A Jolly Happy Christmas!
Hamilton’s Santa Parade - Our parade in Hamilton took place on December 14th while the Christmas spirit was coming closer and closer.
I completely enjoyed this new experience (although Christmas in summertime is still a bit unfamiliar to me). It’s a pity that such a tradition isn’t part of our German Christmas time.
More than 90 floats came along the 1.2 km and around 22.000 spectators waved and took photos when the floats were passing.
I loved the fantastic atmosphere! All the colourful costumes, creative floats, entertaining dances and loud Christmas songs were great fun.
I bet everybody who was an active participant or a pleased spectator had a pretty nice day.
Ten days after our Santa Parade it was time for my first summery Christmas! How exciting!!
A Christmas in New Zealand is just in some points comparable with our usual German traditions but was I taking a risk by spending my beloved family feast far away from home in a foreign country with different traditions? Not really because I knew my friends and kiwi family would do their best to please me! And of course, I was right!
I got to know the traditional Christmas Crackers, the presents were unwrapped in the morning of December 25th, we had turkey for lunch on Christmas Day instead of goose and we spent a relaxing day on the beach in Raglan on Boxing Day.
I think the sunny and warm day on Raglan Beach was the most different Christmas experience of all because sandcastles and picnics are the most unlikely attributes compared with a cold Christmas at home.
All in all my Christmas amongst happy and open-minded New Zealanders was pretty jolly although I missed a few little familiar traditions. But I think my swap was a very good deal because there are a lot of people who would like to be in my shoes and experience a completely other Christmas atmosphere. And who knows, I might mix both German and New Zealand’s Christmas traditions to celebrate my own merry, colourful and multicultural Christmas in 2009!
