From the 19th century onwards, the tradition of erecting Christmas trees, the sending of Christmas cards and the display of decorations spread throughout Australia. Since that time, Christmas in Australia has remained an officially observed holiday and is celebrated as a traditional summer-time occasion.
Australians often celebrate Christmas Day by enjoying a Christmas lunch or dinner with their closest family and friends. The meal usually consists of a selection of hot and cold dishes, including fresh seafood.
In Australia, Christmas comes in the towards the beginning of the summer holidays! Children have their summer holidays from mid December to early February, so some people might even be camping at Christmas. Because it's so hot at Christmas time in Australia, there are quite often massive bush fires across the country.
Christmas is the most meaningful public holiday of the year for Australians (37%), followed closely by Anzac Day (30%).
5 Facts about Christmas in Australia
December is a very hot month in Australia. Some Australians celebrate Christmas on the beach. People decorate their homes with lights, trees, and ornaments. Australians decorate with Christmas Bush, a native Australian tree.
Then when July finally rolls around, this is when Australians celebrate Christmas in the traditional sense since it's colder. Although we know it as Christmas in July, Australians call this second celebration Yuletide or Yulefest.
Santa Claus goes by lots of names, depending on where you are in the world. In Australia and other English-speaking countries, he's usually called Father Christmas, Santa Claus, or sometimes just “Santa” for short.
There are two significant national days, Australia Day (26 January) and Anzac Day (25 April), which are nationwide public holidays. When a public holiday occurs on a Friday or Monday, the three-day period is colloquially known as a "long weekend".
For 11 months of the year, Lobethal is just another tranquil town in the Adelaide Hills. Each December, however, it puts on a spectacular Yuletide display after dark that earns it a moment in the limelight.
Therefore, in some southern hemisphere countries, such as Australia, South Africa, Brazil, and New Zealand, Christmas in July or Midwinter Christmas events are undertaken in order to have Christmas with a winter feel in common with the northern hemisphere.
The most common verbal greeting is a simple “Hey”, “Hello”, or “Hi”. Some people may use Australian slang and say “G'day” or “G'day mate”. However, this is less common in cities. Many Australians greet by saying “Hey, how are you?”.
Santa Claus in Australia
The children in Australia believe in Santa Claus. However, since it is summer, it would not be unusual to see Santa dressed in a lighter, cooler version of his red and white suit. Shorts can even be seen! Santa does use reindeer to pull his sleigh when delivering gifts to children in Australia.
The celebrations of Christmas in the Philippines have deep influences of Catholicism, tracing their roots back to Spanish colonial rule from 1521 to 1898. Currently, the Philippines holds the longest running festivity of the Christmas season in the world, which begins on September 1.
Over four in five Australians (85%) prefer the traditional greeting of “Merry Christmas” compared to more neutral salutations like “Season's Greetings” (8%) and “Happy Holidays” (7%).
roo – kangaroo
They had to have a dedicated slang term for kangaroos too, didn't they? After all, the kangaroos are Australia's most popular animals.
“The friendliest city in Australia awards goes to Perth, thanks to its lively locals, engaging social scene and ease of access for first-time visitors. Perth is a wonderfully vibrant and social place to be. Expect to make new friends in every bar you go to.”
Melbourne has had an impressive 2022. One of its neighbourhoods was named the coolest in Australia. It was then awarded the title of the most LQBTQIA+-friendly city in Australia (and the fourth worldwide).
From the 19th century onwards, the tradition of erecting Christmas trees, the sending of Christmas cards and the display of decorations spread throughout Australia. Since that time, Christmas in Australia has remained an officially observed holiday and is celebrated as a traditional summer-time occasion.
Thanksgiving, Memorial day, and Veterans day are the most popular holidays in the United States.
Australia isn't known as a budget destination but there is cheap accommodation to stretch your dollars further. Sydney offers inexpensive hostels, often with free wi-fi and sometimes breakfast. There are plenty of cheap eateries, and some key landmarks – like Sydney Harbour – are free.
Not all states are created equal when it comes to public holidays. Which state gets the most public holidays? According to the Fair Work Obudsman, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria have the most public holidays in 2023, with both states marking a whopping 14 public holidays on their calendars.
Flip-flops are also called thongs (sometimes pluggers) in Australia, jandals (originally a trademarked name derived from "Japanese sandals") in New Zealand, and slops or plakkies in South Africa and Zimbabwe. In the Philippines, they are called tsinelas.
Exactly how old is Santa? According to the blog Email Santa, Santa Claus is 1,751 years old as of 2022. In fact, the origins of Santa Claus can be traced all the way back to a monk named Saint Nicholas, who was born between 260 and 280 A.D.
Santa Claus is associated with Saint Nicholas, who is the patron saint of children. The Americanized name Santa Claus dates back to 1765—75, and it originally comes from the Dutch name Sinterklaas. The last bit of the Dutch name, Klaas, is short for Niklaas, or Nicholas.