Hit> More Australian Christmas customs

[Global SchoolNet <lmnet-l@ACME.FRED.ORG>]

Customs? I'm not sure there are any specifically. Many people have a
traditional roast turkey lunch, ham, vegies and plum pudding with the
family. More and more people have a cold version of the same; Cold
turkey,
ham and pork, salads. This can be followed by hot plum pudding or cold
anything.  In the spirit of the fact that it is a feast, and it is hot
(usually - after all I'm from Melbourne) many people have it outdoors.
Crays
(Lobster) and other seafood, barbequed prawns, etc. In fact in my family
we
have a christmas salad which consists of balled watermelon with onion
with a
dressing of mayo and cream.
Carols by candle-light in  locaarkprey binly it's "day-light
savings" (summer time) and it doesn't get dark until nine. There's a big
Carols service in Melbourne on Xmas Eve at an outdoor bowl which is
pretty
amazing.
 Oh and we're not so big on Xmas decorations as the US, and all those
American songs about snow seem a bit silly. I must say they didn't the
Xmas
I spent in the States.
Have a good one,
Catherine

Catherine Ryan                       Ph: 613 9 525 5779
Deputy Manager,                      Email: cryan@theage.com.au
The Age Newspaper                    Fax:613 9 670 1059
Ediial Library
25 Spencer St
Melbourne, 3000
AUSTRALIA

I'm an Australian but I don't know whether I qualify as an expert on
Australian Christmas customs.  Your student can email me if he/she likes
with her questions and I'll try to respond.

Cathy Scott

Hi from Australia!

I am a teacher-librarian in Brisbane, Queensland, which is a state of
Australia.  Yesterday our school went on holidays for the next seven
weeks
so the children cannot repond to your request but I will tell you about
Christmas in Australia.

Firstly, all Australian schools close for a very long summer holiday, in
the middle of which falls Christmas. Queensland is in the north of
Australia so it is very hot e for Christmas.  This means that most
people either go to the beach, which means a 100 kilometre trip to the
Gold
Coast to the south or the Sunshine Coast to the north or else they stay
home and swim in their own pools if they are lucky enought to have one.
Many homes in Brisbane do have their own pools.  Because we have such a
wonderful, long, summer and a short mild winter, a pool is a high
priority.

At my school our staff has a custom called Kris Kringle.  This means that
each teacher draws the name of another teacher from a hat and in secret,
leaves little gifts  that person over a two week period.  Everyone has
to try to guess who their Kris Kringle is.  All is revealed on the last
day
of term.

Carols by candlelight are held in many places at this time.  This is
always
held outdoors as the nights are warm.  Outdoor concerts are also common.
Santa Clause appears in his warm, red suit and even Santa sweats!

My favourite Christmas song is called 'Six White Boomers', 'boomers'
being
large kangaroos.  The song tells how they pull Santa's sleigh through the
Australian sky.  He does not use reindeer intralia!

Today, the first day of the holidays, my family put up the Christmas
tree.
Next comes Christmas shopping.  This will be difficult because the shops
will be so crowded.

For Christmas dinner many Australians eat roast turkey and vegetables.  I
find this very strange because it is so hot and to roast a dinner in the
middle of the day sends the cook's temperature sky high!  This is a
custom
that still hangs over from the British beginnings of our country,
although
I'm sure the poor convicts of the first settlement did not have roast
turkey!  In my family we have the roast the night before on Christmas
Evehen it is dark and a little cooler.  For Christmas Dinner we eat
crayfish
and salad.  This is a great treat because crayfish has become very
expensive - definately a once-a-year treat!

Presents are put under the Christmas tree and the whole family gathers
round to unwrap on Christmas morning - much like you I suppose.

I guess the main difference between an American Christmas and an
Australian
one is the climate.  We live outdoors most of the time over Christmas.
Barbeques are a way of life, swimming, eating watermelon and anythinlse
to keep cool!

Merry Christmas from downunder

Chris Skrzeczynski, Teacher-librarian  <cxyz@gil.com.au>
Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School
1 Kenmore Road Kenmore, Qld 4069
Australia  Ph: (07)33782412    Fax: (07)38783160

You asked for information about an Australian Christmas and Michelle and
Curtis in Year 4 have answered your queries, as follows:
Christmas in Australia by Year 4 P/C at Banksia Beach State School,
Bribie Island, Australia. 4507.

Santa Claus is still a Christmas tradition in Australia.  He wears the
hot,
red, furlined suit and
boots, but we often think he should wear brs, a singlet, thongs and a
swaggies hat with
corks.

Santa Claus brings presents like beach balls, surf boards, sunhats, beach
towels and beach
cricket sets.  These emerge from pillow cases on Christmas Day.

Traditional food is cold turkey, ham, salads, cold plum pudding with
icecream at a picnic on
the beach.  Barbecues are also popular.

It is summer around Christmas so people do not stay inside.  They often
spend time around
the swimming pool with family and friends.

We do not wear warm clothes in Australia, we wear cool clothes like
thongs,
sandals, shorts
and t-shirts and bathers (togs).e go camping because it is a regular
Christmas holiday tradition.  The
beaches are
covered with people of all ages.

Beach cricket is a popular game around Christmas time.  Carols by
candlelight is a popular
entertainment too.

We use gum trees and pine trees which we decorate with gumnuts, thongs
and
corks.  We
also put pillow cases on our bed or under the Christmas tree for Santa to
fill.

Michelle and Curtis

<janeshultz@lanleb.cerf.fred.org> -------------- 40.02.00N, 76.17.00W
Jane Shultz
Other adult at WARWICK SCHOOL DISTRICT,  LIBRARY AIDE        LITITZ, PA