Despite occurring in December, Christmas in Australia is distinctly a summer holiday, in contrast to its Northern Hemisphere counterpart. Many common Christmas customs are observed in Australia, including the erecting of Christmas trees, gift-giving, and the singing of Christmas songs. However, Australia also has its own distinct Christmas practices. Santa Claus travels here with a team of six kangaroos in a ute, alternatively he rides in on a boat or a surfboard.
In order to make the most of the warm weather, Australians spend Christmas Day at the beach or in a pool. Roast turkey, ham, or prawns are among the holiday meals. Christmas in Australia features special events like Carols by Candlelight on Christmas Eve and the Adelaide Christmas Pageant, which attracts about 400 thousand visitors.
How Australians Celebrate Christmas
Due to the country’s summer season, Christmas is an amalgamation of European traditions and indigenous practices in Australia. Since the majority of Australians have British ancestry, most of the country observes the most common Christmas celebrations, but there are also some unique traditions and customary festivities:
- Christmas at the Beach: When the weather in Australia is nice around Christmas, many people go to the beach for a swim or have backyard barbecues with seafood.
- Adelaide Christmas Pageant: Since 1933, the month of November in South Australia has been marked with a parade complete with floats, musicians, and other forms of entertainment.
- Surfing Santa: It’s summer in Australia during the holiday season, so a boardshort-clad Santa riding the waves is a common sight.
- Christmas Bush Tree: Like many nations, Australians decorate the Christmas tree and exchange presents on December 25, both of which lie in Pagan festivals. However, some also decorate their houses with native Australian Christmas bush trees for their cream-colored flowers.
- Myer Christmas Windows: The Myer Christmas window decorations on Bourke Street Mall have been a tradition for Melburnians since 1956.
- Candlelight Caroling: In 1938, Melbourne was the epicenter of this trend’s rise to fame. Carols are sung by candlelight in parks and other outdoor spots, attracting large crowds. The main event occurs on Christmas Eve at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
- Chocolate Calendars: Australians use chocolate advent calendars to mark off 24 days until Christmas.
- Better Christmas Foods: The Christmas meal is a key feature of the Australian holiday. This feast is livelier than in the northern hemisphere since the holiday season occurs in the midst of summer.
Things That Make Australian Christmas Different
Swimming During Christmas
Since Christmas in Australia occurs in the summer, going for a swim is a popular pastime. People spend the day at the beach when the weather is hot, lounging in the sun and taking refreshing swims. It is not uncommon to see depictions of Santa Claus taking a refreshing dip at the beach.
Northern Hemisphere residents also go to Australia for the holiday season so that they partake in the custom of going swimming on Christmas Day. Around 200,000 people arrive in Australia for this occasion every year, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Surfing Santa
Santas in Australia wear shorts and thongs, but a surfing Santa is also another fun spin on the conventional Santa Claus figure. While it’s not always the norm, you could see a surfer sporting a Santa hat if you go to the beach on Christmas morning. Hundreds of surfers wear Santa outfits and hit the waves at Cocoa Beach.
One significant instance occurred not too long ago when a group of 320 surfing Santas assembled at Sydney’s Bondi Beach and broke the Guinness World Record for the biggest surf lesson. In an effort to educate the public about the importance of mental health, RedBalloon, Let’s Go Surfing, and OneWave hosted this event. Social media helped rally the troops, and the event went off without a hitch. In Australia, the picture of Santa Claus riding a surfboard has become a cultural symbol.
Cold Meals at Christmas
The holiday feast in Australia consists of salads, seafood, and other cold items to cool down the heat, and they are consumed outside or at the beach.
- Seafood: Seafood is a favorite for Christmas dinners. Whether in the form of a drink or as part of a seafood platter, prawns are always a hit. Seafood platters are simple to make.
- Cold Meats: Christmas dinner in Australia includes cold meats like ham and turkey. The meat is prepared two or three days ahead and served cold.
