European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 22, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                .4  s s Al. V x Jim. V or v x  the world a though the yuletide message in i sesame the Way people celeb role Christma around the world differs from country to country continent to continent and culture to culture. This Christmas season associated press correspondents Werp asked or reports on Christmas traditions in the countries Iron which they report Here Are then dispatches Australia from Peler o Loughlin Sydney artificial Christmas Trees decorated with artificial Snow roast Turkey Plum pudding and carols about sleighs Snow and Reindeer Are increasingly seen As incongruous in Australia where Christmas Means summer heat Brus fires and surfing at the Beach. An increasing number of people want to australian ire Christmas by decorating Gurn Trees and substituting a cold Turkey salad picnic at the Beach for hot Turkey in the dining room. Schoolchildren Are taught an australian Christmas Carol. The Story a Bush Christmas about Christmas in the heat of the Outback the sparsely settled Inland Region of Australia. Is a Best seller every year. But with it All Mistletoe Holly. Santa Claus and Bing Crosby singing i m dreaming of a White Christmas still mean Christmas Down under. Austria from Roland print Vienna families gather around a decorated tree on Christmas five to sing silent night. Holy night the world s most famous Carol composed in Austria 167 years ago. The music was by a schoolteacher. Franz Xaver Gruber and the lyrics were written by the Rev. Josef Mohr a Village priest. Carp or other Lih a eaten on Christmas eve Ami lire Mam course on Ciri Mas Day is Goose or Turkey in years past Only children received Kilts but now adults Exchange Gills Britain from Graham Heathcote London critics of anti a cooking maintain that Christmas is the Only Day of the year the country gets a decent meal in millions of Homes dinner is roast Turkey with Chestnut stuffing in the neck end and sausage  in the Tail end bread sauce made with bread and cloves. Roast potatoes and Brussels sprouts followed by Plum pudding with Brandy sauce and mince pies the Rich dark pudding steamed for six or seven hours in a Basin several weeks earlier and for two More hours on Christmas Day. Is made of hour spices sugar shortening eggs raisins currants almond1 fruit Peel and Black treacle molasses but no plums eating goes on All Day Ham and Tongue trifle chocolates More Nance pies and fruit cake everyone Hopes Lor a White Christmas but usually it Rains. China from Donna Anderson peking thousands of chinese christians crowd into peking s St. Mary of the immaculate Conception Cathedral and other churches for Midnight mass on can slams eve. The churches Are packed and Many people travel for Miles in the cold on bicycles or other forms of transportation to get to the services the Christian churches were reopened Lullow mrs the cultural revolution that ended in 1976 Christmas is not celebrated by most chinese but a few Christmas Trees ornaments and cards Are in Germany Christ Mai Markutt Tuch at Nornberg t  add to Iii to the season. Huettle Page 14 the stars and stripes available Lor Sale to foreigners in poking. Czechoslovakia from Iva dra Palovi Prague people clean their houses irom top to Bottom before Christmas a tradition that goes Back t pre Christian times when the dead were thought to come Back to Earth and everything had to be tidy to avoid making them angry. Those Days the housecleaning is followed by Bakin 10 to 14 different types of cookies Are the Rule. The traditional Christmas fare also includes Carp rolled in South Bohemian lakes in november and Kep alive to be sold irom huge barrels by Street vendors. Denmark from Frank Polsy Copenhagen Danes begin celebrating Christmas on the first sunday of Advent Wilh the lighting of candles placed around a Wreath of Pine sprigs. A Candle is lit each sunday during the four weeks before Christmas. Children of the household have a Christmas Calendar a Long strip of embroidered cloth with a trea attached by a ribbon Lor each Day leading up to Christmas eve. Families gather on Christmas eve Lor a dinner of Goose or Duck. But before the meal everyone is serve a bowl of Rice boiled in milk one Almond is mixed in with the Rice before it is portioned out. The family member who Linds the Almond in the bowl or be Narold wins a prize. France from Paul Treuthardt Paris Christmas is not Only a time Lor giving in France but. As befits a gastronomic nation a time of eating traditionally the Christmas feast was an All night affair Starling alter Midnight mass now it starts at 9o 10 . Typically the meal will Start with oysters caviar smoked Salmon and Pate de tote gras. Sometimes lobster is included in those Early courses. The rain course May to Turkey with chestnuts and a Puree of celeriac the celery Root. That would be followed by Green salad with walnuts a substantial cheese Board and the Buche de Noel a Rich cake decorated to resemble a Yule log. All of it will in the French phrase be Well watered with Champagne and line wines. Germany from George Boehmer Frankfurt the idea of Christmas Trees is said to have started in Germany hundreds of years ago a germans keep up the tradition with lir or Pine Trees in their living rooms. The Trees Are decorated Wilh White candles or lights shaped like candles. Ornaments Are often Beautiful hand carved wooden likenesses of the baby Jesus or a tiny crib. Little Gingerbread men candies and tinsel Are also part of the tree decorations. The German Christmas season always begins dec. 6. On St. Nicholas Day when gifts for children Are placed in shoes or in stockings Hung by the fireplace. On Christmas eve. The entire family exchanges a flt after singing Christmas carols families gather again Christmas Day for dinners of roast Goose or Duck dumplings red cabbage Granta and a dessert of Gingerbread. Greece from Stefan fat Iii Athens greeks in recent years have replaced decorated Trees with models of ancient ships As the Christmas Symbol. They select either the trireme an ancient warship the clique a traditional fishing vessel. The Cha Ngeow from Christmas Trees was encouraged by the greek government in an Effort to preserve the country s forests. The ships Are displayed in windows and on mantels of households during the Holiday season. Guis of Candy Are placed in or around the ships. The models have no real connection with cart St _ but they symbolize Greece s seafaring tradition and " " a sunday my ,