In Mexico children decorate their homes for Christmas with colored paper lanterns and flowers. Children in Mexico often celebrate with a presebra which is a replica of the manger scene with Jesus was born nearly 2000 years ago!
In Mexico children have a great deal of fun when they participate in a parade called a posada. These parades represent Mary and Joseph searching for a place to stay on the night Jesus was born. Some of the people in the parade dress as Mary and Joseph and some dress as angels. The parade goes from door to door searching for shelter just as Mary and Joseph did the night Jesus was born. Just as Mary and Joseph could find no room in the inn, neither can the participants of the parade. Sometimes the people in the parade will say a prayer in front of the manger scene and then they will have a party!
(Have them hold the Mexican flag.Pretend to have a parade around the living room)
Almost all the homes in France display a Nativity scene or creche which reminds everyone of the true meaning of Christmas. (Have them hold the French flag. Do we have a nativity in our home??)
On Christmas Eve restaurants and cafes in France stay open all night! The restaurants are serving a special meal that is called "le reveillon." The word reveillon means to wake up! Reveillon symbolically represents the spiritual awakening to meaning of the birth of Jesus!
Children of France are busy munching away on sausages, oysters, ham and pastries while you are putting away roast turkey! French children also eat a cake which is called a "Christ Cake." A Christ cake is coated with sugar and is decorated to look like the Christ child. (Pretend to make a Christ cake.) One very interesting custom in France is to leave a candle burning in case the Virgin Mary passes by! Something else that you might find very interesting is that the children in France receive their gifts on December 6th!
Children in Italy celebrate Christmas with a big focus on Jesus! They start celebrating Christmas 8 days before Christmas and continue until after the Feast of Ephiphany. On December 23rd, children dress up like shepherds and they go from house to house playing shepherds songs. People give the children money for the children to buy treats!
In Italy families kneel before the presepio which means manger. The manger figures are hand-carved and are usually very detailed. The manger scene is set out in the shape of a triangle. This pyramid structure is called a ceppo. The ceppo is built out of wood and is several feet high. It is decorated with colored paper and cones! The shelves in the ceppo is filled with small gifts and candy. (Have them hold the Italian flag. Pretend to put candy in the ceppo.)
The children in Italy are not looking for Santa Claus but are looking for Befana. Befana is a witch-like character and she rides on a broom. The story about Befana says that on the night that baby Jesus was born, she was asked by the Three Wise Men for directions to Bethlehem and she said she was too busy! Later on that night Befana saw a light in the sky and decided to go to Bethlehem. She looked and looked but could not find the stable. Legend says that each and every year she continues to look for the Christ Child. Since she was not able to give the Christ Child a gift, legend also says that she gives gifts to good boys and girls.
Info found on : http://www.homeschooled-kids.com/cmasworld.html
Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by Bella Beita B&B 1/2008
Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by Bella Beita B&B 1/2008
Now hold up a flag of where you are from and talk about ways you celebrate Christ during Christmas.
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