All across Europe and the United Kingdom festive season and Christmas traditions vary almost as much as the languages spoken. But throughout there is the underlying theme of family, food and festivities.
From Advent calendars, beautiful handcrafted Nativity scenes, Christmas trees, turkey, mince pies, stockings at the foot of the bed and more Trafalgar takes a look at the various tradition, some quirky, some quaint and some very reminiscent of how we celebrate this special time here in South Africa.
England
England's Christmas celebrations, in one form or another, are said to have begun in AD 596, with the arrival of St Augustine and his monks brought Christianity to the Anglo Saxons.
Current traditions dictate that Father Christmas delivers presents during the night before Christmas. Children leave an empty stocking or pillowcase hanging at the end of the bed in the hopes that the next day it will be full of presents.
Christmas dinner is usually eaten at midday, and is a feast of roast turkey with all the trimmings. And who could forget dessert? A rich, fruity Christmas pudding soaked in brandy and hopefully a coin or two hidden inside and then served with brandy sauce. You can also expect to overload on mince pies, which are pastry cases filled with a mixture of fruit mince.
Belgium
Children are in for a lot of treats in Belgium as there are two Santa Claus figures. There is St. Nicholas and Pere Noel, and depending on the language spoken either one of the other will visit.
St Nicholas visits twice, the first being on the December 4th, He does this so he can find out which children have been good and which children have been bad. Good children are rewarded with the presents they deserve, while the naughty ones are left twigs inside their shoes or in small baskets that are left just inside the doorway.
Pere Noel visits those who speak French. He visits with his companion Pere Fouettard and asks about whether the children have been good or bad. If they have been good they receive chocolates and candies if they have been bad they are more likely to receive a handful of sticks.
Christmas for both gift-givers is on December 6th, and called the feast of St Nicholas. It is a religious occasion and observed with services in churches and quiet family gatherings.
Italy
Presepi, or nativity scenes, are prevalent throughout Italy. You'll find wonderfully ornate displays in Churches and shopping malls and if you are travelling in Italy over this period be sure to make a trip to Naples where the most exquisite handmade presepi are created.
You will get to enjoy a range of fantastic traditions no matter where in Italy you find yourself. Including Mass in St Peters Square officiated by the Pope.
Poland
The lucky children of Poland receive presents twice. On St. Nicholas' Day, the good saint himself brings presents. On Christmas Day, it is the Star Man.
The Star of Bethlehem is the most popular image in the Polish Christmas. It is the first star of Christmas Eve, which marks the end of the Advent fast and ushers in the time of feasting.
The feast consists of twelve courses, one for each Apostle. And a lovely tradition is to always set for one extra seat in case a stranger or the Holy Spirit should appear to share the meal.
Greece
Christmas trees are not commonly used in Greece, but are becoming more popular. In almost every home the main symbol of the season is a shallow wooden bowl with a piece of wire is suspended across the rim; from that hangs a sprig of basil wrapped around a wooden cross. A small amount of water is kept in the bowl to keep the basil alive and fresh.
Once a day, a family member, usually the mother dips the cross and basil into some holy water and uses it to sprinkle water in each room of the house. This ritual is believed to keep the Killantzaroi (bad spirits) away from the house.
Austria
Austria shares many Christmas traditions with its neighbour Germany, but also has many special Christmas customs of its own.
During Advent, many families will have an Advent Wreath made from evergreen twigs and decorated with ribbons and four candles. One each of the four Sunday in Advent, a candle is lit and carols are sung.
Most towns will have a 'Christkindlmarkt' (Christmas market) from late November, early December selling Christmas decorations, food (like gingerbread) and Glühwein (sweet, warm mulled wine.
Instead of filling stockings, Austrians traditionally fill a pair of shoes with clementines, chocolate and peanuts. The shoes are cleaned in hopes of them being filled on the 6th of December.
Every town will also have a large Christmas tree in the town square. Christmas in Austria really starts late afternoon on Christmas Eve ('Heilige Abend') when the tree is lit for the first time and people come to sing carols around the tree. The most famous carol is Silent Night ('Stille Nacht'), which was written in Austria in 1818.
Germany
A big part of the Christmas celebrations in Germany is Advent. Several different types of Advent calendars are used in German homes. As well as the traditional one made of card that is used in many countries, there are ones made out of a wreath of Fir tree branches with 24 decorated boxes or bags hanging from it. Each box or bag has a little present in it.
Christmas Trees are very important in Germany and they were first used in Germany during the Middle Ages. If there are young children in the house, the trees are usually secretly decorated by the mother of the family.
Christmas Eve is the main day when Germans exchange presents with their families.
German Stollen, a loaf-shaped fruitcake made of yeast, water and flour, is traditionally eaten around Christmas time in Germany. The treat, which was first baked in Dresden in the 14th century, is filled with nuts, raisins, candied citrus, and spices, and its form is said to represent Baby Jesus in swaddling clothes.
Czech Christmas Eve
The main celebrations are on Christmas Eve. Some people fast during Christmas Eve in the hope that they will see a vision of 'the golden pig' appear on the wall before dinner, it is meant to be a sign of good luck!
The Czech traditional Christmas dinner is eaten during the evening of Christmas Eve. A carp, which was purchased prior to this day and which may have been kept alive in the bathtub until ready for cooking, is the featured dish. The meal often consists of fish soup (made of carp), and fried carp with potato salad.
Ježíšek 'Little Jesus' (the Czech version of Santa Claus) brings presents during the Christmas Eve dinner and leaves them under the Christmas Tree. He rings a bell right before he leaves. The presents are normally opened right after dinner.
There's a superstition in the Czech Republic that says if you throw a shoe over your shoulder on Christmas day, if the toe points towards the door, you will be married soon.
Spain
It is not Santa who comes to Spain bearing gifts, but rather the Three Wise Men. The Spanish Christmas continues for a few weeks after the 25th of December. On the Eve of Epiphany children place their shoes on the doorstep, and in the secret of the night, the Three Wise Men pass leaving gifts. The next day (January 6th) is the Epiphany which is heralded with parades in various cities where candy and cakes are distributed to throngs of children.
France
The French word for Christmas, Noel, comes from the French phrase les bonnes nouvelles, which means the good news, in reference to the gospel. In southern France, a log is burnt in homes from Christmas Eve until New Year's Day. This comes from an ancient tradition in which farmers would use part of the log to ensure good luck for the next year's harvest and this is the origin of the Yule Log.
Yule Logs are carried into the home on Christmas Eve and sprinkled with red wine, which gives off a wonderful scent when it burns. There is a custom that the log and candles are left burning all night with some food and drinks left out in case Mary and the baby Jesus come past during the night.
Portugal
Carol singing is a wonderful feature of a Portuguese Christmas but only happens after the big day continuing into the first weeks of January. Groups of people will go from house to house with an image of the baby Jesus in his manger singing the 'Janeiras' songs (January songs). They are often accompanied with small instruments. They usually start with an opening song asking the owner of the house for refreshments. The owner of the house should invite them in to warm up and to help themselves of a spread of snacks sweet like dry figs with walnuts inside them or savory like cheese and chorizo and some wine or brandy.
Hungary
In Hungary, the Christmas tree is decorated on Christmas Eve. That is why you don't find any in Hungarian homes before December 24th Christmas is the most important event of Hungarian Christmas traditions.
Hungarian families celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ by decorating their tree, having a dinner together and swopping presents. For many Hungarian families this is one of the few times big families can get together, and is so important that even public transportation stops at 4 pm to allow everyone to get home to celebrate with their families.
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