Recently updated on December 20th, 2022 at 01:10 am
From tucking into a big pavlova then napping under a pohutukawa tree, a Kiwi Christmas is one for the memory books. New Zealand has its own unique culture and Christmas traditions that blend influences from Britain, America, its Maori people and the warm weather. Read on to discover the special ways that New Zealanders like to celebrate the holidays.
New Zealanders have their own special Christmas trees
In December the pohutukawa tree marks the festive season with an explosion of bright crimson red flowers. While New Zealanders still erect a classic real or fake pine Christmas tree inside their homes, the pohutukawa tree found in parks, by beaches and in forests around the country often feature on festive cards and in poems and songs.
The most famous pohutukawa is an ancient gnarly and twisted tree that sits alone on the windy clifftop of Cape Reinga. The indigenous Maori people believe that from here the spirits of the dead start their journey to Hawaiki, their traditional homeland.
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Kiwis celebrate with a classic Christmas feast, barbecue or hangi
It’s summer in New Zealand so while some families still cook a hearty traditional roast lunch (with turkey, ham, lamb or beef, roast vegetables, kumara potato and trimmings) many families instead opt for a simple barbecue or beachside picnic. Just like in Australia, the warm weather has an influence on New Zealand Christmas food with many serving up fresh seafood and local fare instead of the traditional hot roast imported from the northern hemisphere.
If the family has Maori roots, a traditional hangi might be on the menu. A hangi is a style of underground cooking where fish and chicken, vegetables and kumara (sweet potato) are wrapped in flax leaves (more likely cloth sacks and aluminum foil these days). The food is placed on hot stones at the bottom of a pit in the ground, covered with a wet cloth and buried with earth. It takes three to four hours to cook, and as Christmas Day is a public holiday around the country, families have time to cook and connect. The result is tender meat and vegetables infused with a smokey, earthy flavour.
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New Zealand’s only quarrel with its neighbour Australia is over a dessert commonly served on Christmas Day and throughout summer: the pavlova. Both countries claim the baked meringue, topped with cream and fresh summer fruits, is their invention. New Zealanders also eat pudding, fruit mince pies and Christmas cake for dessert.
New Zealanders have their own carols
In December New Zealand is the opposite of a winter wonderland so it shouldn’t be a surprise that some crafty kiwis have changed the lyrics to some favourite carols or written all-new original Christmas songs. Some favourites that get a spin each year include Te Haranui, Christmas in New Zealand, A Kiwiana Christmas and Sticky Beak the Kiwi. The 12 Days of Christmas has been rewritten as A Pukeko in a Ponga Tree, and some carols, such as Silent Night, have been translated into the native Maori language.
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Don’t expect Santa to wear big black boots
It’s too hot for the big man in red to be wearing his steel-toed boots in the southern hemisphere. A New Zealand Christmas tradition is for Santa to be wearing jandals (it’s what Kiwis call flip flops). Sometimes he ditches the fur-trimmed jacket for a pair of speedos too. You’ve been warned!
A daring entrance led to traditional Santa parades
Since the early 1900s, New Zealand’s department stores have been drawing customers into the city centres with the promise of in-store Santas to meet and greet good boys and girls. Usually Santa would go on a special journey to get there. In the 1930s Santa arrived in Christchurch on an elephant, other cities and stores flew Santa in by plane, and in 1937 Santa topped it off by parachuting into Auckland. Over the years Santa was joined by an entourage of elves and funny characters to entertain the crowds. And thus, the Christmas parade was born. These days the parades are run by charitable groups or the local council with sponsorship to help pay for the hundreds of extravagant costumes and giant floats.
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Say Meri Kirihimete!
Maori culture and language is dearly loved and respected by the New Zealand people and peppered into conversations. From saying kia ora (hello) to showing your aroha (love) for the country, put in some effort and the locals will welcome you as their whānau (extended family) at Christmas. Meri Kirihimete!
Spend Boxing Day on the beach
On December 26 families pack up their Christmas leftovers and head for a relaxed day at the seaside. Expect to see groups of friends and family sprawling out under a pohutukawa tree, playing a friendly game of cricket or rugby and going for a swim in the ocean.
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What do you think of these New Zealand Christmas traditions? Let us know in the comments…