Lectura en inglés para niños: 10 fun facts about Christmas around the world

La revista I Love English Junior te invita a leer: 10 divertidos datos sobre la Navidad alrededor del mundo

¿Quieres saber más sobre cómo se celebra la Navidad alrededor del mundo? Te invitamos a leer 10 fun facts about Christmas around the world elaborado por la redacción de la revista para aprender inglés I Love English Junior.

Los niños conocerán datos muy interesantes y divertidos. Además, aprenderán nuevo vocabulario y practicarán la lectura en inglés.

Lectura para que los niños aprendan: 10 fun facts about Christmas around the world

Lectura en inglés: curiosidades sobre la navidad en el mundo

1. In UK, children hang up stockings or pillow-cases by the fire or by their beds on Christmas Eve and leave out mince pies and brandy (or a non-alcoholic drink) for Santa Claus when he visits them.

On Christmas Day most British eat roast turkey, vegetables, bacon and sausages, often served with cranberry sauce and bread sauce. A popular dessert is trifle, a layer of fruit and cake, a layer of custard and a top layer of cream".

Christmas crackers -a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated paper with a little prize inside-, flowers and candles are usual table decorations.

2. In France, Christmas celebrations start with St Nicholas day on the 6th of December. On Christmas Eve, children put out their polished shoes in front of the chimney and hope that Père Noël (Father Christmas in French) fills the shoes with sweets.

3. In Italy, a nativity scene is displayed in churches, town squares and homes. On Christmas Day, Babbo Natale (Father Christmas in Italian) might bring small gifts to children, but the main day for exchanging presents is on 6th of January, the Day of Epiphany. Children believe an old woman called Befana arrives in the night and delivers presents or sweets to good children, while naughty ones get chunks of black coal.

4. Germany is well known for its Christmas markets and advent calendars. The Christmas tree is usually only put up and decorated in the morning of the 24th of December.

5. Finnish people believe Santa Claus lives in Lapland, in the north of the Arctic Circle. Skiing or skating is popular in Finland on Christmas Day. "Christmas Land", a theme park in the north of Finland, is also visited by many tourists during Christmas time.

6. In the USA, families get together for a festive meal after exchanging gifts on 25th December. The traditional meal is turkey or ham with cranberry sauce. Making gingerbread houses is also popular to make and eat at Christmas. Eggnog is a traditional Christmas drink. Perhaps the most famous Christmas street lights are at the Rockefeller Center in New York where a huge Christmas tree is put up.

7. Canadians believe their country is the home of Santa Claus. But Finnish believe so too! The Santa Claus Parade in Toronto is one of the oldest and largest Santa parades in the world. It has been taking place for over 100 years. Around 25 floats and 2,000 people take part and it is broadcast on TV around the world.

8. In Australia and New Zealand, it is summer season in December, so during Christmas time friends and family gather around a picnic at the beach and sing Christmas carols. Many Australians and New Zealanders cook meat, shrimps or other fish on a barbecue (or barbie) for Christmas lunch. Children leave out carrots for Santa?s reindeer, and a beer and pineapple chunks or some cake for Santa.

Aussies (Australians) decorate their houses with bunches of Christmas Bush, a native Australian tree with small green leaves and cream-coloured flowers.

9. Kiwis (New Zealanders) have their own special tree too, the Pohutukawa. Its bright red flowers often feature on Christmas cards. One popular present for Christmas are jandals, a kind of flip-flops or sandals.

10. In Japan, Christmas is more a time to spread and share happiness rather than a religious celebration. It is even considered a "Festival of Love". Christmas Eve resembles Valentine?s Day. On Christmas Day Japanese often eat fried chicken, which makes restaurants such as KFC very busy!