Many countries in Africa have been influence by Western countries during colonization. Therefore, they have adopted bits and pieces about those cultures and mixed then with their own culture. Fox Rent A Car Christmas Around the World is now taking you to the Republic of Congo to discover how Christmas is celebrated there, introduces you to the Christmas traditions in Congo and how families spend the Holidays in this Central African country.

Christmas in Congo: Traditions

A play of the Native Scene takes place during the service of Christmas Eve. The most important tradition that depicts Christmas in Congo happens during the mass of Christmas day, in the morning: every person attending the Christmas service comes with a gift for Jesus, an offering, which is left for him by the altar.Another important tradition in Congo is that people always wear they most beautiful clothe for the service and the Christmas celebration.

Christmas in Congo: Decorations

Christmas decorations are put on mango tress and in the front of shops. Flowers are an essential part of the decorations.

Christmas in Congo: Food

Different than how a lot of other cultures celebrate Christmas, families in Congo celebrate Christmas not only with family members but with intimate friends as well. After the Christmas mass, a table is brought out in front of the house and families have dinner. The dinner consists of baked chicken or turkey, served with rice and a tomato sauce. Some vegetables sometime accompany the meat, such as cassava (similar to potatoes). Exotic fruits (papaya, mango) replace our sugary treats, as it is too warm to bake cookies and candies are pretty rare.

Christmas in Congo: Songs

A group of people is designated every year to organize the Christmas choir. They walk through the village in the morning of Christmas day and sing Christmas carols. Singing is also very important during the mass on Christmas Eve. Up to 6 choirs sing during this mass. After dinner singing and dancing is an important part of the celebration in the families as well.

Christmas in Congo: Presents

In Congo, presents are exchanged after the dinner on Christmas Eve. Congonlese families usually exchange clothes, small toys and food as gifts. A lot of families cannot afford presents, so the most important present is to be able to celebrate with families and friends and share food together.

Christmas in Congo is one of the most important celebrations, and is much more religious than commercial. Not every family can afford to have an exclusive dinner for Christmas but it is still for every one the most important celebration of the year.

A Christmas Around the World Series wouldn’t be Christmas around the globe without including New Zealand. So this time, Fox Rent A Car takes without the long flight to the other side of the Pacific Ocean to discover how New Zealand celebrates Christmas.

Christmas in New Zealand: Traditions

The Christmas traditions in New Zealand are influenced by the UK traditions. Christmas Father is now referred as Santa Claus. The Maori culture shows in the helpers of Santa Claus: they are creatures and spirits, which represents the equivalent of the elves we have in the US. For the religious New Zealanders, there is a special service on Christmas Eve to celebrate Jesus’ birth. It is a tradition to send warm Christmas wishes to far away friends and family members. Though summer is the Christmas season, the cars depict winter scenes.
As a country part of the Commonwealth, New Zealand celebrate Christmas over 3 days: the 24th is Christmas eve, with the mass in church; the 25th is Christmas day that is celebrated with the family and extended family for lunch and exchange of presents; and the 26th is Boxing day, a day spend with family and friends to share food and friendship, but also to donate time and help to the ones that are in need.
Christmas is even celebrated twice a year in New Zealand. It is common in July to find hotels and stores decorated for Christmas…. That way, even in New Zealand, you can have a white Christmas!

Christmas in New Zealand: Decorations

Though Christmas is during summer time in New Zealand, Christmas is still associated to the snow season. You find the typical red and white Santa Claus and other “wintery” decoration in the streets. Stores decorate with fake snow and cotton, or even recreate snow scenes. They also use the same typical Christmas decorations we use here in the US. Families usually also have a tree. However, because Christmas is during the blooming season, the tree associated with Christmas in New Zealand is the pohutukawa. Houses are also decorated with Christmas lights.

