Diverging Traditions: Christmas in the United States and Argentina

For centuries, Christianity was forcibly spread around the globe by European colonizers. It is estimated that 84% of the world was under European control at some point in time. Because of this, Christmas (arguably the most important Christian holiday) is now observed in some capacity by the majority of countries worldwide. However, Christmas celebrations around the world are far from identical. Despite Christmas’s seemingly ubiquitous observance, a closer look reveals that each country and culture has developed their own mix of traditions for the holiday.

In Christianity, Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, a human manifestation of God, on December 25th. Church services are often held on or around Christmas Day and nativity scenes, plays or dioramas recreating the events after his birth, are common. A key element of the nativity story is the three “wise men” who arrived to give gifts to Jesus after his birth. Over time, the three wise men along with Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop known for gift-giving, led to a tradition of giving presents for Christmas personified by the character of Santa Claus. Despite the holiday’s religious origins, Christmas is also celebrated by more than 80% of non-Christian Americans, including people of other religions (Mohamed). For the secular, the associations with Jesus are largely ignored in favor of an emphasis on family and giving. Schools and businesses are often closed to allow people to spend time with their families. Living in America for my entire life, Christmas festivities have been a ubiquitous fixture every December. Decorations are put up everywhere, both in public spaces and in our homes. By far the most iconic is the Christmas tree: a pine tree adorned with lights, ornaments, or garlands. While my family and I have no particular connection to Christianity, the sheer ubiquity of Christmas in American culture means it would be harder to not celebrate. We use it as an excuse to spend time together and to exchange gifts, acts that are enjoyable regardless of the history behind them. In the course of researching Christmas, I learned that some elements which I assumed to be common across all Christmas celebrations are actually specific to American tradition.

In Argentina, Christmas traditions have strong Catholic influences stemming from Spanish colonization and later immigration waves primarily from Spain and Italy. The Christmas season is widely accepted—even by the non-religious—to begin on Día de la Inmaculada Concepción (December 8th), the date in the Catholic calendar that marks the conception of Jesus’ mother. On this day, Argentinians across the country erect and decorate their Christmas trees. A 2018 survey estimated that 82% of families decorated for Christmas, however rising prices may be causing that amount to decline, (Infobae). On December 24th, known as “Nochebuena”, families will gather for a large supper followed by a spread of traditional confections. Midnight brings Christmas Day and the climax of the festivities: a toast is raised, and the sky lights up with fireworks and paper lanterns. While the children watch the fireworks, gifts from Papá Noel (Santa Claus) arrive to be opened when they return inside. The Christmas tree will stay up into the new year until it is taken down after Día de Reyes (January 6th), the day the three wise men are said to have arrived. The night before, children leave out their shoes for the wise men to leave gifts on as well as water and hay for the wise men’s camels, (Cherian). In the past, shoes would be put outside, but it is now more common to leave them under the Christmas tree or under the bed. I was fascinated to discover that the Christmas season in Argentina has much more well-defined start and end dates than in America and has retained more of its religious origins.

All Christmas celebrations in the western hemisphere have a shared origin: Christian colonialism. However, they have diverged in regard to which elements of that Christian legacy remain. Catholicism in particular still has a strong influence in Argentina. For example, the dates that mark the start and end of the Christmas season are Catholic feast days dedicated to figures from the story of Jesus’s birth. The Christmas season in America is defined more loosely (generally lining up with the month of December), with no real consensus for when exactly decorations should go up or down. The starkest contrast stems from the simple fact of location: Christmas is a summer holiday in the southern hemisphere! Americans might associate Christmas Eve with gathering by the fire and watching snow fall through the window, but on Nochebuena, Argentinians are outside at midnight to watch the fireworks. Despite the warmer season, Christmas sweaters and winter-themed decorations can still be found and “many of the Christmas foods on Argentine tables are not characteristically ‘summertime foods.’ Pan dulce, nueces, and pasas de uva-(sweet bread, nuts, and raisins) are traditional Christmas foods, even though they are normally served in the winter months”, (Wooley). Some of the same traditions can be seen in both countries, but with different contexts. American children leave out milk and cookies for Santa as he fills stockings with gifts, while Argentinian children leave out water and hay for the wise men’s camels as the wise men leave presents on their shoes. Both groups eagerly await the arrival of gifts in the night. The difference is that Argentinians will be awake and celebrating as Papá Noel comes but the Americans won’t discover what Santa Claus has delivered until they awake on Christmas morning. Regardless of location, the emphasis of the holiday is placed on giving gifts and spending time with family.

Statistically, Christmas may seem to be near-universal worldwide, but in reality, the way it is celebrated is as varied as the people who celebrate it. Try as they might, the perpetrators of global conquest could not snuff out the diversity of human experience. Despite the brutal imperialism that spread the holiday to the world, themes of sharing and togetherness have continued to resonate with people. Hundreds of distinct Christmas traditions have been evolving concurrently for hundreds of years. What will they look like a hundred years from now?

Works Cited

Cherian, Dona. “10 Strange Christmas Traditions from Around the World.” Gulf News, Dec 23, 2018. ProQuest, http://168.156.198.98:2048/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/10-strange-christmas-traditions-around-world/docview/2159854153/se-2.

Infobae. “Navidad con aumento: ¿cuánto cuesta armar el arbolito este año?” [“Christmas with increase: how much does it cost to put up the tree this year?”] Infobae, 07 December 2018. www.infobae.com/economia/2018/12/07/navidad-con-aumento-cuanto-cuesta-armar-el-arbolito-este-ano/

Mohamed, Basheer. “Christmas also celebrated by many non-Christians.” Pew Research Center, 23 December 2013. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2013/12/23/christmas-also-celebrated-by-many-non-christians/

Wooley, Kris. “Celebration, Argentine Style.” Business America, vol. 117, no. 12, 1996, pp. 5. ProQuest, http://168.156.198.98:2048/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/celebration-argentine-style/docview/203922256/se-2.