Canadian Christmas Traditions

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Christmas is a special occasion in every individual's life. He or she loves to enjoy the festival and spend quality time with the family. Christmas has universal appeal. The festival is celebrated across the world in various styles. The traditions differ but the welcoming of Christmas is the same everywhere. Cleaning and decorating the home with Christmas lights, wreaths, branches of evergreen trees is an activity that is carried out by every family. The Christmas tree is brought home and decorated with festive lights, ornaments, toppers, etc. Christmas is the time of the year when people organize feast and parties and have family get-togethers.

Christmas traditions in Canada are somewhat similar to American Christmas celebrations. Canada has a lot of cultures and people of different nationality. Therefore, Christmas is celebrated in different manner in various provinces of the country. The Canadians celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, Christmas day and New Year during the Christmas holiday season. Gift giving and attending church service are two important traditions seen in Canadian Christmas. Christmas in Canada has an old tradition of mummers going from one house to other. They sing, dance on the rhythm of Christmas songs and have Christmas cake in the home they have visited. The mummers visit Canadian homes any time through out the Christmas season beginning from December 24 and ending on January 6.

The state of Nova Scotia is famous all over the world for its fir and pine Christmas trees. One of the most popular Christmas traditions is to send a best-looking, big Christmas tree from the state to Boston in US. This is to acknowledge the help given to Canada during its difficult times. Let's take a look at the Christmas traditions found in Canada:

Sending Christmas cards to friends and extended family is an important tradition followed through out the Christmas season
Gifts are given to kids that they open on Christmas Eve.
All Canadians attend Christmas Midnight mass at the church.
In Northern Canada, there is a party organized on Christmas Eve called as Taffy Pull in honor of St. Catherine. This party gives single women an opportunity to meet eligible bachelors
Children in Canada hang their stockings on Christmas Eve and wait for gifts from Santa Claus.
Canadians enjoy lobster, shell fish for their Christmas feast. The sweets prepared for festival are cakes and cookies with Barley Candy and Chicken bones.
The feast on Christmas Eve is quite big and lasts till early hours of Christmas Day. Families enjoy the festival with food, music and dance.
Many families in Canada have fir or pine tree as Christmas tree. The tree is decorated as per choice with lights, ornaments, tinsel and so on.