Santa will return to Inman, South Carolina’s Hollywild Animal Park for a few days by special request.

“We had many children coming during our Holiday Lights Safari to ask Santa for special things for Christmas. We asked him to postpone his vacation time a little so that people could come by here and thank him.” explained Assistant Park Director, Mary Lee Rollins.

Santa will be on-site in Santa’s Village through Saturday, January 2nd. But don’t expect him to be in his traditional red suit. Since he’s putting off his vacation to come back, park staffers suggested casual wear – blue jeans a nice comfy flannel shirt and suspenders, of course. Park visitors can still have their photos made with him too.

The Holiday Lights Safari Benefit continues nightly through Saturday, January 2nd from 6-9 p.m. Admission is $5 per person. Food can still be purchased for the animals in the enchanted deer forest that can be fed from a vehicle. Concessions and other goodies like pony rides and photos can also be purchased.

Beginning January 9th, the park will be open weekends – Saturday from 10 AM – 3 PM and Sundays from 11 AM – 3 PM. Visitors can drive through the park to see all the safari animals from the comfort and warmth of their cars.

In Greenland there is a lot of visiting of families, drinking coffee and eating cakes, as well as giving of brightly wrapped presents which might consist of a model sledge, a pair of tusks, or even a sealskin mitt.

Everyone in the village gets a gift and children go from hut to hut, singing songs.

Christmas trees are imported and decorated with candles as well as bright ornaments. There is dancing most of the night. After the coffee, cakes and carols everyone is given Mattak which is whale skin with a strip of blubber inside is given to everyone. The taste of it is much like coconut, but is tough to chew and is usually just swallowed.

Another food that is eaten is Kiviak which consists of raw flesh of an auk which has been buried whole in sealskin for several months until they have reached an advanced stage of decomposition.

This is the one night of which the women are waited on by the men.

There are games played including one in which an object is passed from hand to hand round a long table under the cloth.

St. Nicholas is important in Greece as the patron saint of sailors. According to Greek tradition, my clothes are drenched with brine, my beard drips with seawater, and his face is covered with perspiration because I have been working hard against the waves to reach sinking ships and rescue them from the angry sea. Greek ships never leave port without some sort of St. Nicholas icon on board.

On Christmas Eve small boys to the beating of drums and the tinkling of triangles usually sing carols. They go from house to house and are given dried figs, almonds, walnuts and lots of sweets or sometimes small gifts.

After 40 days of fasting, the Christmas feast is looked forward to with great anticipation by adults and children alike. Pigs are slaughtered and on almost every table are loaves of christopsomo or “Christ Bread”. This bread is made in large sweet loaves of various shapes and the crusts are engraved and decorated in some way that reflects the family’s profession.

Christmas trees are not commonly used in Greece. In almost every home the main symbol of the season is a shallow wooden bowl with a piece of wire is suspended across the rim; from that hangs a sprig of basil wrapped around a wooden cross. A small amount of water is kept in the bowl to keep the basil alive and fresh. Once a day, a family member, usually the mother, dips the cross and basil into some holy water and uses it to sprinkle water in each room of the house. This ritual is believed to keep the Killantzaroi away from the house.

There is a tradition kallikantzeri, where the mischievous goblins appear from the earth during the 12 days of Christmas.

At Christmas very few presents are given to each other. Instead, small gifts are given to hospitals and orphanages.

Priests sometimes go from house to house sprinkling holy water around to get rid of the bad spirits who may be hiding in people’s houses.

In most Greek homes an evergreen tree is decorated with tinsel and a star placed on top. Gifts are exchanged on January 1st, St Basil’s Day.

On Christmas Eve, groups of people gather around the holiday table. Figs, dried on rooftops are served with the spicy golden Chrisopsomo bread.

As people are they greet one another by saying Hronia polla or many happy years. The table filled with food may include such dishes as kourambiethes, a Greek nut cookie.

The feast of St Nicholas marks the beginning of Christmas in Austria. The saint accompanied by the devil asks children for a list of their good and bad deeds. Good children are given sweets, toys and nuts. Gifts that are placed under the tree are opened after dinner on Christmas Eve.
Brass instruments play chorale music room church steeples, and carol singers, carrying blazing torches and a manger from house to house, gather on the church steps.

Silent Night was first sung in 1818, in the village church of Oberndorf. There is a story told of how Christmas was almost spoiled for the villagers that year.

On Christmas Eve, the priest went into the church and found that the organ was not working. The leather bellows that are used to pump the air through the pipes were full of holes. Christmas without music would not do so the priest showed the organist Franz Bauer a new Christmas hymn he had written. Franz quickly composed a tune for it that could be played on a guitar. So Oberndorf had music after all.

In Austria baked carp is served for the traditional Christmas dinner.

December 6 in Austria is when Heiliger Nikolaus or St. Nicholas (that would be me ), rewards good children with sweets, nuts and apples.

On December 24, the Christ Child brings presents and the Christmas tree for the children. The children wait until they hear a bell tinkling. Then they enter a special room where the Christmas tree is waiting all decorated with candles, ornaments and candies. The whole family sings Christmas carols and wishes each other:

- FROLICHE WEIHNACHTEN!
- FROHE WEIHNACHTEN!

