How is Christmas celebrated in Canada?

How is Christmas celebrated in Canada? It is a question we ask ourselves when we think that the North American country is the perfect setting for this holiday. Large expanses of lush pine and fir trees, high mountains and lots of snow are characteristic of Canada and also what we all build in our minds when we imagine a Christmas landscape.

That is why Canadians celebrate Christmas with great interest and dedication. To do so, they have some traditions common to the rest of Western countries, but also other indigenous ones. We are going to show you how Christmas is celebrated in Canada.

How Christmas is celebrated in Canada: preliminaries

Before Christmas Day, Canadians decorate their homes with lights abroad and the typical tree adorned inside. The streets are also full of Christmas decorations. The tradition of the tree dates back to 1781 in the North American country, when the first tree was planted in the city of Quebec. Since then, this ornament has become one of the most important elements of Christmas in Canada. In fact, it is said that, on these dates, there is one Christmas tree for every seven Canadians.

Also the nativity scenes They are a classic element in Canadian festivals influenced by European colonizers, both French and English. This is especially true in the same area of ​​Quebec.

And equally the Christmas carols they are traditional. Many groups of children visit the houses to perform these songs and receive a Christmas bonus in return. More curious are the masked ones that you can see on the streets of the main cities, especially in the Newfoundland area. They are called belsnicklers o mummers and they go through the neighborhoods ringing their bells so that their neighbors give them sweets and candies.

You can also easily find Papai Noel on the streets of all Canadian towns, especially at the doors of shops and residential buildings.

More unique and secular is the sink tuck. It is a party of origin Eskimo in which Canadians sing and dance to welcome winter and also, precisely, to commemorate the traditions of this indigenous people.

On the other hand, if you spend your first Christmas in the North American country, you will be struck by tubes wrapped in brightly colored paper that, when you pull them from both ends, open showing a gift. Are the crackers and they are also part of the Christmas customs of Canadian children.

How they celebrate Christmas in Canada: dinner and December 25

The first thing to keep in mind if you celebrate Christmas in Canada is that on December 24 the stores they close at five or six in the afternoon. Therefore, you should do your shopping first so as not to find yourself in a hurry.

The Santa Claus Parade

Also, before dinner on Christmas Eve, in some cities they take place santa claus parades just as in Spain we do cavalcades of kings. This tradition is classic of Vancouver, for example and, above all, of Toronto, where the tradition was established in 1913, which makes its parade one of the oldest and most popular in the world.

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Another aspect to keep in mind about how Christmas is celebrated in Canada is the Christmas Eve dinner. Families meet in their homes to taste it. In the labrador peninsula there is an ancestral tradition of keeping turnips that are collected in summer to give them that day to the children who carry a candle.

Christmas dinner includes Stuffed turkey with mashed potatoes, vegetables and cranberry sauce. Different products are placed inside the turkey according to the area of ​​the country. For example in New Scotland is stuffed with seafood, while in the Quebec he puts on pork hand ragout.

For dessert, they have a raisin or plum pudding y butter cake, although another one made with minced meat is also very typical. Likewise, the chocolate muffins and iced cookies with cocoa and sugar. And, to drink, a delicious eggnog which also carries milk and brandy or whiskey.

After dinner and leaving your Socks under the fireplace for Santa Claus, many Canadians also attend the Midnight mass. But more curious is another very different Christmas tradition that exists throughout the country. On these dates, performances of 'The Nutcracker', famous ballet created by Tchaikovsky based on an account of Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffman.

December 25: gifts

On the other hand, on December 25, Canadians first receive the gifts that the good of Santa Claus. However, it is also common that they have opened at least one the night before.

As in almost all parts of the world, it is a holiday and families come together again to eating, in many cases taking advantage of what has remained of Christmas Eve to prepare a new menu.

Finally, December 26, Saint Stephen's Day, is also usually a holiday in Canada. In this case, the Boxing Day, during which gifts and donations are given to those most in need. For this reason, many stores open and offer discounts to their customers.

Saint Catherine and Christmas

There is another curiosity around Canadian Christmas that not everyone knows about. Formerly, the Christmas festivities began in the North American country on November 25, feast of Saint Catherine, day when the call was made everywhere taffy pull, a treat that stretches enormously.

In conclusion, if you were wondering what Christmas is like in Canada, you can already get an idea of ​​its main traditions. These are not so different from ours. But they present certain peculiarities as the tradition of representing 'The Nutcracker' and the Boxing Day. Anyway, in future articles we will talk about the customs of Canadians in New Years Eve or New Years to complement all this information.