Christmas is a new holiday in Japan. The people in this country start celebrating the holiday in the beginning of 20h century but it is sure to keep on going.
There are two very important customs for the Japanese. The daiku means great nine and refers to the Beethoven’s ninth symphony. At Christmas times it is performed in huge masses of choruses. The other special Japanese custom is thee Christmas cake. It is not homemade but Christmas in Japan will be not the same without it. The main meal at Christmas night is turkey.

In Japan the Christmas trees are not widely spread yet, but more often you can see the artificial ones in the people houses. The most popular ornaments are the “origami swan”, but people use also small toys, lanterns, paper ornaments and dolls. It is believed that the Christmas tree in a hospital will lift the spirits of the sick. To decorate their houses and public places, Japanese people use mistletoe, evergreen, lights and tinsels. They place an amulet for good luck on their front doors.

A few weeks before Christmas the shops are over crowded as they as and in Europe and USA. They display appropriate gifts for adults but mostly for the kids. On Christmas day the family gathers with friends and relatives and they exchange their gifts. If the family has a Christmas tree, they place the presents under the tree to surprise the children. Santa Clause in Japan is known as Santa Kurohsu. He is a popular character but doesn’t appear in a person. He is only pictured as a very kind, old man with big sack on his back. Many kids believe that Santa has eyes on his back too, so he can watch if they have been good.
The Christians who are less than 1% in Japan and the Christian tourists can go to a church in the neared Sunday before Christmas. In many Japanese homes can be heard Christmas carols. The most popular one is “Silent night”.