How do switzerland people celebrate christmas

On the night of 24th December, all the members in a family treat themselves to a sumptuous Christmas dinner. Thereupon, everyone gathers around the Christmas tree and sings songs or hymns related to the occassion. Some read the passage concerning Jesus Christ's birth from the Holy Bible.

Gifts are also exchanged. Many Swiss families go to local churches to attend the Midnight Mass. After the service, families gather to share hot chocolate and huge homemade doughnuts called "ringli". This angelic figure is said to be a representation of the little Jesus. Each window has to be closed, until its time to get publicly revealed. People gather in front of every window to see the window opening and decoration.

Every window has to stay lit until the Christmas Eve when the last 24th window gets revealed. Even though this custom is not usual in every single part of the country, it is still a vital part of the Swiss Christmas guide.

Adventskranz counting is a bit different — it counts the last four weeks before Christmas Eve. It represents a decorated, circular wreath with four large, fastened candles.

The first candle has to be lit on Sunday, four weeks before Christmas Eve. After that, every other Sunday is reserved for the next candle. There is also one more custom called Rabeliechtli — small parades of beetroot lanterns. Children carve them at school, mostly with their teachers, and then walk around with them while singing songs through their villages. Samichlaus is one of the essential pieces of the Swiss Christmas guide.

In most countries around the world, Santa Claus comes on 24th December. Samichlaus, or Swiss Santa, comes on 6th December, with a massive bag of chocolates and fruits to share with everyone. In the evening, Samichlaus visits every family with his helper — Schmutzli.

He knocks on the door, and people invite him to the house. Then, he calls out everyone and gives them a report on how they behave this year. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Ben Davis March 19, How do Switzerland people celebrate Christmas?

Are there any special foods eaten on Christmas? What is Santa called in Switzerland? How do Swiss say Merry Christmas? What day is Christmas in Switzerland? Where in Switzerland is Christmas celebrated? Does it snow in Switzerland at Christmas? There, people can make their own candles by dipping a wick into tubs of hot, molten bee's wax which comes in different colors.

It is a fun activity for both children and adults as they have full creative freedom over how they want their candles to look. But it does take a fair amount of patience. Finished candles are paid for by weight, with proceeds being mostly donated to charity. Handmade candles make for nice decorations, and it is said that they last much longer if they are stored for some years before use.

In the Swiss German-speaking part, Christkindli , literally "Christ Child", is responsible for delivering presents to children on Christmas Eve.

There is some confusion as to whether Christkindli is supposed to be Baby Jesus or rather just a cherub-faced angel. A bell is secretly rung by one of the adults in the family during Christmas Eve celebrations, which marks the arrival of Christkindli. At this point, upon hearing the bell, children run into their bedrooms so that Christkindli can deliver their presents.

When the children are summoned back into the living room, their Christmas gifts are sitting under the Christmas tree and everyone sings a few Christmas hymns together before exchanging presents.

So, there you have it. Swissmas traditions are completely different to those we have in other countries but it would be pretty boring if everyone celebrated exactly the same way. Steph moved to Switzerland from Brisbane, Australia, to be with her Swiss partner. Having lived in four countries altogether, she is always itching to travel and discover new places.

In between, she teaches English at her own language school, Camelot Courses.