There are many different customs that make the Christmas season so special.When were some of the customs first used and where did they come from?
lets take a look at some of the more popular yuletide traditions!

People once believed that...

* It was good luck for the first person up on Christmas day to open a door and"let Christmas in."
* Bells placed near a baby or small child would keep evil spirits away
* The number of days between the first snowfall and Christmas told how many snowfalls would come before spring
* A cricket chirping at Christmas brought good luck
* Sparks from a yule log would create warmth in human souls.
* A candle left burning all night in an empty room on Christmas eve would bring light, warmth, and plenty all year. 

Christmas is one of the four most important festivals of the Vietnamese year, they being the birthday of Buddha, the New Year and the mid-autumn festival. Although the Christians observed the religious rituals of Christmas.

On Christmas Eve the Christians would attend a midnight Mass. After Church people would return to their homes for the most important meal the Christmas supper. The dinner usually consisted of chicken soup, and wealthier people ate turkey and Christmas Pudding.

The European customs of Santa Claus and the Christmas tree were popular and children would leave their shoes out on Christmas Eve.

(THIS INFORMATION WAS SENT MANY MANY YEARS AGO TO ME AND I HAVE SEEN IN MANY MANY MANY BOOKS ON CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD AS WHAT WAS ONCE TRADITION AND NOW MAY HAVE BEEN LOST.)

In Yugoslavia, children celebrate the second Sunday before Christmas as Mother's Day. The children creep in and tie her feet to a chair and shout, "Mother's Day, Mother's Day, what will you pay to get away?" She then gives them presents. Children play the same trick on their father the week after.

Those Yugoslavs who live in the country fear bad luck if their Christmas log burns out and so someone has to stand over the log all Christmas night to ensure it stays lit up.

Caroling is called eisteddfodde and is often accompanied by a harp. In some rural areas a villager is chosen to be the Mari llwyd. This person travels around the town draped in white and carrying a horse's skull on a long pole. Anyone given the "bite" by the horse's jaws must pay a fine.

In Venezuela on December 16th families bring out their pesebres which is a specially designed and thought out depiction of the nativity scene.

It is a custom to attend at one of nine carol services is observed by most Venezuelans. Firecrackers explode and bells ring to call worshippers from bed in the predawn hours. The last of the masses takes place on Nochebuena de Navidad Christmas Eve. Families attend a mass on this night and then return home to a huge and fancy dinner.

On January 6th when the children awaken they will discover that the straw that they had left beside their bed the night before has gone and in its place are gifts the children know that the Magi and their camels have been and when they go to look in the mirror if they have a black smudge on their cheek they know that Balthazar, King of the Ethiopians has kissed them whilst they slept.

Santa Claus was born in US in the 1860's he was named this as he had a white beard and a belly, so he was named Santa Claus as this was the Dutch word for St Nicholas, Sintaklaas. Although the Dutch had bought him with them in the 17th century, he did not become an important person at Christmas until the Novelist Washington Irving put him in a novel that he wrote in 1809. This first Santa Claus was still known as St. Nicholas, he did smoke a pipe, and fly around in a wagon without any reindeer, but he did not have his red suit or live at the North Pole, he did however bring presents to children every year.

In 1863 He was given the name Santa Claus and bore the red suit, pipe, and his reindeer and sleigh.

Now Christmas celebrations vary greatly between regions of the United States, because of the variety of nationalities which have settled in it.

Sviata Vechera OR "Holy Supper" is the central tradition of the beautiful Christmas Eve celebrations in Ukrainian homes. The dinner table sometimes has a few wisps of hay on the embroidered table cloth as a reminder of the manger in Bethlehem.

When the children see the first Star in the eastern evening sky, which symbolizes the trek of the Three Wise Men, the Sviata Vechera may begin. In farming communities the head of the household now brings in a sheaf of wheat called the didukh which represents the importance of the ancient and rich wheat crops of Ukraine, the staff of life through the centuries. Didukh means literally "grandfather spirit" so it symbolizes the family's ancestors. In city homes a few stalks of golden wheat in a vase are often used to decorate the table.

