| Christmas in New Zealand
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CWith the southern summer (and northern winter), the land of the Lonely Planet surpasses expectations. Here’s 123Christians with practical information on a Christmas in New Zealand. In New Zealand, Christmas is combined with summer holidays, so as well as present-buying and parties, families prepare for trips to the beach. Shops are decorated with Father Christmas in his red cloak and white beard, as well as snow scenes. The traditions of Christmas have mostly come through English colonists who arrived there in the late 18th Century.
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Today, the persona of Father Christmas had changed and he is referred to as Santa Claus and has become much more like the Santa of the United States and Ireland. People too have been forced to change as a result of the Maori culture. Their spirits and creatures resemble the elves and gnomes of European Christmas traditions. They celebrate the story of the birth of Jesus Christ with a special service, which is appropriate to New Zealanders’ way of life. In doing so, they realize the true meaning of Christmas. The traditional Christmas dinner is roast turkey with vegetables and sauces, with fruity Christmas pudding with brandy sauce for dessert.
Many people have a picnic, a barbecue, or a traditional Maori hangi: they dig a hole in the ground and heat it with hot stones. Here, they put meat and vegetables, cover the hole and let the food cook inside. The hangi is served in the afternoon or evening, after which people often sit around and sing Christmas carols. For more of Christmas in New Zealand, surf 123Christians.
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