Our twist on Christmas was set in Jordan and began with a sleepless night on Christmas Eve in a wind-battered tent – although “tent” was a loose term for the patchy tarpaulins we used for shelter, and a structural collapse occurred at 3am. Despite the mishaps, Christmas morning began in style with a sip of prosecco and a bite of Mum’s homemade Christmas cake for all. Once clad in festive antlers, we set off on a walk through the mountains to the majestic monastery in Petra . Festive greetings from home and an unusual Christmas dinner, consisting of a cucumber, an orange and flatbread, rounded off a brilliant Christmas Day in one of the wonders of the world. Although the Christmas Story took place in Israel, Christmas isn't widely celebrated in the country at all! Only about 2.5% of the population of Israel are Christians. Christmas isn't a public holiday in most of Israel! For most people in Israel, Christmas is a 'normal working day' (unless the 25th December is a
One Christmas, I went to a zen meditation retreat in Oita, on the southernmost Kyushu island, because I was feeling very burned out. The meditation retreat, as you would imagine, was pretty relaxed and the resident monk and I got along very well. Oita is famous for its fugu – the poisonous puffer fish – and for Christmas dinner, I took the only other person at the retreat and the monk into the city for a fugu feast. After a visit to a karaoke bar where we sang I Will Survive, the three of us rounded our Christmas off at a whisky bar before riding the train back to the temple to meditate before bed. Best Christmas ever!
If you're used to Christmas Day being the main event or at least for festivities to continue on the 25th, a Japanese Christmas may take you by surprise.
I clearly remember our first Christmas in Japan and going out to try to buy one of the aforementioned chicken packs on Christmas Day. They were perplexed why we would be asking when Christmas was “over” and we were wondering why on earth a Christmas special wouldn't be until Christmas Day.
Nowadays, there are places that extend their Christmas meals until the 25th, but Christmas Day itself is rather uneventful. Neither Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day are holidays for the Japanese so after a fun night on the 24th, everyone is back at work as usual on Christmas Day and the festivities feel more or less over.
However, with the increasing popularity of Christmas in Japan, Christmas parties may often extend to any of the days around Christmas Eve. For three decades, many foreigners would relish the national holiday on December 23rd, the previous Emperor's birthday, and use it as a day to celebrate holiday parties with other expat friends missing Christmas festivities back home. However, with the change of Emperor in 2019, this date is no longer a national holiday.
Something that many people don't know about Japan is their extensive winter lights displays or “illuminations”. We're talking millions of LED lights and interactive audio-visual displays, each location usually having a designated theme each year so that visitors can enjoy something different each festive season.
Some are specifically Christmas orientated that wrap-up on Christmas Day, while others extend all the way to Valentine's Day, giving couples ample opportunity for the perfect winter date night.
Some are specifically Christmas orientated that wrap-up on Christmas Day, while others extend all the way to Valentine's Day, giving couples ample opportunity for the perfect winter date night.
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