As December rolls around and the Christmas tree lights up the Quadrangle, many students begin looking forward to the holiday season. But for international students, Christmas often brings a mixture of excitement and homesickness. I interviewed several international students* who shared their memories, customs and reflections as to learn how Christmas is celebrated in their cultures.
“Ber” in the Philippines: Parols, Carols and Midnight Feasts
For Filipinos, Christmas starts in the “ber” months, spanning from September until the Three Kings Day in January. Once August ends, malls put up their Christmas trees, lights adorn the streets, and Christmas music begins to play. “Parols”, Christmas lanterns in the shape of a star, are sold on every street stand, and many families make their own at home too. A family Christmas reunion of relatives far and wide would often be hosted during these months. As a predominantly Catholic country, Filipinos prepare for Christmas with “Simbang Gabi”, meaning “Night Mass”, a two-hour-long mass at 4am for the eight days leading up to Christmas. Following the ceremony, “painit” (warm drinks and breakfast) is sold in front of the church, and the community would gather there to spend their mornings. On the ninth day, the mass takes place at 10pm on 24 December to greet Christmas at midnight. Afterwards, they would have “Noche Buena”, when Filipino families gather to enjoy a festive meal with traditional foods like “lechon”, a spit-roasted pig. Then they would hand out gifts, and godparents typically give their godchildren money in red envelopes. Living in a tropical country, Angel’s family often spend Christmas Day at the beach. Her favourite part of the holidays is carolling: “We would go house-to-house or pass by shops, singing for a few pesos (pennies) with handmade instruments like bottle caps nailed together on a piece of wood to make a rattle or small stones in a can to make maracas or sticks and cans for drums.”
Mallorca Magic: Songs, Sweets and Three Wise Men
In Mallorca, “El Puente de diciembre” takes place between 6 and 8 December. This is when people would travel, visit family and put up their decorations. 22 December is when they typically watch “La loitería de Navidad”, where many people buy lottery tickets, and children sing the numbers. A song called “La sibiŀla”, derived from Medieval Times, is played on 24 December and is protected by UNESCO. On Christmas Eve, they celebrate “Nochebuena,” when, like Filipinos, the family gathers to eat, and Santa Claus leaves presents that night. They usually eat traditional foods such as “mantecados de navidad”, “sopa de nadal”, “roscon de reyes” and “turron”. The next day, families have lunch where “sopa de galets”, Christmas Catalan soup, is typically served, and on 26 December, they have another lunch called “San Esteve”. Spain has numerous Christmas songs called “villancicos”, usually about the Catholic faith, and in Mallorca, they are also translated into Catalan. Laia’s favourite part of the holiday is the “Cabalgata Reyes Magos” parade, where the three wise men come on the night of 5 January and leave presents that they would open on the morning of 6 January while eating “roscon de reyes”, a traditional Spanish sweet bread, for breakfast. Often, “Reyes Magos” is celebrated more grandly than Christmas, especially in terms of presents. For both “Reyes Magos” and Christmas, Majorcans leave food out for deer or camels, such as milk or carobs. If children have not behaved well, they will receive an edible sweet version of coal. Laia said that as Christmastime approaches, parents would often tell their kids, “Behave well, or the three wise men will give you coal.”
Slovakia’s Winter Wonders: Saint Nicholas and the Golden Pig
An important part of the Christmas season for Slovaks is the celebration of Saint Nicholas, which occurs a few weeks before Christmas. Children clean and wash their shoes to leave overnight so that Saint Nicholas would fill them with a variety of treats, like fruits, nuts, and sweets. Viktor states that one of the more interesting Christmas traditions is attempting to catch a glimpse of the golden pig. As Slovaks only eat one meal on Christmas, being the Christmas dinner, kids need to be convinced to stop asking for breakfast and lunch. To do this, parents will tell them that if they don’t eat anything all day until dinner, they will catch a glimpse of the golden pig. Typically, they would have “Kapustnica”, a soup made from red cabbage and cooked with thick sausage, as a starter for their Christmas dinner. Then they would eat breaded fish with a side of potato salad. For dessert, they would have dumplings filled with jam or poppy seeds, and covered with a poppy-seed sweet sauce. Slovaks celebrate Christmas on 24 December and would receive their presents after dinner. Instead of Santa Claus, their gifts are delivered by baby Jesus.
