Australian Christmas is celebrated on December 25th with unique summer traditions, but many also enjoy a second celebration in July called "Christmas in July" (or Yulefest), which offers a winter-themed experience with cozy fires, mimicking Northern Hemisphere traditions, though the main festive event remains the summer one.
In around 15 countries including Belarus, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Russia, and Ukraine,7th January is Christmas day. It's because they use a different calendar, called the Julian calendar that pre-dates the Gregorian calendar, which is commonly observed.
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.
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.
Carols by Candlelight
This one's a bit of a Sydney institution and definitely deserves to be on the list of top Australian Christmas Traditions. It's televised every year and Australia's biggest stars (yes, even The Wiggles) perform here every year to spread the Christmas cheer.
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.
Yes, Christmas in Australia is quite different because it occurs in the middle of summer, leading to a focus on outdoor activities like beach barbecues, picnics, and cricket, instead of winter traditions like snow, with meals featuring seafood and salads alongside traditional roasts, and unique local touches like the native Christmas Bush and "Six White Boomers" carols. While many Northern Hemisphere traditions like Santa Claus, carols, and decorated trees remain, the setting shifts from cold to hot, sunny days.
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).
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.
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, ...
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.
The most Australian thing to say often involves casual abbreviations, laid-back optimism like "She'll be right" or "No worries," and unique slang for everyday items, such as "Arvo" (afternoon) or "Barbie" (barbecue), often delivered with "mate," making phrases like "G'day, mate, chuck us a coldie at the barbie this arvo?" quintessentially Aussie.
A "bogan" in Australia (and New Zealand) is slang for an uncouth, unsophisticated, or unrefined person, often from a working-class background, characterized by specific tastes, fashion (like mullets, flannelette shirts), speech, and behavior, though the term can be derogatory, humorous, or even self-adopted, depending on context and intent, referring to a laid-back, anti-establishment attitude rather than just poverty.
No one knows Jesus' exact birth date, but Christians traditionally celebrate it on December 25th (Christmas), a date chosen centuries later, likely linked to Roman winter solstice festivals and calculations, though historians believe he was born several years earlier, possibly between 6 and 4 BC, with some theories suggesting a September birth.
Known by many names, including the Epiphany, Three Kings' Day, Little Christmas or the 12th Day of Christmas, January 6th was first celebrated as a feast day in the 4th century to commemorate Jesus' introduction in human form.
Noel derives from the Old French "Noël", meaning "Christmas". It is a variant (and later replacement) of "nael", which itself comes from the Latin natalis, meaning "birth". The term natalis dies (birth day) was long used in Church Latin in reference to the birthday of Christ—or in other words: Christmas.
More than 80% of our plants, mammals, reptiles and frogs are unique to Australia and are found nowhere else in the world. Some of our Australian animals are very well known like kangaroos, dingos, wallabies and wombats and of course the koala, platypus and echidna.
Snacks and beverages may be left out for Santa to consume during his visit, often milk and cookies, or a beer. Carrots are also commonly left for Santa's reindeer. The gifts are opened the next morning, on Christmas Day.
"White boomers" refers to white kangaroos, specifically large male kangaroos (boomers) with white fur, popularized by the classic Australian Christmas song, "Six White Boomers," where they pull Santa's sleigh through Australia's heat instead of reindeer. The term blends Australian slang ("boomer" for a large male kangaroo) with a festive, localized twist on Christmas traditions, though it's rarely used for people, unlike the generational "Boomer" term.
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%).
Koorie/ Koori/ Gurri/Gooris/
Goori is usually used by Aboriginal people in northern N.S.W coastal regions. Aboriginal people and communities of South Australia refer to themselves as Nunga, and Nyoongar in southern Western Australia.
In the western suburbs of Brisbane, including Boonah, the most used Aboriginal language is Yugarabul. The best way to say 'hello' is 'gurumba bigi,' which means 'good day. '
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.
Countries in which Christmas is not a formal public holiday include Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Cambodia, China (excepting Hong Kong and Macau), the Comoros, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Libya, the Maldives, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, the Sahrawi Republic, ...
Five fun facts about Christmas in Australia include celebrating in hot summer weather with seafood BBQs and pavlova, seeing Santa arrive by surfboard or boat, decorating with native Christmas Bush, singing songs about kangaroos ("Six White Boomers"), and the famous Boxing Day Test cricket match.