Christmas in Australia is often very hot. Whereas the northern hemisphere is in the middle of winter, Australians are baking in summer heat. It is not unusual to have Christmas Day well into the mid 30 degrees Celsius, or near 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

A traditional meal includes a turkey dinner, with ham, and pork. A flaming Christmas plum pudding is added for dessert. In the Australian gold rushes, Christmas puddings often contained a gold nugget. Today a small favor is baked inside. Whoever finds this knows s/he will enjoy good luck. Another treat is Mince Pies.

Some Australians and particularly tourists often have their Christmas dinner at midday on a local beach, Bondi Beach in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs attracts thousands of people on Christmas Day. Other families enjoy their day by having a picnic. If they are at home, the day is punctuated by swimming in a pool, playing Cricket out the backyard, and other outdoor activities.

The warm weather allows Australians to enjoy a tradition which commenced in 1937. Carols by Candlelight is held every year on Christmas Eve, where tens of thousands of people gather in the city of Melbourne to sing their favorite Christmas songs. The evening is lit by as many candles singing under a clean cut night sky. The sky with its Southern Cross stars is like a mirror. Sydney and the other capital cities also enjoy Carols in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Australians surround themselves with Christmas Bush, a native plant which has little red flowered leaves.

Christmas shopping is often done in shorts and t-shirts. At many beaches I arrive on a surfboard, or even on a surf lifesaving boat.

People go to the church with family, then come back to a family gathering. At midnight after eating they toast, then the adults’ dance while younger people go out to see the fireworks. After this they go to sleep, but before opening the presents under the Christmas tree. That day is very special for because they are Christian and celebrate Jesus’ birth on the 24th of December.

The dinner food is pork, turkey, and a great variety of meals. Then the table is covered with sweet things, cider, beer, and juice for consuming while waiting for the time of the toast. After the toast all the family chat, others play.

Houses are decorated with red and white garlands; on the door Father Christmas’s Boots are placed. The Christmas tree is decorated with colored lights, ornaments and Father Christmas placed on top of it. Mothers make different kinds of meals such as roasted turkey, roasted pork, stuffed tomatoes, mince pies, Christmas’s bread and puddings. The toast: drink prepared with different kinds of fruit which is cut into pieces, then it is mixed with juice and cider.

On December 26th African Americans celebrate with Kwanzaa, a holiday that originated at the time of the civil rights movement in the 1960’s and is in commemoration of African heritage. Created as a ritual for harvest time and using the language Swahili, Kwanzaa lasts a week during which participants gather with family and friends to exchange gifts and to light a series of black, red and green candles which symbolize the seven basic values of the African Americans family life that is unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

The days leading up to Kwanzaa are spent decorating the house with black, red and green paper decorations. They might also hang handmade ornaments on an evergreen Kwanzaa Bush. Part of this holiday is spent teaching children about their heritage and they might also display their artwork or find other ways to pay tribute to their past as well as their present. They put up photographs of the current generation of the family. A ceremonial table is set up, which has been set up with an ear of corn symbolizing each of the children, a carved and decorated unity cup, which is used for the toasts made each evening.

Then for the next seven nights the family gathers to light the seven holed candleholder or Kinara. The first night of the children is asked to light the central candle the black one (this is symbolizing unity) after which they are told the meaning of the word. The next night someone lights the red one (symbolizing self-determination) and so on for the next seven nights. Each night they also drink from the unity cup which is filled with libation.

December 31st is the night for the giving of gifts to the children these gifts might consist of a book as well as a heritage symbol such as an African artifact. The seven day celebration ends with a feast which has African American foods, and plenty of music. Once everyone has finished eating, they all rise, recommit themselves to the seven principles of Kwanzaa and bid everyone happy times ahead. The host of the party is suppose to wish that at the end of this year may we all come together in larger numbers, with greater achievement, and a higher level of human life.

Preparation for Christmas in the Congo begins when some group is designated to prepare the annual Christmas pageant.

Christmas day begins with groups of carolers walking to and fro through the village, along the roadway, by the houses of the missionaries, singing the lovely carols known the world around. Often people may be awakened by a group of carolers beginning to converge on the house of worship. They return home to make final preparation as to the clothes one must wear and also as to his offering for the Christmas service.

The most important part of their Christmas worship service is the love offering, this is the gift in honor of Jesus. Then at about 8 or 9 o’clock everyone makes their way to the celebration of the birthday of Jesus.

Everyone who attends the service goes forward to lay down their gift upon the raised platform near the Communion table. Not one person will attend the service without giving a gift.

Now people have Christmas dinners after the service, preparing tables out in front of their home and inviting many of their intimate friends to share.

Christmas in South Africa is a summer holiday. In December, the southern summer brings glorious days of sunshine that carry an irresistible invitation to the beaches, the rivers, and the shaded mountain slopes. Then the South African holiday season reaches its height. Schools are closed, and camping is the order of the day. In South Africa there is no snow, but it has many flowers, many beautiful varieties of cultivated and wild flowers being in their full pride.

