Christmas in Austria. Silent Night.

2012: Christmas tree from Lower Austria

One of the main attractions of the Christmas market is the splendid Christmas tree. It is a traditional custom that one of the Austrian provinces presents the Christmas tree as a gift. This year the tree comes from Lower Austria. The spruce tree from Schwarzenbach/Pielach is 32 m high and about 120 years old.

Starting with the official opening on November 17 at 5.30 p.m. the Christmas tree is lit with 1,000 LED bulbs, which allows to save 90 percent of the energy costs of conventional bulbs.

One of our favourite Christmas songs comes from Austria. "Silent Night" or "Stille Nacht" is sung the world over, although it's sung a bit differently than the piece Franz Gruber had originally written on Christmas Eve in 1818..

Below you can see the German lyrics written by Joseph Mohr side-by-side with a literal English translation. You can compare the two versions and see how closely they are.

Stille Nacht | Silent Night Deutsch English  Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht!  Silent night, holy night  Alles schläft, einsam wacht  everyone sleeps; alone watches  Nur das traute heilige Paar  only the beloved, holy couple  Holder Knab im    lockigten Haar,  blessed boy in    curly hair,  Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!  sleep in heavenly peace  Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!  sleep in heavenly peace. Words by Joseph Mohr. Music by Franz Xaver Gruber.

Baby's 5 Days of Christmas Song

Listen to this funny song. Do you like it?

A Christmas story

This is a nice story for my 3th level Primary students. I hope you like it.

Christmas Calendar

Here you are a fantastic Christmas Calendar to enjoy each day until Christmas Day. Thanks to Pearson Publisher. Click on the picture and then in each day.

Christmas in Japan

Hello again. As you know this year our school project is about ASIA so I want to tell you how Japanese people celebrate Christmas. You can also watch the video below.

 Christmas In JAPAN

Christmas was introduced in Japan by the Christian missionaries, but now the Christmas season in Japan is full of meaning and is almost universally observed. The idea of exchanging gifts seems to appeal strongly to the Japanese people. For several weeks before the day, there are decorations and wonderful displays of appropriate gifts for men, women, and children -- especially children.

Many western customs have been adopted by the Japanese. They also eat turkey on Christmas Day, and in some places there are even community Christmas trees. They decorate their houses with evergreens and mistletoe, and in some homes Christmas carols are sung gaily.

In Japan there is a god or priest known as Hoteiosho, who closely resembles Santa Claus. He is always pictured as a kind old man carrying a huge pack. New Year's Day is the most important day of the whole calendar in Japan. On New Year's Eve the houses are cleaned and  decorated. Then the father of the household marches through the house, followed by all the family (dress themselves in their finest clothes), and drives the evil spirits out. He throws dried beans into every corner bidding the evil spirits withdraw and good luck enter.

Other Christmas Traditions

Christmas around the world

Christmas around the world on PhotoPeach

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Christmas Tree

Jingle Bells

It's Christmas Time. Enjoy singing the traditional Christmas Carols.