A Little Tradition…A Unique Christmas in Australia
Sailing the Whitsunday Islands
Images of Christmas traditionally evoke thoughts of a toasty log cabin with a flickering fire and cup of hot chocolate all while the snow quietly falls outside. Perhaps there’s even a twinkling Christmas tree nestled in the corner. Well, that’s not the case in Florida -it was 82 F here last week (about 60 F now)– but, you know, at least it is winter here!
Last year I found myself in the Southern Hemisphere for Christmas – Australia to be more exact. The sun was baking down outside and it was, without a doubt, tank-top weather. This was a pretty big conundrum for me – even though I’m not used to a snowy Christmas, I am used to the Florida version of winter…and I’m used to having friends and family right nearby instead of a hostel (or boat) full of backpacking revelers.
But I knew I was making the choice to spend Christmas solo when I set out RTW in November so I was…kinda…prepared for it. Australia surprised me in the lack of holiday decorations at the shopping centers and a general lack of holiday cheer in many cases – and that made me miss my family and all of the more familiar “traditional” Christmases.
But in the true nature of travel, Christmas in Oz taught me a lesson: round-the-world travelers have the unique opportunity to both understand and experience completely new traditions because you don’t have the safety and familiarity of family in many cases! I spent last Christmas on a sailboat on the Whitsunday Islands off of the East Coast of Oz, snorkeling and diving – and it was a lot of fun…it was a touch lonely at times, but I chose to surrender to my location and circumstance and did party it up (which was precisely how you spend backpacking Christmas in Oz apparently :-)
And you know, as luck would have it, there are actually a few other traditions and advantages to spending a Christmas in the Land Down Under. These are some of my favorite uniquely Australian holiday traditions!
Christmas Traditions in Australia
- Carols by Candlelight. This tradition originates in Melbourne and is so warm and fuzzy that it’s made it all around the world. Cities all over the Australia hold this celebration on Christmas Eve in local parks because the weather is so warm and ideal. There’s often a band and everyone and anyone is invited to sit out in the park and sing carols in the candlelight and underneath the stars.
- Australian Carols. Speaking of caroling – there’s a few unique twists on the old classics. Aussies have a unique sense of humor and twisting the traditional songs to fit the warm weather and uniquely Australian words is sure to cause a chuckle. They’ve got their own “12 Days of Christmas” and even a version of “Jingle Bells” that starts out “Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden Ute,” and only goes downhill from there.
- Swimsuits and Santa Hats. It may not be the fashion statement of the century, but it is a lot of fun to sit on the beach building a sandman (like a snowman and complete with a wide-brimmed sun hat, sun glasses…and occasionally even a swimsuit if you can even believe it. And to take it even farther, Old St. Nick has been known to make an appearance in bright red shorts on Australia’s sunny beaches.
- Fire up the Barbie. No, I don’t mean light a Barbie doll on fire, but in some Australian homes the ideal Christmas dinner is spent in the back yard with the ever-present barbeque grilling dinner in the rampant summer sunshine. Though I didn’t do this on Christmas, I did attend a fun family barbeque the week before while couchsurfing with my buddy Row in Melbourne!
- Midnight Mass and Church. Australia isn’t lacking on the churches and just like elsewhere you can surely find holiday celebrations at all of the churches. It may not be blustery cold outside but the churches are still packed on Christmas and Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve looking out at Whitehaven Beach (I hid in the shade so I didn't burn...)
Christmas in Australia was not at all the same as family Christmases spent in Florida – or probably anywhere else in the Northern Hemisphere, but it was a rich experience in its own right. The Aussies have created their own fun and weather appropriate traditions that make it entirely unique to the Land Down Under.
Oh, and lest you think the experience ended on Christmas Day, Aussies love Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) and the Sydney Yacht Race and Cricket match are two traditions to recover from all of the sun and barbecued foods of the day before!
Do you have any weird/strange/fun Christmas traditions? I know Candice over at Candice Does the World celebrates the holidays with “mummers” – a completely bizarre Newfoundland tradition that actually sounds like heaps and heaps of fun! :-)
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