In the cities and towns carolers make their rounds on Christmas Eve. Church services are held on Christmas morning. Christmas Eve celebrations in larger centers include “Carols by Candlelight” and special screen and floor shows.

Homes are decorated with pine branches, and all have the decorated Christmas fir in a corner, with presents for the children around. At bedtime on Christmas Eve, children may also hang up their stockings for presents from Father Christmas.

Many South Africans have a Christmas dinner in the open-air lunch. For many more, it is the traditional dinner of either turkey, roast beef, mince pies, or suckling pig, yellow rice with raisins, vegetables, and plum pudding, crackers, paper hats, and all. In the afternoon, families go out into the country and usually there are games or bathing in the warm sunshine, and then home in the cool of the evening. Boxing Day is also a proclaimed public holiday usually spent in the open air. It falls on December 26 and is a day of real relaxation.

In Ghana, on Africa’s west coast, most churches herald the coming of Christmas by decorating the church and homes beginning with the first week in Advent, four weeks before Christmas. This season happens to coincide with the cocoa harvest, so it is a time of wealth. Everyone returns home from wherever they might be such as farms or mines.

On the eve of Christmas, children march up and down the streets singing Christmas Carols and shouting “Christ is coming, Christ is coming! He is near!” in their language. In the evening, people flock to churches which have been decorated with Christmas evergreens or palm trees massed with candles. Hymns are sung and Nativity plays are presented.

On Christmas Day, children and older people, representing the angels in the fields outside Bethlehem, go from house to house singing. Another church service is held where they dress in their native attire or Western costumes. Later on there is a feast of rice and yam paste called fufu with stew or okra soup, porridge and meats. Families eat together or with close neighbors, and presents are given.

On the west coast of Africa, in Liberia, most homes have an oil palm for a Christmas tree, which is decorated with bells. On Christmas morning, people are woken up by carols. Presents such as cotton cloth, soap, sweets, pencils, and books are exchanged. Also in the morning a church service is held in which the Christmas scene is enacted and hymns and carols are sung. Dinner is eaten outdoors with everyone sitting in a circle to share the meal of rice, beef and biscuits. Games are played in the afternoon, and at night fireworks light up the sky.

The night before Christmas has as many unique traditions as it does people who celebrate it. Marking the end of the Advent Season, Christmas Eve is on December 24th. Here is a look at some of the more popular and prevalent Christmas Eve traditions.

Deck the Halls!

Throughout Europe and in many last-minute American homes, too, families gather to set up their Christmas tree. They also hang garlands of evergreen boughs over the window and wreaths on the doors.

Bayberry Candles

Bayberry candles were first made by the colonists, who discovered that, even though they take longer to make, they burned longer and cleaner than traditional wax candles. Because these candles took so much effort to make, many families began saving them for special occasions. Thus was born the tradition of lighting bayberry candles on Christmas, and reciting the verse: “Bayberry candles burned to the socket, puts luck in the home, food in the larder, and gold in the pocket.”

Feast of Seven Fishes

The Feast of Seven Fishes originated in southern Italy and is practiced today by many Italian American families.

In celebration of the birth of baby Jesus, many Roman Catholics do not eat meat on Christmas Eve. Instead, a feast of seafood and shellfish is prepared. Why seven different types of fishes? Tradition tells that it is because God took seven days to create the universe.

Religious Services / Midnight Mass

Many Roman Catholics and Anglicans celebrate Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. In Spanish-speaking areas, the Midnight Mass is called Misa del Gallo (”Rooster’s Mass”). In Lutheran churches, German and Scandinavian traditions are often practices, such as nativity plays, called “Krippenspiele”, and midnight candlelight services. Other Protestant churches also have nativity plays and candlelight services, but usually hold them earlier in the evening. Many Methodist churches celebrate Holy Communion in a solemn service lit only by the candles of the Lord’s Table.

In Eastern Christian, the traditional Julian calendar is followed, in which Christmas falls 13 days after the modern Gregorian calendar. A Nativity feast is held, often in the church, followed by an all-night vigil.

Caroling

An old European custom of singing Christmas songs throughout the village is still commonly practiced in the United States. Carolers, groups of friends or church-goers, will go from door to door, entertaining neighbors with traditional songs and hymns. Residents often give the carolers hot cocoa in return.

Advent wreaths and calendars are an old Protestant custom, which originated in Eastern Germany. The traditional advent wreath is made from evergreen branches to symbolize God’s ever-lasting presence. In the wreath are four candles — three purple candles that represent penance and one pink one to represent the hope of the coming joy. Each candle represents one of the four weeks before Christmas. During the week of Christmas, the candles are changed to white to represent the fulfillment of the miracle of the birth of the Christ child.

Like the advent wreath, an advent calendar counts down the month before Christmas Eve. Instead of marking each week, however, the calendar marks every day. The tradition dates back to the early 19th century, when Lutheran families made a chalk line on their front door for every day in December until Christmas Eve. Today that tradition has evolved in the advent calendar, the style and symbolism of which are as varied as the days on the calendar itself. Many families use calendars with little windows or doors, behind which they hide candies, stickers or other treats to sweeten the anticipation of Christmas.