And what would a Christmas tree be without Santa to put presents underneath it? Well, in Japan, they have someone even more magical (and potentially creepy) carrying the sack of toys. Hoteiosho<\/a>, a chubby Buddhist monk determines whether or not children have behaved badly using the eyes in the back of his head… a little creepy right? That\u2019s not the only unique part of a Japanese Christmas though. Instead of a fancy turkey or ham dinner, the Japanese like to chow down on some KFC for their holiday meal. Because nothing brings the Christmas spirit like the Colonel, right?<\/p>\n The Christmas spirit is also alive and well in China. \u201cJingle Bells\u201d and \u201cRudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer\u201d greet you in subway stations and shopping centers around Beijing. Santa Con is in its sixth year in China<\/a>, attracting huge groups of Santas who parade around the city. Many Chinese people do not know or understand the history or traditions surrounding the holiday (who is<\/i> Santa anyway?), but they sure love the shopping that accompanies it. Malls deck their halls and mark down their prices, drawing in throngs of shoppers.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for a place to shop, check out les march\u00e9s de No\u00ebl<\/a> in France, or the Weihnachtsmarkt<\/a> in Germany. Where else could you wander the beautifully decorated streets, browse for festive gifts, and drink le vin chaud (warmed wine) or Eierpunsch (a warm, egg-based alcoholic beverage)?<\/p>\n The Danes are so excited for Christmas that they burn kalenderlys<\/a>, or calendar candles with the numbers 1-24 printed on the side. Every day in December, they burn the candle and watch one more day melt before Christmas finally arrives.\u00a0When the big day does arrive, the Greeks will be out caroling<\/a>, a tradition that dates back to Ancient Greece.<\/p>\n But nobody does Christmas better than the Dutch<\/a>, who have designated Eerste Kerstdag (First Christmas Day) and Tweede Kerstdag (Second Christmas Day). That\u2019s right\u2014two days. It\u2019s common for Dutch families to celebrate one day with one side of the family, and the second day with the other side.<\/b><\/p>\n Meanwhile the Poles, who don\u2019t actually start celebrating the holiday until Christmas Eve, will continue celebrating until Candlemas on February 2nd<\/sup>, which is just enough Christmas for us. It gets a little confusing though, since gifts are often given by St. Nick on his nameday, December 6th<\/sup>. So who gives presents on Christmas itself? It depends on what region of Poland you live in, but ranges from the baby Jesus to the Starman<\/a>.<\/p>\n So to those of you who celebrate, we wish you a Merry Christmas, \u0639\u064a\u062f\u00a0\u0645\u064a\u0644\u0627\u062f \u0645\u062c\u064a\u062f, Prettig Kerstmis, Fr\u00f6hliche Weihnachten, \u5723\u8bde\u5feb\u4e50,\u00a0Weso\u0142ych \u015awi\u0105t, Joyeux No\u00ebl, and so forth! To those of you who do not celebrate, we wish you a joyous season regardless!<\/p>\n Happy holidays & happy language learning! Consider giving the gift of language this season with a subscription to Transparent Language Online<\/a>, available in 80+ languages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u2018Tis the season\u2026 but not just in America! People around the world are in the holiday spirit, so let\u2019s take a look at how they celebrate Christmas. You might not think to associate Christmas with the Arab world, but the holiday is widely accepted by many Arabs, and rightfully so considering that the birthplace of…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2013\/12\/christmas-market-1864241_960_720.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2013\/12\/christmas-market-1864241_960_720-350x233.jpg\")