When celebrating Christmas, we all have different ways of observing the holiday, whether it’s at home with our families or as a yearly tradition with our community. We all have our own idea of what Christmas is and what each country does to celebrate it.

Colombia

In Colombia, celebrations are huge, especially in my family; we have many traditions that begin days before Christmas, making December feel cozy and well-spirited. The first tradition that starts is on December 7, where we celebrate Dia de las Velitas. Dia de las Velitas is translated to Candles Day, where we honor the Immaculate Conception by lighting colorful candles around the town and streets, making the whole city light up, and enjoying delicious treats. Compared to America, they don’t have a candle day for Christmas traditions, but my family makes sure to always celebrate it, even if we aren’t in Colombia, bringing the spirit over here.  

A second tradition that Colombia has is novenas. Novena means ninth, and it’s used to describe the nine nights before Christmas from the 16th to the 24th. In Colombia, December 24 is when they celebrate Christmas, not December 25. But Novenas are a day when the family and friends gather together to pray to a devoted figure while singing, and eating Colombian food.

While we are on the topic of food, they love to make desserts and dinners. They make a variety of desserts like aros con leche, which is rice and milk, bunuelos, which are round fritters, and natilla, which is sweet custard. For dinners, they make Lechona, which is a whole cooked pig stuffed with rice and sometimes vegetables, tamales, which are steamed corn dough filled with meat, cheese, or veggies wrapped around corn leaves, and Sancocho, which is a traditional soup that includes potatoes, vegetables, and corn. Food is very important when it comes to Colombia, so expect to be stuffed by the time you leave.

Brazil

In Brazil, they also serve yummy treats. They offer a variety of desserts, including pudim, which is a type of flan, brigadeiro, chocolate balls, and rabanada, a bread filled with condensed milk that is fried and then rolled in cinnamon and sugar. According to freshman Vanessa Farreira, desserts are a huge part of Brazilian Christmas, but there’s much more there. Since Brazil is in the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas is during summer, so instead of snow, people celebrate Christmas in the hot weather. Many families attend a midnight mass called Missa do Galo, translating to Rooster Mass, where they go every Christmas Eve. Afterwards, they head home to eat and stay up late together, or sleep over so everyone can wake up together on Christmas Day.

“I love spending Christmas with my family in Brazil. It makes me feel closer to them because it makes the holidays feel warmer and more meaningful,” said Farreira.

Canada

When visiting Canada during the holidays, expect delicious foods originating from the French Canadian Provinces. While they do bake cookies and have the same big dinners, they also have some different desserts, such as Buche de Noel, a chocolate cake shaped like a log with filling, as well as Nanaimo bars, named after a Canadian city, which are a no-bake dessert with three layers of wafer, nut, and coconut. Some French Canadians, in particular, celebrate Reveillon, translating to awakening. This is a celebration that includes traditional dishes, playing games, and staying up late on Christmas Eve.

“Celebrating Christmas in Canada makes me feel more at home. I get to be closer to my family while eating my favorite French Canadian desserts,” said freshman Elsie Hoover.

Just like America, Canada has similar traditions. According to Hoover, they go ice skating, hang up festive lights, and go tree shopping, but they have a day that we Americans don’t have, Boxing Day. Boxing Day is December 26, when Canadians wake up and spend their Christmas money on huge sales. These sales would last 1 day to maybe a week. Boxing Day is similar to what we have here in America, Black Friday, except it’s during the first week of December.

Even though Christmas is celebrated all around the world, each country adds its own culture and traditions. From Canada’s Boxing Day sales to Colombia’s candlelit streets and novenas, to Brazil’s celebration and sweet dessert, Christmas looks different everywhere. However, the same thing everyone does is share time with friends and family you love, bringing people together and making memories.