Holiday traditions around the world

Foreign exchange students share their Christmas memories

Holiday traditions vary across the globe. Foreign exchange students spending this year at Cambridge-Isanti High School share their favorite holiday memories.
Hungary
Timea Dianovsky expects to feel right at home while celebrating Christmas in Cambridge this year.
The Hungarian native pointed out that the traditions in her homeland and in the United States are similar. In both countries, people decorate inside and out. And there is the gift exchange.
“We cook Hungarian foods, and after it the whole family comes together to eat and talk,” Dianovsky noted.
Afterwards, the family often plays games.
One Christmas memory stands out clearest toDianovsky. It was the year that she lost her dog two days before Christmas. She was devastated and cried a lot. On Christmas day, her neighbor came over – with her dog. “It was the biggest present for me,” recalled Dianovsky.
Kyrgyzstan
In Altynai (Tisha) Kamchybek’s native Kyrgyzstan, they don’t celebrate Christmas. But their New Year’s celebration is a cross between America’s two holidays.
Families erect trees, decorate them … and wait for the new year.
The entire family comes together to celebrate the holiday. Shortly before midnight, the president gives a televised New Year’s speech. After it, everyone counts down the seconds to the new year, and then they toast. Next they head outside to view the fireworks.
Then it’s time for the feast. “We come back to the house and eat, eat, eat,” said Kamchybeck. “That’s fun!”
The thing she’ll miss the most this year is her “big, noisy family dinner.”
But she’s excited to see all the homes decorated for the holidays in America. She’s also looking forward to spending Christmas Eve with her host Margaret Hemmingson and family. And she can’t wait to hear Christmas singers.
When Kamchybek looks back over the years, she recalls one hilarious memory: that of her father and uncle dancing for the family wearing wigs on New Year’s Eve.
Brazil
Deborah Ribeiro is used to a hot Christmas. In Brazil, December falls in the middle of summer and is one of the hottest times of the year.
While the cold may take some getting used to, there are many things she’s looking forward to about Christmas in Minnesota.
She can’t wait to see the local church’s musical. Participating in the Christmas musical at her church is one of the things she enjoys most about the holiday and will miss this year.
Ribeiro is also excited to taste the foods and desserts specific to a Minnesota holiday. Spending time with her host family, the Huffs, is also on top of her list.
In a way, her Christmas here will be much like her one at home, filled with family and food.
Each year in Brazil, her large family gets together to pray and eat. “On Christmas, we also have karaoke to sing with friends and relatives,” Ribeiro said. “My uncle gets dressed up like Santa Claus for the younger kids’ entertainment.”
They decorate a tree, and hang up lights.
Two Christmas memories stand out for Ribeiro: the year her cousin’s boyfriend proposed in front of the whole famly, and the year she took high scores in karaoke.
Vietnam
Christmas isn’t an official holiday in Vietnam and is treated as a day like any other by the government. Students must attend school, and workers go to work.
But citizens still decorate the streets, hang lights on their buildings, and put fake snow on the windows, according to Chau (CK) Huynh. “Enter city hall, and you’ll see so many beautiful things … constructions with lights all over, snowhouses, Christmas trees,” she said.
“It’s not cold – there’s no snow, but we can still feel the spirit and excitement of Christmas in us all.”
On Christmas day, Huynh and her family decorate a Christmas tree, gather together for dinner, and then go out for a walk until late at night to view all the decorations. After taking pictures of the beautiful things, they return home to open gifts. The next day will be a regular day. That’s why this year, Huynh is excited to experience a Christmas break from school.
She’s also delighted to see snow, and to “feel the real Christmas time in America.”
Germany
This year won’t be the first that Pauline Hein has spent Christmas in a foreign land. When she was six, her family and relatives spent Christmas in Mexico. “It was very hot, and I had sunburn on my nose,” recalled Hein. “My cousins had nice costumes: one was an angel and the other one a Santa Claus. Finally, we were singing together and got our gifts.”
She’s excited to spend the holidays in a new way, although she knows she’ll miss her traditional celebration.
In Germany, nearly every family puts up a Christmas tree. Santa Claus is a prominent theme. They begin counting down the days on Dec. 1 when they get a Christmas calendar.
On Christmas Eve, her family drives to visit her grandparents in her old hometown, Eisenhuttenstadt. At 7 p.m., they attend the concert of her former trumpet teacher. One person always stays home to “welcome the Santa Claus.”
When the family returns home, they dine together and then open their gifts. They listen to Christmas music and watch films like “The Last Unicorn.”
At 9 p.m., they go to church to listen to her sister’s choir concert.
On Christmas Day, the family feasts on goose. “We eat many oranges, peanuts, gingerbread and platzchen, a traditional cookie,” said Hein.
Laura Fritsche, also of Germany, points out that Germans decorate their homes with garlands and lights. Decorations also spill down the streets. “We also have Christmas fairs where you can buy decorations, jewelry and a lot of food,” she said.
Her entire family comes together to celebrate the holiday. “On Dec. 24, my grandmas and grandpas come to our house, and we have a big dinner together,” Fritsche said. “On Dec. 25 and 26, we visit my uncles and aunts, or they come to our house.” She will miss that connection with family members this year.
But she’s looking forward to spending Christmas with her host family, Mary and Brian DeVries, and learning about how Americans celebrate.