- Salads: The Australian Christmas lunch would not be complete without the traditional salad. Potato salad with Dijon mustard mayonnaise is one example and roasted pumpkin salad with honey and balsamic dressing is another.
A Second Christmas in July
Yes, “Christmas in July” or “Yulefest” is a real thing, although an Australian one. Even though it isn’t recognized by the government as a holiday, this event has gained widespread popularity. The term “Christmas in July” was first used to describe the practice of celebrating Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere during the warmer summer months.
Since Christmas pastimes aren’t as pleasurable during the hot summer months of December, Australians try to enjoy them for real in the winter of July by cozying up by a fire or wearing Christmas jumpers. July 25 is the designated day for Christmas festivities but Christmas on the 25th of December is still a big deal in Australia and “Christmas in July” is just a fun alternative.
Carols by Candlelight
“Carols by Candlelight” was introduced in Melbourne in 1938. People gather by candlelight to sing carols, and the event is traditionally held in a park. Various celebrities play live to an orchestra at these galas. Norman Banks, the event’s emcee, was moved to action after seeing a lonely old lady singing Christmas songs by candlelight and thus, Carols by Candlelight was born.
About 10,000 people showed up for the inaugural one in 1938, when it was hosted at Alexandra Gardens. The event gained so much popularity after WWII that it was relocated to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, where it has remained ever since. There are still 10,000 people attending this event each year.
The annual “Carols by Candlelight” event raises the most money for Vision Australia’s children’s programs, which help families with children who are blind or have limited vision. In recent years, the public has been invited to attend the dress rehearsal on December 23rd, with proceeds going to Vision Australia.
Myer Christmas Windows
Melbourne, Australia, residents can’t wait for the Myer Christmas Windows every Christmas in early November. This event has been happening since 1956. The six big display windows in front of the Melbourne Myer shop are turned into a Christmas scene and more than a million individuals see the exhibitions annually. The windows are usually opened in the first week of November and they stay this way until December 24th.
The annual theme for each store’s window displays is different. The storylines chosen for these productions have changed throughout the years, from holiday favorites like “The Nutcracker” and “A Christmas Carol” to modern favorites like “Peter Rabbit” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
Christmas Events Across Different Cities
- Sydney: “A Sydney Christmas,” the city’s holiday event, consists of tree lighting. The city’s business district is home to a big Christmas tree known as the Martin Place tree. The Darling Harbour is also decked out in a festive fashion.
- Melbourne: It’s home to the famous Christmas by Candlelight event.
- Adelaide: The capital of South Australia holds one of the world’s largest holiday extravaganzas, a Christmas Pageant, complete with enormous floats, marching bands, dance groups, and performers.
- Canberra: The capital of Australia is part of a celebration called “Christmas in the City”.
- Hunter Valley: This place holds the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular with really beautiful lights.
Santa Claus in Australia
The youngsters in Australia believe in Santa Claus. In this island continent where summer and Christmas coincide, Santa often dons a less bulky version of his traditional suit—or even shorts—to keep cool. The traditional Australian Santa has a red outfit and a white beard, but he also has a funny portrayal where he is sporting an Akubra hat, dressed casually in shorts and thongs, and driving about in a sleigh (sometimes in the back of a ute) drawn by kangaroos. This humorous twist is mentioned in the classic song “Six White Boomers” by Rolf Harris.
Young Australians get ready for Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve by leaving out cookies and milk, writing letters to Santa, decorating the tree, using an advent calendar with a small chocolate behind each window to count the days until Christmas, and hanging stockings or socks by the bedpost or fireplace mantle. In Australia, it is also traditional to leave cold beer for Santa and carrots for his reindeer. As you can see, the image of Santa Claus has been modified to reflect the warmer temperature and laid-back lifestyle of Australia.
Boxing Day Celebration: December 26th
Just like in the UK, Canada, and New Zealand, Boxing Day is a public holiday in Australia on December 26th. It is celebrated right after Christmas Day. The precise history of Boxing Day is cloudy, but it has evolved from centuries-old British customs of charitable giving in honor of the ancient Roman saint Stephen (5–c. 36 AD), a Christian saint whose feast day is December 26.