Czech Customs: Fortune-Telling Fun
Similar to Slovaks, people in the Czech Republic celebrate Christmas on 24 December, as it is believed to be the day when baby Jesus was born. On the 5th of December, St. Nicholas (Mikuláš), accompanied by an angel and a devil, visits children to reward good behaviour and remind naughty ones to behave better. Baby Jesus (Ježíšek) brings gifts on Christmas Eve instead of Santa Claus. The traditional Christmas Eve dinner is fried carp with potato salad, and usually also fish soup. Czechs have numerous Christmas customs foretelling the future, such as the Golden Pig. Another custom consists of Apple Cutting, where an apple is cut into two halves with a star on the inside symbolising health and luck, while a cross foretells illness. Other customs include placing carp scales under plates or in a wallet for prosperous wealth, and releasing little boats made of walnut shells with a lighted candle inside which are believed to answer a question that has been weighing on a sender’s mind. Alena’s favourite tradition from home is pouring molten lead into water and predicting the future from its shape. Single girls also throw a shoe over their shoulder, and if the tip points to the door, it indicates that they will get married within a year.
Mexico’s Festivities: Posadas, Piñatas and Poinsettias
In Mexico, “Las Posadas” is a religious festival celebrated from 16 to 24 December to commemorate Mary and Joseph’s journey before the birth of Jesus. On Christmas Eve, they celebrate with dinner and eat “romeritos”, a dish from Central Mexico, consisting of tender sprigs of seepweed that are boiled or steamed and sometimes served in a mole poblano flavour with dried shrimp. Afterwards, they sing lullabies to baby Jesus, then hang a piñata full of sweets and small toys. The points represent each of the seven deadly sins, and breaking them open symbolises the rewards of virtue and perseverance. Dolores tells the story of the poinsettia’s significance as a symbol of life, renewal, and sacrifice. How long ago, a young girl called Pepita had nothing to offer the village’s Nativity but a red flower called “cuetlaxóchitl”, loosely translated as “flower that withers”. She placed it at the altar, and its leaves glowed crimson, creating the first “Flores de Nochebuena”. Nowadays, it is integrated in Mexican tradition through Nativity processions, church decorations and domestic festivities.
Multicultural Malaysia: Fireworks and Fusion Feasts
As Malaysia has a mix of different religions, mainly Islam, Christmas traditions are typically secular, combining elements from different cultures. Christians attend a church service on Christmas Day and Eve, where they sing hymns and carols. Some would have nativity plays or candlelit services. Many non-Christians participate in gift-giving activities, such as Secret Santa or attending Christmas parties. A common custom among Malaysians is to throw an open house party where friends, family, coworkers and neighbours are welcome to join and enjoy the music and food. There’s a diverse range of dishes served, from a typical Western Christmas dinner of turkey, chicken or lamb, mashed potatoes, salads and steamed vegetables, to Malaysian dishes such as curries and satay. Arif’s favourite dish is the red bean soup his dad makes for dessert. On Christmas Eve, red envelopes filled with money called “Ang Pao” are handed out, and presents are sometimes given at the start of the winter holidays so that the children have more time to enjoy them before school starts again. At midnight, a fireworks display illuminates the night sky.
Irish Christmas: Candles, Mass and a Show
Lastly, I interviewed an Irish person to learn more about our native Christmas traditions for those who are not accustomed to them. The annual Late Late Toy Show, featuring musical numbers and showcasing popular toys, marks the official start of Christmas in Ireland. It was initially scheduled for early November but was moved two years ago to the first week of December. Decorations are meant to be put up only after 8 December, as it is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Candles are placed on windowsills and lit on Christmas Eve as a guiding light for those who travel along roads like Mary and Joseph. Christmas is typically celebrated by attending mass, either during the evening or at midnight, on Christmas Eve or the morning of Christmas Day. On 25 December, people gather for a Christmas dinner, usually consisting of roast turkey, chicken or ham and pandy, which is potatoes mixed with thyme, onion, celery, and butter.
How can our campus create a more inclusive holiday environment?
The University of Galway is home to almost 4,000 international students from 110 countries, which constitutes nearly a quarter of our university population and the largest international community among universities in Ireland. Yet, our main Christmas festivity revolves around College Christmas. While that is a lively event, the question remains: how can our campus create a more inclusive holiday environment? Gathering all the suggestions: a calendar to inform students of other holidays and significant Christmas dates from other cultures which they might not be aware of, PowerPoint presentations on Christmas around the world, an international dinner with dishes from different cultures, festivities including non-drinking events, group activities such as carolling and games, and generally more Halal food around campus. After interviewing all these students, the main shared values emphasised during Christmas across these cultures are peace, love and community. I believe that events such as those suggested will connect University of Galway students and foster this Christmas sense of joy and belonging.
*For anonymity purposes, pseudonyms were used.