Christmas in New Zealand: Food

As mentioned before, since Christmas happens during the summer, it is quite warm on Christmas Eve. So it is common to organize a barbecue at home or even celebrate on the beach. One typical way to cook Christmas Eve dinner is Maori Hangi. They make a hole in the sand and fill it with hot rocks. Then they put meat and veggies wrapped in banana leaves in the hole, cover it and let it cook. On Christmas day the main meal is served for lunch. There the British influence shows again. It is common to find roasted turkey with rich gravy and veggies. The typical Christmas dessert in New Zealand is a fruit pudding made with a brandy sauce. You can also find minced pies, fruit salads, meringue and ice cream.

Christmas in New Zealand: Songs and Celebrations

As early as November, the Christmas season takes over the cities and Christmas parades are organized. Marching bands take over the streets and bring the Christmas spirits. It is normal to see people gather and sing Christmas carols in the streets.
Families like to spend Christmas Eve together and sing Christmas carols after dinner.

Christmas in New Zealand: Presents

Presents are usually put under the tree and exchanged on Christmas morning. The typical wrapping paper colors are green and red. Children have a stacking hung at the bottom of their bed. Christmas Father fills it up with small gifts that they can open when they wake up. As Christmas is becoming more and more commercial, Christmas shopping for presents in New Zealand start as early as October.

As you can see, Christmas is very important in New Zealand and the British culture has strongly influenced various aspects of the New Zealand Christmas traditions. So what do you say, lets exchange our gloves and scarves for sunscreen and sand and an fun outdoor warm Christmas?

Our Fox Rent A Car Christmas Around the World series is now taking you on the South America continent to discover the Christmas traditions in Argentina. So keep reading to see, if you would want to celebrate Christmas on the southern hemisphere.

Christmas in Argentina: Traditions

Christmas in Argentina is very festive. Though the family time is very important, first, Christmas Eve is dedicated to the religion part of Christmas. Practically everybody goes to church and celebrates the birthday of Jesus in mass. Then, the families get together. While adults celebrate with a lot of dancing and singing, children celebrate with fireworks. Before going to bed, “globos” are sent into the sky. Globos are paper balloons that are light up inside, which makes them fly away.
The next important celebration finishing the Christmas holidays is January 6th, Epiphany, the day of the 3 kings. This is also the day, when the presents are exchanged.

Christmas in Argentina: Decorations

In Argentina the decorations for Christmas appear quite early. The entire house is decorated. The main colors are red, white, green and gold. Decorations consist of the similar garlands we find in the US as well as white flowers. The tree is also decorated with Christmas ornaments, lights, bows and candles. Cotton balls are often used to imitate snow on the branches. The nativity scene is also recreated underneath the Christmas tree.

Christmas in Argentina: Food

The Christmas tradition in Argentina is to stay up and eat until midnight, after returning from mass on Christmas Eve. Tables are covered with delicious food and a variety of dishes. Usually, family members bring different dishes, sort of like a Christmas pot luck. You find roasted turkey, sweet and sour pig, stuffed tomatoes, mince pies, salads and a lot of sugary snacks. Grilled meat, called parrillada, is the most traditional dish served. You can also find a lot of diverse drinks such as cold cider, beer and juices. Remember that December is summer time in Argentina, so lot of dishes and drinks are cold, as it is warm. For dessert you eat panettone, a sweet bread with dry fruits and nuts in it. A special drink made of fruit juice and cider, with chopped fruits is made for the Christmas toast.

Christmas in Argentina: Songs

Christmas Carols are very important on Christmas Day, the 25th. Families usually sing together at home to celebrate Christmas and you can also see Christmas choirs going from house to house to perform. Small gifts are usually offered to them for their singing.

Christmas in Argentina: Presents

The presents are put under the tree before hand, and exchanged after midnight on Christmas Eve. Before then present exchange starts the head of the family gives a toast (it can be the Grand mother, dad or mother). Then they wait for Santa Clause – Papa Noel, by spending time together, talking, dancing and playing games. In Argentina there are no stockings, but they put their shoes in front of the door. Sweets and small toys appear in these shoes over night. But children mainly receive their presents over the night of January 6th.

Christmas in Argentina is a long and colorful process. It is very family oriented. It involves a lot of food, family time, gifts and presents!

