Christmas is celebrated in many countries around the world with various traditions: 1) In Orthodox countries like Georgia, Christmas is preceded by a 39 day fast and candles are placed in windows on Christmas Eve so angels can see and protect families. 2) In France, Nativity scenes called creches are displayed featuring local figurines called santons, and a log is burned through Christmas and New Years for good luck. 3) In the US, Santa Claus was popularized in the 1860s as a jolly man in a red suit who brings gifts on Christmas Eve. 4) In China, Christian children decorate trees while non-Christians celebrate the Spring Festival honoring ancestors.

2. How merry Christmas is said : Afrikaans: GeseëndeKersfees Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun English: Merry Christmas French: Joyeux Noel German: FröhlicheWeihnachten Hindi: ShubNayaBaras (good New Year not Merry Christmas) Italian: BuoneFesteNatalizie Japanese: Shinnenomedeto. KurisumasuOmedeto Polish: WesolychSwiatBozegoNarodzenia or BozeNarodzenie Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikomRozhdestva is NovimGodom

3. Orthodox Christmas In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Christmas Eve is referred to asParamony. It is the concluding day of the Nativity Fast and Is celebrated as a day of strict fasting by those devout Orthodox Christianswho are physically able to do so.In some traditions, nothing is eaten until the first star appears in the evening sky, in commemoration of the Star of Bethlem.

4. Orthodox Christmas The liturgical celebration begins earlier in the day with the celebrationof theRoyal Hours, followed by theDivine Liturgy combined with thecelebration of Vespers, duringwhich a large number of readingsfrom the Old Testament are chanted,recounting the history of salvation. After thedismissal at the end of the service, a new candle is Broughtout into the center of the church and lit, and all gather round andsing the Troparion and Kontakion of the Feast.

5. Christmas in Goergia Georgians are christianorthodoxs, we fast for 39 days before christmas, until jenuary 6thchristmas eve . Several years ago, Patriarch Ilia II asked Georgians to light the candles and put them in the window, so that angels could see and come to defend our families. Patriarch's request has become a valuable tradition for all of us. Nowadays, everybody does so and at 00:00 if you look out of the window, you can see hundreds of beautiful twinkling and sparkling candles, that are lighting the darkness.

6. Christmas in France Nearly every French home at Christmastime displays a Nativity scene or crèche, which serves as the focus for the Christmas celebration. The crèche is often peopled with little clay figures called santons or "little saints."

7. Christmas in France In addition to the usual Holy Family, shepherds, and Magi, the craftsmen also produce figures in the form of local dignitaries and characters. The craftsmanship involved in creating the gaily coloredsantons is quite astounding and the molds have been passed from generation to generation since the seventeenth century. Throughout December the figures are sold at annual Christmas fairs in Marseille and Aix.

8. Christmas in France In Southern France, a log is burned in people's homes from Christmas Eve until New Years Day. A long time ago, part of the log was used to make the wedge for the plough as good luck for the coming harvest. The traditional Christmas is a chocolate log.

9. Christmas in United States of America Santa Claus was born in US in the 1860's he was named this as he had a white beard and a belly, so he was named Santa Claus as this was the Dutch word for St Nicholas, Sintaklaas. . Although the Dutch had bought him with them in the 17th century, he did not become an important person at Christmas until the Novelist Washington Irving put him in a novel that he wrote in 1809. This first Santa Claus was still known as St. Nicholas, he did smoke a pipe, and fly around in a wagon without any reindeer, but he did not have his red suit or live at the North Pole, he did however bring presents to children every year. In 1863 He was given the name Santa Claus and bore the red suit, pipe, and his reindeer and sleigh

10. Christmas in China The Christian children of China decorate trees with colorful ornaments. These ornaments are made from paper in the shapes of flowers, chains and lanterns. They also hang muslin stockings hoping that Christmas Old Man will fill them with gifts and treats.

11. Christmas in China The non-Christian Chinese call this season the Spring Festival and celebrate with many festivities that include delicious meals and pay respects to their ancestors.

12. Christmas in Poland Traditionally, Advent is an important season in the Polish year, with special church services, known as Roraty, being held every morning at 6am. The four Sundays of Advent are said to represent the 4,000 years of waiting for Christ.

13. Christmas in Poland Before sitting down at the table, everyone breaks the traditional "Oplatek" . "Oplatek" is known as the bread of love, friendship and forgiveness, person who do not approached the Christmas Eve table without forgiving and forgiveness, without being able to wish everybody well with a whole hart.

14. Those were some of the countries where Christmas is celebrated. But December miracles do not end with this day. Only a week later, on 31 of December, the world is blowing-up with thousands of fireworks, lighting in southands of colours.

15. Wish You A Merry Cristmas and A Happy Ney Year!