. We are quite like you Americans really."
An Australian inovation is the Christmas bbq's, but it is prawns (a red shellfish). There certinly are few American bbq's around Chrismas. Too cold for that of course. Australians also commonly go to the beach, but usually on Boxing Day and we watch Test Cricket too and pigout too.
A Catholic reader tells us, "I grew up calling Santa Claus, Father Christmas but I also knew he had both names as well as Saint Nick. As a boy, however, he was known affectionately as Father Christmas in our home."
HBC readers from Australia have provided some of their Christmas memories:
As a boy we had Christmas with a big family gathering at my dad's parents (my grandparents) and everyone bought food along and a great turkey dinner was enjoyed by everyone present from the children, aunts, uncles, mums, and dads to the grand parents too. It might have been hot outside but we still manage to have a ball and we have puddings with whiskey custard and we used to try and find a silver coin in our slice of pudding and if one did then you got a little present or 50 cents in small change. We boys under 15 always wore shorts style fashions and I was often given white shorts with white kneesocks tp dress up a bit. I remember one Christmas eve when I had just turned 10. We had icecream cake, sweets, wine, soft drinks, toffees, eggnog, cakes, and chicken buffet
with hams with cold serves of meats, salads, and relish and pickles and chutney too. I like chutney and cherry and cranberry sauce with turkey or chicken, duck, goose, or pidgeon and quail. I miss those special times because our big family has now fragmented and no cousins
enjoy a big collective Christmas anymore which is so sad these days. We have carols by candle light at Elder Park which is a stones throw from River Torrens and beautiful old Adelaide Oval and the grand cathedral (Saint Peter's Cathedral) a great Anglican church . Last years carols were very very chilly for a change and I froze too but it was really a wonderful night too. We have Christmas pageants, parties, and Christmas trees with the traditional trimmings.
I wore a white sailorsuit made by my aunty and with white shorts and kneesocks. It was trimmed with three blue hoop stripes on the cuffs and collar. It had a dark blue dickey and a proper sailor cap which was white with blue writing which read in capital letters 'SAILOR BOY'. I remember wearing it at a Christmas parade at our little school.
Here is a complete and funny story of my special Christmas from the year 1970 when I was only 9 coming on 10 years old and christmas was still very magical and exciting. November was the John Martin's Christmas Pageant and this little 9 year old was quite excited at
watching the wonderful parade on television, but in black and white because colour did not come till 1975 in Australia. I loved the many costumes, clowns, fairytale charactors, the Scottish pipebands and other bands too. I also liked their uniforms and the fabulous music and then Father Christmas or Santa Claus was spotted. This light browned haired boy broke into a big dimpled smile and ran around the room shouting that Father Christmas was here and mum or Nanna would give me a huge hug, but Aunty would pinch my dimples and say I was cute and I would turn my left or right legs into a sweeping circular motion and just plain blush. Then we waited a couple of weeks and then The local Christmas Pageant was officially on and I was put in all white cotton shorts, "T" shirt, long white kneesocks, white
tennis shoes, and a bakers boys hat along with my younger brother, but I was the lead boy. I got another haircut because the weak as water excuse was that the hat was too small to fit a bushy head of hair, but this time and the follwing year I did not mind. My brother
was rather grim faced about it and actually kicked the barber in the shins, but he still got the snip and had to answer to dad whennhe got home. I think the local newspaper took a photograph of me as a Bakers Boy. I loved all the attention of going in the parade and it is an a lovely memory for me. After the parade I got some cream buns and some sodapop and a fruit mince pie and some cold turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce. It was my fist taste of cranberry sauce and my Nanna made sure for now on that the sauce would be added to
the menu. Mr Reischeim was really great to me because I had been descent about being a Bakers Boy and I just said thank you Mr R and he patted me on the head and told me to come back next year. I said, "You bet I will!" One year the float was a Gingerbread Man and The
following year a Golliwog and I got to taste gingerbread men, shortbread cookies, plus some German pastries, cakes, and sticky fruit buns which I still love today. I was invited the third time to be a little Austrian Boy on a themed float from The Sound Of Music and I wore black lederhosen. I was with a group of simular dressed children and no photo exists as far as I know. I loved it, but this was the last time I was involved till I turned 21. The weeks leading up to Christmas were my personal favourite times of the year because I was a happy little chappy and soaked up the atmosphere and got to meet fellow relations that visited--some I did not even know about. I made Christmas cards at primary school, sang carols in my cathedral, and was alterboy at midnight mass. It was my fist official duty as a first ever alterboy. OK, I baulked at the sight of wearing a long frock like robes, but once in them I became a boy angel and got my dimples pinched by some other
boy's mum and hence by the start of the service I had red rosy cheeks and looked very English. My Nanna took a photo of me but I AM YET TO SEE IT. Christmas morning was absolutely a splendered time for me. I wore my blue short pants blue and white pin stripe shirt with a blue bowtie and white ankle socks. We were all scrubbed up in the bath and once dried and readdy we were dolled up and plonked in to the car and off to grandfather's and nanna's house for a big feast of traditional fair with party poppers, pudding with whiskey custard, eggnog (I love eggnog). lollies, crisps (potato chips, sodapop, gingerbread, cakes, turkey, chicken, cold meat serves with lots of relish (horseradish, chutney, cranberry or apple sauce), duck and pork and lots of other yummy things that little 10 years olds love to eat. I opened my presents. One was a United Airlines Airplane made of tin and silver in colour with lots of flashing lights and plastic captains and people inside the plane, airplane shortie PJs, and a cardboard book with pull out houses or buildings which you put together like a puzzle but in 3 D, and a cowboy suit with two pistols. The plane was my best present ever and my aunty got it for me. I think that Christmas was something special for me.
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