Christmas Is Coming: How AUBG Students Celebrate It

More than 40 nationalities are represented at AUBG, which brings a diversity of traditions, cultures, and holidays together. AUBG students celebrate Christmas differently in their homes all over the world.

"We start by decorating at the beginning of December. On the 24th, children or musicians knock on doors or perform on the streets the ‘Jingle Bells’ song. On Christmas Day, we wake up and pick up our presents underneath the Christmas tree and have dinner with family," Filippos Kinigopoulos, a first-year student from Greece, said.

What is Christmas without family? Families and home coziness are an inseparable part of this holiday.

"Huge dinner with family members, which include not only parents and grandparents but also siblings of our grandparents and their descendants. Whole families actually gather together," Niko Kochalidze, a third-year student from Georgia, said. "Sometimes we drink from special dish ‘Kantsi’ which is a horn of an animal (goat, ox, or bubalus)."

The dinner is another inevitable part of every Christmas celebration, although it may take different forms in several countries.

"When it is time for dinner, we eat homemade bread with a little coin in it. The one who gets the slice with the coin is considered to be lucky and blessed for the upcoming year," Katarina Marinkov, a third-year student from Serbia, said.

Serbia and Bulgaria share a common border. That is why some of the traditions at Christmas are present in both countries.

"We make a traditional bread called ‘pitka’, we put a coin in it and whoever finds it first will be lucky over the next year," Frantsiska Kutevska, a third-year student from Bulgaria, said. "We usually spend the entire day of Christmas Eve preparing the food for the evening and Christmas day. We go to the church in the evening on December 24th. On the next day, we gather again for Christmas lunch when my cousins, uncles, and aunts come."

In other countries, Christmas is completely different. Such is the case with Brazil.

"Christmas is during summer. So no warm clothes or drinks, and no staying cozy inside," Valeria Almeida Amaral, a fourth-year student from Brazil, said.

Christmas is a uniting holiday that brings people from different religions together and makes them feel the Christmas spirit even if the holiday is not celebrated the same way or at all by their religions.

"It is surprising that all religions celebrate each other’s holidays. I mean, Muslims, who make up the majority of the population in Albania, congratulate everyone who celebrates Christmas and go to their houses as a sign of solidarity between religions," Adela Vrapi, a second-year student from Albania, said.

However, in some countries, Christmas is not a special holiday that deserves to be celebrated.

"Christmas is not a traditional holiday in Vietnam, so there is no unifying way to celebrate Christmas, at least for non-Christians. My family would usually go out for dinner, but my Christian friends have to fast the whole month and attend some ceremonies at the church," Ngan Ho, a second-year student from Vietnam, said.

In other countries, like India, people do not celebrate Christmas in one particular way.

"Christmas is celebrated somewhat uniquely by every family and not associated with religious but more so personal traditions," Anjali Avatapalli, a third-year student, said. "I grew up in five different countries - Singapore, the USA, the UK, Australia, and India. That is why my family has always had a unique way of celebrating Christmas in the way that we’ve adapted little traditions from every place we lived in."

Despite differences in the ways AUBG students celebrate Christmas in various parts of the world, many of them also share similarities. Being with families and friends, feeling warm and cozy, eating food, and creating memories are among the things they shared.