Christmas Rituals 'Round The World

"King Of Knowing," Author Kenneth Davis, On Some Very Different Traditions Outside U.S.

(CBS)  Christmas is celebrated in most parts of the world. But not every country has the same rituals that Americans do.

On The Early Show Monday, Kenneth Davis, author of "Don't Know Much About Anything," offered some insight on how other countries celebrate the holiday.

Davis is known for his series of "Don't Know Much" book for both adults and children. They fill in readers' gaps of knowledge with fun and interesting facts.

Davis has been dubbed "The King of Knowing" by Amazon.com because he becomes a subject expert in all of the areas he writes about -- the Bible, mythology, the universe, and the Civil War, to name just a few.

Christmas is, of course, one of the world¹s most widely celebrated holidays and those celebrations can be very different from the traditional American idea of Santa and snow.

For instance, Christmas in Australia comes during the summer, so kids get a six-week "summer" vacation and an Aussie Christmas dinner might be served on the beach!

Some other interesting tidbits:

What is Boxing Day?

It's celebrated on Dec. 26 in England, Ireland and Australia; the holiday goes back to the notion that noblemen "boxed up" gifts for their servants on this day. It's also called St. Stephen's Day

Where do children put out their shoes instead of hanging stockings?

During the evening of Jan. 5, Spanish children put their shoes near a window. The next day is Epiphany, celebrating the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus. According to legend, the Wise Men arrive during the night before Epiphany and fill the children's shoes with small gifts.

Where do bad children risk a visit from Father Spanker?

On Christmas Eve, French children put their shoes in front of the fireplace hoping that Father Christmas will come. But his partner, Father Spanker (Le Pere Fouettard), delivers a spanking to naughty children.

Where would you be served an eel on Christmas Eve?

In Italy, that is a traditional Christmas Eve meal. Italian children receive gifts from La Befana, a kindly old witch, on the eve of Epiphany. According to legend, the Wise Men asked the kindly old witch to accompany them to see the infant Jesus.

Where does Christmas season begin on December 13?

In Sweden, festivities begin on St. Lucia Day, December 13. In the morning of this day, the oldest daughter in the home dresses in white and wears a wreath with seven lighted candles on her head. She serves the other members of the family coffee and buns in bed.

[allunknowing]

What''s this Christmas ritual thing? I thought we were supposed to call it Holiday ritual. Merry Christmas has been buried by the Happy Holiday bug so fast in this stupid PC crazed country.

Should we say Happy Holiday on Easter also? That''s another christian holiday. What about Rhamadan? Why do we call muslim holidays by their official name but we don''t call x-mas by its official name anymore?

Merry x-mas fools.

[adasher1]

allUNknowing, Your christian tradition only started AFTER the year 800 A.D. in terms of christmas. Prior to that no one said that this god or that god was born on that particular day, but other gods were CELEBRATED on that day. Your religion is such a farce that no one even knows WHEN your Jesus was born. In fact it was a pagan festival that celebrated the shortest day of the year and the glide-slope, if I may quote a famous republican, to planting their crops long before your god did all these great things. The Romans also held a holiday on the 25th that celebrated their birthday of the unconquered sun much longer then your gods sons arrivial. So did the Syrians celebrate a sun god on that day. Pagans from Scandinavia also celebrated that day prior to the Christians claiming it as their own. To them it was a festival called Yule that celebrated the god Thor. In fact MOST cultures celebrated that day since it WAS the shortest day of the year in terms of daylight. Likewise Easter was celebrated as the day when day and night were equal....of course Christians also stole that day as a sacred day of the rising from the dead of their god.

So please, stop thinking that you guys OWN that day.....like many things in your religion, you simply stole it from someone else.

[boudicca01]

Cultural holiday traditions are far more interesting than reading what someone prattles on about PC this and Christmas that.

A short knowledge of world history would let one be aware of all of the cultures and religions that celebrata this time of year, and allow all people to wish greetings of "tidings and great joy" to one another without someone jumping on their high horse.

[adasher1]

Boudicca01, tis not a high horse that I am on. I simply tire of hearing from the uneducated their claim as to what this time of year means to them as though they somehow own the date. I love the history and I appreciate the article. Oh, I also call it Christmas, though I do not subscribe to the Christian god, and I also tire when people tell me to have a happy holiday.

[facts6]

The Christians have got to get a grip. No matter what you call it, its about the solstice. When a Christian says "Merry Christmas", I reply "Happy Solstice". Please remember not everyone is Christian, a Happy Holiday includes everyone. To which I respond, Happy Holiday.