Best Christmas Gift Ideas

Christmas celebrations in African countries is characterized by an outdoor activity, largely because the season often comes at a time when the weather is nice. Using the palm trees and participating in processions are also characteristic features of the activities related to Christmas in many parts of Africa.

In South Africa, activities that occur outside during Christmas carols are the usual, but also the unusual swimming and camping. The beach and mountains play an important role in South Africa over Christmas, because the season occurs during the hottest time of year – summer.

Given the pleasant weather conditions at Christmas, families also take advantage of it often go to tourism in the countryside in a relaxing drive in the late evening Christmas. A rich and sumptuous menu which includes pork or roast turkey, mince pies, yellow rice, vegetables and desserts usually the traditional South Africa Christmas dinner.

To create a festive atmosphere, decorated with pine boughs and fir needle cotton and sequins are used in homes and businesses, decorations.

A similar decorative pattern of the use of evergreens, palm trees and candles, also seen in countries like Ghana and Liberia. While these are used in homes and businesses, but are also carried in processions and during caroling activities.

While the South Africans meet on the beach during the Christmas season to enjoy the warm waters of summer, people in other nations of Africa often gather outside in the squares and in the streets to march, sing and enjoy an overall feeling of joy.

Despite the similarity in overall appearance of the activity, however, countries have their own individual style that makes unique Christmas celebrations.

Of all the celebrations in African nations, Christmas activities in Ethiopia are distinguished by their difference in when they celebrate and how. One of the features that make Ethiopian Christmas different is that the main celebration event has place on January 7, around the time known as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day in the North and South America.

Given the modest situation general financial economic significant numbers of people in many African countries, Christmas celebrations also tend to occur during a period shorter time, compared with activities in the richest countries.

Another difference in the celebrations of Christmas in Ethiopia is the participation of several persons participating in a pilgrimage and converge on the capital city on Christmas Eve. These pilgrims fill the night air with a roar of prayer and song and create a spectacle when they gather in multicolored Christmas morning to have a religious service.

But retaining a similarity with other African nations, Ethiopians enjoy a Christmas dinner including a meat stew. Stews, rice, tubers such as yams, bread and soups are often part dinner menu traditional Christmas Day in African countries.

Christmas dinner can be enjoyed outside the family, where everyone shares the food while are sitting in a circular pattern out from the shadow of a spanning tree, instead of sitting in a formal setting at the table.

As is the practice in every home at Christmas, Africans are also exchanged gifts. Popular items that are exchanged as Christmas gifts include cottons, soaps, candy, pencils and books, all very practical elements that can be readily used. Again, this may be related to the modest financial resources of the population to half that of many African countries, as well as cultural norms. Individuals are not able to afford extravagant gifts, but still want to surprise children, family and friends at Christmas with an unexpected gift. The generally pervasive cultural norm of humility and modesty that exists between traditional African peoples, also plays an important role in failing to overreach Christmas extravaganza.

About the Author:

Find tips about Costa Rica facts and facts about France at the Countries Facts website.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Christmas Celebrations in African Nations