When you think about having a white Christmas, you think about snow right? Well let us change your perceptions and make you think about Greece, instead! You may have heard about Greece and its beautiful white buildings! But do you know about the Greek traditions of celebrating Christmas? The Fox Rent A Car Christmas Around the World Blog post series takes you to Greece to let you find out what great Christmas traditions this ancient culture follows.

Christmas in Greece: Traditions

Contrary to most countries, Christmas in Greece is not the most important holiday, Easter is as the majority of the greek population is Greek Orthodox. Christmas holidays in Greece lasts for 12 days, from the 24th of December to the 6th of January, the day of Epiphany. Over the years the traditions have changed tremendously, but some of the old traditions are still present.

Christmas in Greece: Decorations

An important symbol of Christmas in Greece is a wooden bowl filled with water in which they place a wooden cross that is wrapped in basil.  Usually the mother of the house, gets holy water from the church in which she dips the cross and basil and then blesses every room to protect the house and the family from mean creatures, the “ Killantzaroi” who disturb the Christmas peace. More and more families buy and decorate a Christmas tree today, but this is not a typical Greek tradition. Usually the Greek decorated a boat with flowers and lights, as St Nick is the patron of sailors and a very important in the maritime culture of Greece.

Christmas in Greece: Food

Before Christmas people enter a 40 days fasting period. Though it used to be a religious tradition, it has become less religious and more health oriented. This fasting follows a lot of vegan rules: they cannot eat animals or any product coming from animals. A few days before Christmas the house wives bake Christmas cookies, made with honey.

The second day of Christmas is the “Day of the Pig”, as all the dishes are made with pork, from sausages to bacon as well as a Greek specialty with the pig’s intestines… They call it the Christmas hog and for many years, this was the main meat family would have for a while. Nothing used to be wasted; they would find a use for every bits and pieces of the hog. Even though this tradition is fading, many families still have pork roast as the main dish for Christmas. Another traditional dish in Greek Orthodox homes during the Christmas holidays is baking Christ Bread “Christopsomo”, a sweet bread that is prepared with great care, as it is supposed to keep harm from the house and family in the coming year.

Christmas in Greece: Songs and Celebrations

Children go from houses to houses to sing Christmas carols – called kalanda – on Christmas Eve. They receive sweets or dried fruits as little presents in exchange. Imagine it as a Christmas version of trick or treat. During these 12 days of Christmas celebration, lots of events are organized, especially in the larger cities in Greece. Music is important during the Christmas holidays. Shows, plays and concerts take place in the streets and various activities are also organized for kids.

Christmas in Greece: Presents

In Greece presents are also exchanged also, but not on Christmas Day. They are exchanged on January 1st, which is St Basil day. However, presents are not as important as in other culture. Only a few presents are exchanged, and people make smaller gifts. Christmas is not so much commercial in Greece. It is part of the tradition though, to bring gifts to hospital and orphanage to share the warmth of the holidays.

As you can see, Christmas in Greece is a little different than Christmas in the US. It still is an important holiday for families to get together and celebrate. Who knows, maybe you will celebrate Christmas in Greece oneday, and now you are know what to expect!

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all!

In this part of our Christmas Around the World blog post series, we take you to Germany to see how Germans celebrate Christmas.

Christmas in Germany: Traditions

Christmas traditions are rich and plentiful in Germany, and quite different from Christmas traditions in the US. It starts off, that Santa Claus, or St. Nikolaus, as Germans call him, comes already on December 6th and he brings a bag with nuts, oranges, sweets and little presents, as well as a golden book with him. He then gives the children in the house a lecture about their behavior and if they were nice, he leaves the bag behind. However, parents tell their children, when they were naughty, St. Nikolaus will take them in his bag.

On December first, every child in Germany, but nowadays also quite a few adults, get a Christmas Calendar. It marks the days until Christmas and every time they open a little door on the calendar, the kids get some chocolate or a small gift.

All throughout December, you can find Christmas markets in all the German cities and villages, selling snacks, Christmas decoration, and little presents. People love to meet up with friends at the Christmas markets to chat and warm up with some Glühwein on a cold winter day.

