Read the following texts and find out about unique Christmas traditions in three different countries.


Finland's Cemetery Tradition

In Finland it’s a tradition to visit your buried relatives at sunset on Christmas Eve. Many cemeteries and churches hold brief services with hymns and moments of reflection while family members lay lanterns and lit candles on the graves to remember departed loved ones. Often a special section is created for people who have relatives buried far away, so they can commemorate their family members, too. This touching custom began in the 1920s when candles were placed on the graves of World War I soldiers.

Mexico's Flores de Noche Buena

According to Mexican legend, a poverty-stricken brother and sister left a bouquet of weedy branches as a gift to the Christ Child at their church. While other children laughed at their meager offering, a miracle began to unfold. A cluster of red star-shaped flowers began to bloom on each stem. The flowers became known as Flores de Noche Buena (Flowers of the Holy Night) and so began the Christmas link.

Ukraine's Spider Web Tree

Christmas trees in the Ukraine are often covered in spider webs. An ancient legend tells of a poor family who grew a Christmas tree. The children spent months dreaming up ways to decorate it for the holiday. But the family was penniless, so the children’s tree would remain unadorned. Upon waking, the children discovered that spiders had spun webs of glistening silk around the tree’s branches. Each thread magically turned into silver and gold as the morning’s sun danced upon the tree’s bows. Today, Ukrainians dress up their trees with spider webs to welcome good luck into the coming year.



Texto adaptado. Disponível em: . Acesso em: 29 fev. 2016.



Read the statements below and match them to their corresponding country: Finland (F), Mexico (M) or Ukraine (U).



( ) The Christmas miracle in this tradition is attributed to an animal.

( ) The gesture that originated this Christmas tradition was ridiculed.

( ) The origin of this Christmas tradition corresponds to a historical event.

( ) The lack of funds for Christmas ornamentation is linked to this tradition.

( ) The symbol of this Christmas tradition is the offer of a scarlet blossom bunch.



The sequence obtained is:


U - F - F - U - M.


U - U - F - U - M.


U - F - F - M - U.


M - M - F - U - M.


U - M - F - U - M.