Christmas in Australia

Christmas in Australia is not very different from Christmas in other areas of the world. Unless you consider eating your Christmas dinner on the beach in shorts, Santa arriving on a surfboard, or holiday decorations including Koala's dressed in Santa hats and suits. You need to realize it is common for the temperatures in Australia to be 100 degrees on Christmas day.

While Christmas in Australia includes many traditions adapted from England and even America there are two Christmas traditions that started in Australia. The first is
Carols by Candlelight. This Christmas in Australia tradition started in 1938.

A man named Norman Banks, a Melbourne radio announcer, spotted an elderly woman through the window alone Christmas Eve singing Christmas carols by candlelight. This scene made him think of all the other people celebrating the holiday alone and gave him the idea of gathering a group of people together to sing carols by candlelight. Alexandra Gardens was the sight of the first Carols by Candlelight, which over 10,000 people gathered.

Today the largest gathering in Australia for Carols by Candlelight is at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Christmas Eve where 30,000 some people gather to sing Christmas carols holding lighted candles. However, the tradition of celebrating Christmas in Australia has spread all over Australia from Perth to Brisbane, Adelaide to Newcastle and in Geelong there are carols by the bay. All around the world, you can now find churches and various groups organizing candlelight carols for several weeks before Christmas right up to Christmas Eve.

The second Christmas in Australia tradition does not take place on Christmas but rather the day after Christmas or Boxing Day it is known in Britain and other parts of the world. Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race first started in 1945 when nine boats left Sydney Harbor and sailed 630 nautical miles the journey ending in Hobart, Tasmania. More recent Sydney to Hobart Yacht Races has included as many as 100 vessels battling the Tasman Sea, Bass Strait, Storm Bay and the Derwent River. Spectators gather with barbeque or picnic lunches to watch the boats leave the harbor while others wait at the finish line to start New Years celebrations.

Yet another fun fact about Christmas in Australia involves Plum Pudding. While the tradition of plum pudding did not originate in Australia, the Aussies did manage to add a different twist to the holiday tradition during the Australian gold rushes. Originally, plum pudding included silver coins. The story goes that who ever found the silver coin would have good luck or wealth the coming year. In Australia during the gold rush times they would add gold nuggets in place of the silver coins.

In Britain and America, poinsettias and Christmas cactus are common home decorations at Christmas time. In Australia, you will be more inclined to find plants native to Australia such as Christmas Bells, Christmas Bushes, and Christmas Orchids. The Aussie Christmas Tree (Nuytsia floribunda Loranthaceae) is covered in yellow-orange flowers around Christmas in Australia.

In Australia, you will find Christmas cards with pictures of Santa and his reindeer or beautiful snow scenes but you will not find any snow outside or chestnuts roasting on open fires in the house. Some families celebrate with traditional meals including turkey roast, lamp or ham but others will have barbeques in the yard or cold meats for their mid-day meal. Christmas dinner in Australia is like Christmas dinners around the world gatherings of friends and family enjoying their traditional family dinner.

Merry Christmas from Australia!