Posted by Francisco Soria | Posted on 17:30
En primer lugar quisiera daros la bienvenida a este blog que, como su introducción anuncia, sólo pretende serviros de utilidad en vuestro aprendizaje.
En esta ocasión vamos a poder conocer cómo se celebran las Navidades en Nueva Zelanda; ya que amablemente Stephanie, nuestra neozelandesa lectora de inglés, se ha brindado a hacerlo. Pero... ¡Nos lo va a contar en inglés!
"Christmas in New Zealand is very similar to the Christmas in Europe or America, with one important difference. It's in the middle of summer! In New Zealand the school year ends in the middle of December and the kids don't have to go back to school until February.
Children in New Zealand get presents from Santa Claus on the 25th of December. Santa travels all over the world on Christmas night with his reindeer and climbs down chimneys to deliver toys to all the boys and girls who have been good. Santa usually prefers to change his clothes to a t-shirt and shorts when he gets to New Zealand, because he gets too hot.
Families in New Zealand have pine Christmas trees in their homes just like families in the USA and Europe, which they decorate with beautiful decorations and lights. There is a tree that grows all around New Zealand called a Pohutukawa tree which flowers with beautiful red blossoms at Christmas, this is the New Zealand Christmas tree.
Popular Christmas treats to eat in New Zealand are largely influenced by Christmas traditions from Britain and America. Children like to eat peppermint candy canes, rich Christmas fruit cake, Christmas pudding, fruit mince pies and Christmas cookies. There is one dessert that is unique to the area called Pavlova, a large meringue cake that is usually topped with fresh summer fruit like strawberries or kiwifruit and whipped cream. It is named after a famous Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova who toured the country in the 1920s.
People like to decorate their houses with lights and put Christmas wreaths on their front doors. At Christmas time it is very popular to listen to Christmas music, such as "Silent Night" (Noche de paz), "Jingle Bells", "Santa Claus is coming to town" and, of course, "Feliz Navidad" by Jose Feliciano.
Because of the hot weather at Christmas, many New Zealanders like to go to the beach to celebrate. They often have a barbecue or a picnic lunch at the beach or in their garden. Families play sports together on the beach, such as cricket, rugby or soccer.
In the days before Christmas, people wish everybody they know and meet a happy Christmas. They say "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!". In Maori, the indigenous language of New Zealand, they say "Meri Kirihimete" to wish someone a merry Christmas."