The servants in socially stratified 17th-century Britain spent Christmas Day away from their own families in order to serve their employers. Like a holiday bonus, their bosses would hand them boxes stuffed with presents, cash, and leftovers the day after Christmas. This was where the modern Boxing Day celebration originated and continued throughout the Victorian era.
In Australia, Boxing Day is a day to catch up with people you didn’t get to see on Christmas. People go out to eat, to bars, or to hang out at home. This day is also known for its shopping (and Boxing Day sales), athletic activities, and charity events like the Boxing Day Dip, when citizens swim in the cold sea to raise money for good causes.
Australian Christmas Foods and Decorations
Decorations
The many Aussie homes include Christmas trees, koalas, cockatoos, and kangaroos in Santa hats, eucalyptus wreaths, gumnuts, and leaves. They can also feature dwarfs, reindeer, and nativity scenes. The ‘Christmas Bush’ is a natural Australian tree with cream-colored blossoms that is used by some Australians to adorn their homes. Nasturtiums, wisteria, honeysuckle, poinsettias, mistletoe, holly, and pinecones are other popular decorations, and their scents evoke those of a summer garden rather than winter.
Foods
Australians love to eat their Christmas dishes outdoors or at the beach.
- Pavlova: Among traditional Australian desserts is the meringue-based Pavlova. Sweet passionfruit flesh sits above a mountain of fresh whipped cream and a mountain of berries.
- Prawns: This is a common name for the aquatic crustacean animals in Australia, and they are a popular seafood to cook on the grill. The Sydney Fish Market sells more than 130 tons of prawns just two days before Christmas.
- Seafood Platters: They become even more popular than they already are during Christmas.
- Roast Ham: Yes, Christmas dinner always includes a roast ham in many cultures, but Australians prepare it two or three days before to serve it cold.
- Roast Turkey: Another common Christmas dinner. It is served with stuffing, gravy, roasted potatoes, and roasted vegetables, much as it is in the United Kingdom.
- White Christmas Bars: Like Rice Krispie treats, they are a holiday delicacy, and they are made with white chocolate, coconut, cranberries, and cherries.
- No-Bake Choc Ripple Log: The chocolate ripple biscuits are sandwiched between vanilla cream in this no-bake dessert.
- Aussie Eggnog: A sweetened dairy-based beverage since eggs, milk, and cream are its constituents. Raw sugar is used for the sweetening, and either bourbon or cognac is substituted for the alcohol.
Christmas Music in Australia
Australian Christmas Carols: Australia’s environment and culture have inspired some very unique seasonal songs. These songs, unlike their conventional counterparts, often include references to Australia’s scorching summers and unique animal life. For instance, in “The 12 Days of Aussie Christmas,” indigenous Australian birds take the place of the traditional European ones.
Even the common Christmas songs like “Jingle Bells” typically have an Australian spin. References to the wilderness replace snow, and a “rusty Holden ute” takes the place of a sleigh in the Australian adaptation.
Modern Songs: Many modern Australian musicians have created Christmas albums that pay homage to the peculiarities of spending the holiday in the middle of summer Down Under.
History of Christmas in Australia
The earliest recorded Christmas celebration in Australia took place in December 1788, over a year after the landing of the British First Fleet at Sydney Cove. From the 19th century forward, the practice of constructing Christmas trees, the mailing of Christmas cards, and the display of decorations extended across the country.
Since Australia is in the southern hemisphere, most people would rather spend their vacation time outside than indoors during this hot spell. From the early 1850s forward, outdoor picnics were a way to celebrate Christmas with friends and family. Adventure sports became connected with the holiday season and Boxing Day.
Australians have celebrated Christmas as a secular family holiday with an early emphasis on outdoor activities and celebrations since the holiday’s inception. The Australian Christmas Bush has been used since 1937 to illustrate the Nativity of Christ, continuing a tradition that was begun by Norman Banks.
