Back in 1910, two-thirds of all Christians lived in Europe. Now there are nearly as many Christians in sub-Saharan Africa (24 percent of the world’s Christian population) as there are in Europe (26 percent), according to the Pew report. From Lagos to Manila to Kinshasa, this weekend, hundreds of millions of people will be celebrating Christmas in tropical heat.
Still, why cling to the food, imagery and decorations from another place? Why not create Christmas traditions that are authentically your own?
This is not a new question for Australians, being torn between love and lament for how we do Christmas here. Indeed, fighting in the kitchen over how to celebrate the holiday, as fat spits in the oven and kids race through in swim suits, is itself part of our Christmas tradition. Being anxious about being second rate and derivative is part of the Australian experience.
There are plenty of ways we do make Christmas our own. These days, the Christmas menu is about seafood and salads as much as it is about turkey and ham. The florists are full of big armfuls of Christmas bush, a native shrub that turns red this time of year and that is now commonly used to decorate the Christmas table. The holiday has developed into a summer festival of family and rest, the day itself followed by a week of eating leftovers, to the soundtrack of cricket commentary on the radio. Each day is layered like a summer trifle: eat, nap, swim, repeat.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member