Australians call Christmas "Christmas," or affectionately "Chrissy," with no unique official name, but they celebrate it in summer, leading to unique traditions like beach BBQs, while some also celebrate "Christmas in July" for a winter feel. The day is celebrated on December 25th as a public holiday, with a blend of traditional customs and summer-focused activities, often involving outdoor gatherings, seafood, and enjoying the sunny weather, according to Study Australia, says Oreate AI, states Alibaba.com, and WhyChristmas.com.
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%).
In England, Australia and New Zealand, people use Father Christmas and Santa Claus interchangeably. Father Christmas comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve to deliver presents for children to open on December 25.
Australians celebrate Christmas in July (Yulefest) to enjoy traditional winter festivities, like roasts and cozy fires, which contrast with their December Christmas, which is hot and summery, reflecting their British/European heritage and desire for a "winter wonderland" experience with traditional foods and decorations during the Southern Hemisphere's coldest month. This mid-year celebration offers a fun excuse for gatherings, attracts tourism to cooler regions, and provides a break from the December heat and stress, allowing for hearty feasting and themed parties.
Yes, "Chrimbo" is informal British slang for Christmas. It's often used in a lighthearted or playful context, sometimes to refer to the festive season in general rather than the religious holiday. The term is more common in casual conversation and has a quirky, jovial tone.
In Australia, the Christmas holiday is simply called 'Christmas,' but its celebration is anything but ordinary. Imagine a sun-drenched day where families gather not around roaring fires and snowflakes, but under the shade of eucalyptus trees, barbecuing prawns instead of roasting turkeys.
Here are 5 common Aussie slang words/phrases: G'day (hello), Mate (friend), Arvo (afternoon), No worries (no problem/you're welcome), and Barbie (barbecue), with many Aussies shortening words (like Brekkie for breakfast, Servo for gas station) and using colourful terms for everyday things.
Australians celebrate Christmas twice because December is their hot summer, so they have a traditional summer Christmas (BBQs on the beach) but also embrace "Christmas in July" (Yulefest) for a cozy, Northern Hemisphere-style winter celebration with log fires, roasts, and fake snow, honoring their British heritage and yearning for traditional winter festivities. It's an unofficial second celebration, not a replacement for the December holiday, offering a chance to enjoy festive traditions better suited to cold weather during Australia's winter.
December 26 is not only a day for Santa Claus to catch his breath but a public holiday known as Boxing Day in the United Kingdom and other British Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Yes, in Australian Christmas folklore, Santa's sleigh is famously pulled by six white boomers (large male kangaroos) instead of reindeer, a fun twist reflecting Australia's hot summer climate and unique wildlife, popularized by the classic song "Six White Boomers". This tradition shows Santa adapting to the Southern Hemisphere, sometimes even arriving by surfboard or boat.
Woop Woop is used to refer to a place in the middle of nowhere. People use it to signify that a location is far away, unfamiliar to them, and difficult to get to.
In Australia, Secret Santa is most commonly called Kris Kringle, though "Secret Santa" is also widely understood and used, especially in workplaces, with some variations like Yankee Swap or White Elephant for different gift styles. The name Kris Kringle comes from the German Christkindl (Christ Child) and stuck as a cheerful term for the anonymous gift exchange.
In Australian slang, "avo" means avocado, while "arvo" means afternoon; they sound similar but refer to different things, with "arvo" being a shortened form of "afternoon," often pronounced with an "ah" sound, and "avo" being a short form of "avocado".
“G'day” What does it mean? General greeting, used instead of “hello”, both day and night. Often combined with “mate”, as in…
"Barbie" is Australian slang for BBQ and the phrase "slip a shrimp on the barbie" often evokes images of a fun social gathering under the sun. Australians, however, invariably use the word prawn rather than shrimp.
Sweet as: awesome or good, is used to intensify the phrase. Though sweet as is the most common, any adjective can replace before the “as” – such as lucky as, dark as, creative as and beautiful as.
Aussies say "Merry Christmas" most often, but for slang, they use "Happy Chrissy!" or add flair like "Have a ripper Chrissy!" (meaning a fantastic one) for a casual, festive vibe, often with "Cheers!" as a general greeting, reflecting their laid-back style.
Although the term white Christmas usually refers to snow, if a significant hail accumulation occurs in an area on Christmas Day, as happened in parts of Melbourne on 25 December 2011, this can also be described as a white Christmas, due to the resulting white appearance of the landscape resembling snow cover.
“As the final Saturday before Dec. 25, Super Saturday is a significant shopping event for both consumers and retailers."
Although of course Christmas was not a traditional celebration, many Aboriginal people now celebrate either the Christian or non-Christian aspects of Christmas. Please browse this page to see downloadable resources in Gamilaraay (GR), Yuwaalaraay (YR) and Yuwaalayaay (YR) - or all three (GYY).
These countries don't celebrate Christmas: Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Cambodia, China (excepting Hong Kong and Macao), Comoros, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Laos, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, ...
Australians call Santa by the same names as many other English-speaking countries, primarily Santa Claus, but also commonly use Father Christmas, with both terms often used interchangeably, though "Santa" is perhaps more prevalent due to global media influence, while Kris Kringle is used for Secret Santa gift exchanges.
Common Australian slang for a girl includes "Sheila" (older, sometimes dated or slightly derogatory), "chick," or just using general terms like "mate," "gal," or "lass," with context and tone being important, but "girl" is still widely used; some slang, like "moll," can refer to a girlfriend or a promiscuous woman, while "bogan" describes an unsophisticated person.
"Oy oy oy" in Australia is most famously part of the patriotic chant "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!" used at sporting events to show national pride, but "Oi" also functions as a general Australian informal interjection, like "hey" or "excuse me," to get someone's attention. The chant itself comes from the British "Oggy Oggy Oggy" cheer for Cornish pasties and became popular in Australia after the 2000 Olympics.
A notable exponent of the term is Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle from George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion; "I ain't done nothing wrong by speaking to the gentleman". Ain't is a non-standard feature commonly found in mainstream Australian English and in New Zealand, ain't is a feature of Māori-influenced English.