Unveiling the magic of Christmas celebrations: 8 facts
Christmas for Children around the World
In Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and America, three Kings or wise men bring Christmas gifts to children. In France, children eagerly await the coming of Father Christmas or Pere Noel to bring them gifts. In Germany, Saint Nicholas travels with a helper, known as Knecht Ruprecht, and hands out gifts to children. Saint Nicholas offers gifts to good children and bad children are thrashed with a switch by the helper. Swedish children wait for the gnome Jultomten, also called Julemanden or Julenisse, who dresses in red and carries a sack of gifts on his back. Children leave bowls of milk or rice pudding in the attic for the elves in the hope that it will go empty in the morning. In Austria and Switzerland, it is Christkind, Christ Child who arrives with gifts. In some other places, children wait for the Holy Child, and in others, Christkind is a beautiful girl angel who comes down from heaven bearing gifts. In England a thinner version of Santa Claus known as Father Christmas, wearing long red robes with sprigs of holly in his hair, delivers Christmas gifts to children. In Italy, children receive gifts from the good witch La Befana who is old, bent, and dressed in black.