In Germany, Christmas is family oriented and is celebrated for 3 days. The main celebration is on December 24th, on Christmas Eve usually with the immediate family. The story goes, that a Christmas angel called Christkind goes from house to house and and decorates the Christmas tree and leaves the presents.  On the 25th and 26th, you visit your extended family and relatives to celebrate, eat, and sing Christmas carols.

Christmas in Germany: Decorations

Germans love to decorate their houses for Christmas. They decorate trees and bushes with lights in the yard, and put up beautifully carved candle holders in the windows. As the majority of people in Germany are Christians, many families also have an Advent Wreath, which was invented by a German, with the 4 candles, and of course the Christmas tree, which is usually put up on the 24th.

Christmas in Germany: Food

Christmas would not be Christmas in Germany without some of the traditional Christmas dishes and drinks. Due to the cold weather, people love Glühwein, a warm red wine mixed with Christmas spices, to warm up. During the weeks before Christmas, people bake special Christmas cookies and love to eat Christstollen, a loaf shaped fruit cake with sugar icing. On Christmas Eve, most families keep it simple in regards to food, as the decoration of the tree and all the other preparations take up quite some time. So the traditional dish for Christmas Eve is potato salad and Frankfurter sausages. Simple, but good!

Christmas in Germany: Songs

Some of you might be surprised about how familiar the German Christmas carols sound. A lot of the Christmas carols that are popular in the US, for example the all time favorite “Silent Night” are actually German songs that were translated into English. But the best indicator that the Christmas season has begun is when you hear “Last Christmas” by Wham! on the radio. This song is repeated excessively and by the time Christmas is over, people are glad as they don’t have to listen to this song anymore.

Christmas in Germany: Presents

So far, the Christmas traditions were quite different from the American traditions during the Holidays, but when it comes to Christmas presents, it is actually pretty similar. In Germany there are no stockings and gifts are brought by the Christkind not Santa Claus, but the type of gifts are very similar to what people give and receive in the US.

German Christmas is very traditional and festive and the snow and cold weather give it a very special atmosphere. German traditions are very neat and put you in the right mood for the Holidays!

For our Fox Rent A Car Christmas Around the World series, we are taking you to Japan to discover how in this amazing Asian country celebrates this holiday. So keep reading for a trip around the world with a cheery holiday taste of a different culture.

Christmas in Japan: Decorations

In the cities, lights show that the holiday season has arrived. They put them up at the beginning of November. However, as New Year is the most important celebration, the lights are changed to more traditional decoration on the 25th of December announcing the New Year.
Some families decorate a Christmas tree as well. But the ornaments are usually lanterns, paper ornaments, and the most important one is the origami swan, which represents the bird of peace.

Christmas in Japan: Food

Chicken is the main dish for the Christmas meal in Japan. It is pretty extraordinary to see that KFC (yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken) has become one of the most popular places for them to get their chicken for Christmas dinner. For desert they have a special Christmas cake: white cream cake with strawberries. It is always the father of the family who buys the cake on Christmas Eve. But the most popular way to celebrate Christmas Eve in Japan is to eat out. It has become an important “date night”, kind of like a second Valentine’s day. As it is perceived as a romantic holiday, that you should spend with your loved one, people make reservation to eat out, eat chicken.

Christmas in Japan: Songs

There are no specific Christmas hymns. Most of the Christmas music is found in stores and mostly American Christmas songs. You can find Jingle Bells, White Christmas and other popular Christmas songs translated to Japanese or performed by popular Japanese artists on street stages. Certain schools also organize special shows on Christmas Eve, where the children sing and perform for their parents.

Christmas in Japan: Presents

Family members exchange presents on Christmas Eve. Also, teachers or employers… can give a gift to students or employees to reward their hard work. For younger kids, the Hoteiosho a Buddhist monk, the Japanese version of Santa Clause, brings the presents. Because of the romantic meaning associated to Christmas in Japan, a lot of the presents are also “romantic”. They are usually a bit more expensive such as jewelry, and similar gifts exchanged on Valentine’s day in the US. .

Thought Christmas in Japan has a very different meaning than our typical Christmas, they still celebrate it and have some of the same traditions we have.