IN TURKEY IT IS FORBIDDEN TO PRACTICE CHRISTIANITY BUT THERE IS ONE SMALL TOWN AS LISTED BELOW WHO DOES STILL CELEBRATE.

In the Turkish town of Demre, Santa Claus or St Nicholas birth is celebrated every year during the three-day festival held in early December. Born in the nearby town of Patara, St Nicholas is remembered not only as a famous Turkish archbishop, but also for his kindness to children.

In Syria on December 6, a special Mass is held in churches in honor of Saint Nicholas Thaumaturgus, who legend has said was a kind and generous man not dissimilar to Saint Nicholas after who Santa Claus is modelled.

On Christmas Eve everyone in the family, carries a lit candle, to stand around an unlit bonfire outside their house. The youngest child usually the son of the family reads the Christmas story, after which the bonfire is lit. The way the flames spread shows the luck of the house in the coming year. When the fire burns, psalms are sung, and when it sinks, everyone leaps over the embers making wishes.

The week before Christmas, children dress up and visit homes with small gifts. Bell ringing has become a tradition, and each village competes with the next when calling people to midnight mass. After the service, families gather to share huge homemade doughnuts called ringli and hot chocolate.

In Switzerland, the Chlausjagen Festival or Feast of St. Nichohlas is celebrated at dusk on 6 December with a procession of "lifeltrager' wearing gigantic illuminated lanterns in the shape of a Bishop's mitre on their heads.

The custom goes back to Lucia, a Christian virgin martyred for her beliefs at Syracuse in the fourth century. The Saint Lucia ceremony is fairly recent, but it represents the traditional thanksgiving for the return of the sun. Often she is followed by star boys, who wear pointed hats, and carry star wands.

In Swaziland Christmas is on the 25th December. It is a beautiful time of year, where Christians get together, with friends and families to celebrate Christmas.

The day starts with a midnight mass in church then is followed by a meal, at home.

Children take this opportunity to open presents, and sing Christmas carols.

Many of you may be wondering about Christmas in Thailand. As you probably already know Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country (and Christmas is somehow related to Christianity - although the relationship is not really clear to me - something about Jesus' grandfather, Santa Claus, going shopping and eating lots of food? And snowmen? - I have never understood how that relates to a festival that occurs in the middle of summer).

Anyway, basically, the majority of Thais do not celebrate Christmas and in fact many have probably never heard of it (although due to TV I think most know of it now).

Children think of the Three Wise Man as the gift bearers. Tradition has it that they arrive on January 6th, the date the Wise Men gave gifts to Jesus.

Native Bolivians celebrate Christmas more as a harvest festival. Thanks are given for completion of the year's work. They give an account of the work done during the year and propose what is to be done the next year. Christmas tends to become a feast of adoration of the Goddess Mother Earth, who is asked to bring a fruitful harvest, to keep away plagues, and to give a prosperous year.

In Brazil Santa Claus is little known and those who do know of the jolly fellow call him Papa Noel.

Christmas trees in Slovakia go up on Christmas Eve.

They go to church on Christmas Eve and return to a traditional dinner. The dinner consists of two main dishes. These are sauerkraut soup, and fish and potatoes salad.

After the main meals people eat a dish called Lok'e which is food made from pieces of baked risen dough with raisins and poppy seeds. They then also eat fruit such as apples, oranges, pineapples, bananas, and nuts and cakes.

After dinner they go to the Christmas tree where they find Christmas presents.

In Sicily the Sicilians fast from December 23rd at sunset to the December 24th at sunset. They then have a great Yule log which is kindled. After prayers and songs are done around the Presepio or crib the feast begins.

The foods that might be served are eels and larks, boiled pasta, fish, sweet bread and Torrone a type of nougat.

The children are visited by La Befana on January 6. She was said to have been so busy cleaning her house that she missed out on going with the three wise men to Bethlehem. She was also considered to be a witch. Children hang up their stockings so that she will fill them with toys and gifts.