Christmas in Canada

In Canada, Christmas Day is celebrated on 25th December.

The Christmas festivities here are quite similar to the American observance of the occassion.

Pantomiming wearing masks is a popular tradition in Canada and comes from Newfoundland.
In places like Labrador and Nova Scotia, local people wear masks and visit houses during the
twelve days of Christmas, miming and making rude noises and actions, ringing bells and
asking for candy or other treats. The mummers remove their disguise and stop behaving
riotously if the hosts guess their identities correctly. They also quiz the children to check
whether they have been good in the past year, and if they are satisfied, the kids receive candy
as reward.

Christmas decorations start here from several days before 25th December. In Quebec,
elaborate nativity scenes are displayed in individual homes as Christmas decorations.
Labrador City in Newfoundland organises an annual Light-up Contest at this time of the year.
People deck up the exterior of their homes with lights and often create big ice sculptures in
their front gardens. Christmas is truly a white one here, with about 12-14 feet of snow
covering the ground during this period.

On December 24, Christmas Eve, extended family members get together for a fun-filled
celebration. In places such as Labrador City in Newfoundland, many households hold
Christmas cookie-baking parties, where every participating family bakes their own kind of
cookies and then exchanges them with the other members of their family. A variety of
different cookies are to be taken home by each family at the end of the party. A mass service
is held at midnight and attended by many. In Canada, tourtiere or pork pie is served to
everybody who attends the Midnight Mass. After participating in the Christmas Eve Mass,
many Canadian families(especially those of French descent) have a grand dinner that lasts
well into the early hours of Christmas morning. The traditional Canadian Christmas dinner is
known as 'Reveillon' and includes a delicious dish of roasted turkey with vegetables and
sauces. A popular Christmas dish is "Boulettes" (small meatballs). The dessert is often a rich,
fruity Christmas pudding with brandy sauce. Local candy companies also make special sweets
for Christmas, known as Barley Candy and Chicken Bones! These are a great hit and eaten
during Christmas, not only by kids but adults too.

In Canada, children hold Santa Claus to be the bringer of their presents. Many of them hang
their stockings to be filled by him with gifts and goodies. Many Canadians open their gifts on
Christmas Eve, while others choose to unwrap only one gift on this day and open the rest on
Christmas Day.

At this time of the year, people indulge in a lot of social welfare and charitable activities,
donating generously to those who are in need so that nobody is deprived of happiness on this
auspicious day. Christmas parties for children and adults are often organized to ensure
everyone has a good time. Of course, there is a cute man dressed as Santa Clause waving at
you at every store, club or shopping mall you visit and a queue of enthralled kids waiting to
shake hands with him. All houses are beautifully embellished with gorgeous lights, Christmas
trees and other decorative items that just make the Christmas season so memorable and
worthwhile. Here, Christmas is a matter of the heart!However since Canada is one of the most
multicultural nations in the world, different parts of Canada has a different way of celebrating
Christmas. People from all over the world reside in this country in perfect harmony and they
contribute to the festival in their own unique ways. For instance, Quebec has the “La Fete du
Roi” where people bake a cake with a small bean at the center. Whoever gets lucky finds the
bean. Labrador City conducts a “lighting contest”. They also have a Taffy Pull in the northern
parts where single men can meet single women. Well, the city of Toronto is the biggest eye
catcher of the season where they have the Santa Claus parade. It is the greatest event ever
which began almost a hundred years back and continues till date. This event is relayed on
different channels all over the world."