Audiovisual ITU Video

Christmas is the most popular festival in the Christian calendar. In the West it has largely turned into a commercial event with Christmas Gifts being an integral part of this year-end event. In previous years there was very little gift giving, or receiving, in fact, up to around 100 years ago Christmas remained a regular day of work.

However, Christmas still manages to cheer people young and old. The Christmas story, angels, shepherds, wise men, a stable and the birth of a baby called Jesus, tends to be missed by young children. From a religious point of view, Christmas celebrates the incarnation of God in His son, Jesus Christ, in human form. Christmas is not just a single day, it is the whole 4 week period leading up to Christmas Day, 25th December, and the 2 weeks after it too.

Across the Globe, Christmas is recognised in different ways. In the UK, children visit Father Christmas in shopping centres, pay a large fee and get a small gift. What the children believe is that they tell him what they would like for Christmas and he brings it to them on Christmas Eve. They also believe that Father Christmas rides in a sleigh, pulled by eight reindeers and stuffed with presents. The children are not to wake when he visits, otherwise he will leave them no presents!

On Christmas Day itself, most people do not work, other than essential services. The traditional Christmas meal is turkey with all the trimmings, this being potatoes, vegetables, cocktail sausages, stuffing and gravy. This is often followed by Christmas Pudding, a delicious sticky, sweet hot pudding, which is served with brandy butter or even clotted cream.

The day after Christmas Day, in Britain, is known as Boxing Day and this is usually another day to celebrate – any excuse eh? Many people choose to go out on Boxing Day to walk off the excesses of the day before or simply to get some fresh air. In some coastal areas, there is often a Boxing Day swim but it is only for the very brave!