Here comes the Holiday Season again! We’re all eager about our yearly traditions, getting ready and preparing for a fun and exciting Christmas. But what about other countries? What are their traditions for Christmas? How do they celebrate Christmas? In our Fox Rent A Car Christmas Around the World blog post series, we are now presenting France and its Christmas traditions. Remember to check back regularly for other countries all through December!

Christmas in France: Traditions

Before Christmas day comes, one of the Christmas traditions in France is of course to send Christmas cards to family and friends with your wishes for the holidays. It use to be the Christmas card first, and then a second one a week later sending your warm wishes for the New Year. However, today more and more people just send one card for both occasions, if they do send cards at all. On Christmas Eve, if you have a religious background (most people in France are Catholics) you can attend the Midnight Mass. It is a beautiful mass with a lot of singing and lid up Christmas trees and lots of candles make this mass a little different and special.

Christmas in France: Decorations

In most houses in France, just like in the US, you will find the Christmas tree. There is really no exact date to when it is put up and decorated. It depends now on the time families have. The Christmas tree is usually decorated with Christmas ornaments, lights and candles (though for safety reasons people don’t really use real candles any more). You can also find colorful garlands and a large star or an angel on top. Then, underneath the tree is built the “crèche”. It’s the nativity scene, where the center is baby Jesus with Marie and Joseph and then people add other little figurines. Those figurines are called Santons, they are hand made little saints. It is a tradition to buy them for Christmas to put them under the tree to complete the scene. They are made out of clay in the South of France. Another tradition most people do to decorate, is the red candles on the windows, that you light up at night. And of course, you find the typical red bows and green pine branches here and there, as well as the socks hanging by the fireplace, or on the wall. You can find a few Santa Clauses climbing a wall a balcony, and some decorated Christmas trees in the front yards. But you won’t find the big air filled decoration like you find in the US. Also French decorate their streets and houses, but not their cars!

Christmas in France: Food

As you would expect, being in the famous culinary country, food is important and abundant for Christmas in France. First French families like to toast for the festivities around appetizers and a glass of Champagne. After that, for dinner, there usually is a 3 courses meal. They start with Fois gras toasts, or salmon toasts, and for those who like it, oysters. Then the traditional turkey stuffed with chestnuts. Cheese follows, if you’re still hungry. And finally the desert: la buche de Noel. La buche is a desert shaped like a wood log , and decorate as if it were a log from your fireplace. You can find various flavors, but the real traditional Buche de Noel is made of a chestnut and chocolte paste inside and then covered with a thick layer of chocolate. If you want to try it, here is the recipe for Buche de Noel.  It is served cold and you serve slices looking like a slice of log. Of course, each course is accompanied with the right wine! Only the south part of France, called Provence, has the 13 desserts tradition, representing the 12 apostle and Jesus. Every family  that practices this tradition has  a different set of 13 desserts, but always 13. The 13 desserts can include nuts, dried and fresh fruit, cakes, biscuits, nougat, and other delicacies. Aside from the typical dinner, you can also find a few sugary snacks, such as walnuts, dates, dry prunes and apricots filled with almond paste.
To be able to celebrate with both sides of the families most family have a Christmas eve dinner with one side, and Christmas day lunch with the other.

Christmas in France: Songs and Stories

Adults read to kids various Christmas stories and tales, and no they don’t know the Grinch! Popular stories are the Little girl with the matches, the Grimm’s Tales, Andersen’s Tales, etc…
Some families also like to share songs, or play the traditional Christams Songs such as Petit Papa Noel, Vive le Vent and Douce Nuit.

Christmas in France: Presents

Some families exchange gifts on the 24th, for others, Santa Claus called Pere Noel comes during the night and the children get their presents on the 25th in the morning.
Christmas Markets are a great way to find small presents. They usually offer fun choices of crafts and arts, jewelry all hand made. Just like in the US, presents can be clothe, toys, money… If the families have various dinner/ lunch plans during the holidays, kids often get to find presents under more than one tree!

So this is how French families celebrate Christmas. Of course, traditions vary from one family to the other, and religion can affect the Christmas traditions in every home. But for the most part, this is how a French Christmas take place!