Christmas(Noël) en 🇳🇿 Nouvelle-Zélande

Christmas in New Zealand shares Australia's summer timing but carries its own distinct character shaped by Maori culture and the country's stunning natural landscape. The pohutukawa tree, which blooms with brilliant crimson flowers in December, is known as the New Zealand Christmas tree and appears on cards, decorations, and in songs.

Many New Zealand families celebrate Christmas with a barbecue or a picnic at the beach, campsite, or bach (holiday cottage). The menu often includes lamb, seafood such as green-lipped mussels and crayfish, sausages, and fresh salads. Pavlova is as hotly contested here as in Australia, with Kiwis firmly claiming it as their own invention. Christmas mince pies and trifle are popular desserts.

The Christmas holiday period marks the start of the long summer break for schools and many businesses. Families head to coastal towns and campgrounds, and the period from Christmas to early February is the main vacation season. The Boxing Day test cricket match and summer sports dominate the post-Christmas days.

Maori Christmas traditions include community gatherings at the marae (meeting grounds) and a hangi feast, where food is cooked in an earth oven. Christmas carols are sung in both English and Te Reo Maori, and the holiday is called Kirihimete in Maori.

Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed on December 25 worldwide with gift-giving, festive meals, church services, and diverse cultural traditions.