Writer Matthew Sue will be covering the customs and traditions that cultures around the world celebrate Christmas with. The first article in this series was covering the continent of Asia. This article will cover the Middle East and Africa.

Although Christmas is a popular holiday in America, other countries have their own way of celebrating during the holidays. From decorations to food dishes, different cultures gather together to celebrate long time traditions.

Ethiopia

Christmas in Ethiopia is called Ganna and is a very religious holiday. It is celebrated by a Mass (church service) during which people often on traditional Ethiopian garb called shamma. Another interesting fact is that the people of Ethiopia use the Julian Calendar, which puts their celebration on the 7th of January. Additionally, many celebrate with a dish called wat which is similar to stew and is traditionally eaten using a bread called injera as a plate

Iraq

Christmas in Iraq is observed by only a small amount of people, as there is a very small population of Christians (.8%). These people are called the Assyrians. To those who do celebrate it is a mostly religious holiday. It is usually celebrated with a special church service, followed by several other religious ceremonies. One interesting Iraqi tradition is the burning of dried thorns, it is believed that the way the thorns burn will show how the upcoming year will progress.    

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Madagascar

The people of Madagascar have many traditions that are similar to other cultures, such as gift giving, eating together as a family and going to church. However they also have some traditions that are unique to their country. For example, many people eat a fruit called lychee, which is roughly the size of a strawberry and has a skin that must be peeled off before it is eaten. Another unique tradition from Madagascar is that Poinsettias, are grown year round and used in a similar fashion to American Christmas trees.

Israel

Of all the middle eastern nations Israel has one of the biggest celebrations. This has do to with a number of things. Although Israel has a small Christian population (2%) it is the birthplace of Jesus making it a popular destination. Which is why it receives a large amount of pilgrims and tourists. This makes Christmas a very important holiday in Israel even if the majority of the population does not celebrate it.       

Nigeria

Celebration in Nigeria is very popular with the people and is a very family centered event. The time leading up to the Christmas is hectic, as people attempt to carry out their various traditions. The celebration in Nigeria in fact is very similar to American celebrations.

For example it is a tradition that people leave the city and return to their ancestral homes, where families share a meal; similar to Americans rushing home for Christmas dinner. Some examples of the popular foods are Jollof rice, which is usually served with a variety of meats and a traditional palm wine.            

Nigerian born Roxane Hill talks about the various traditions that Nigerians follow.

“The Nigerians we know don’t give as many gifts as we do here,” Hill said. “However the family is very important and the extended family gets together usually in their original home. They often slaughter a cow for their family celebration (meat is not eaten everyday). For the past several years, many families have not been able to go “home” because their home towns are either still occupied by the insurgent group, Boko Haram, or still very unsafe.”

Roxane Hill is part of a group called Church of the Brethren that is working to bring relief to the area that the Boko Haram has destroyed, for more information please visit Nigerian crisis page.

The author used these sources for this article: indobase.com, Observer.com, The holiday spot, Whychristmas?com, The Messenger, inallthings.org, Howstuffworks, Bestcountry.com.

To read the first article in this series check out, Christmas around the world: Asia

This writer can be reached via email: Matthew Sue.