Australia, among the newest nation of the world, was settled predominantly by natives of the British Isles. Their heritage of Christmas----the folklore they knew and loved and the customs they had enjoyed----were deeply rooted. What could they do to nurture them in the new country? The climate was vastly different, being both hot and dry. The rich, heavy food and the fireside socials which had made Christmas at home so memorable seemed not to fit in with the summer weather of the Australian holiday season. To be sure, Christmas everywhere is a time to reminisce, to talk of home and family and how the holidays were spent in earlier years, and this pastime the new settlers could enjoy. But, regardless of the fact that Christmas came at midsummer, the nostalgic carols they were used to singing lived on. Some were written down while others were kept alive in the memories of those who loved them. The familiar words, the haunting melodies, the lively tunes----all spelled out the Christmas they longed for, its sentiment and its traditions. On Christmas Eve in 1937, in Australian radio announcer, Norman Banks, was sitting in his flat gazing out the window. He heard a carol issuing from the radio of a nearby house and, looking out, saw an old lady listening "with an expression of rapt attention on her face. She held a candle in her hand as she listened----and it was this fact which caught Banks' attention, caught it, held it, and set his imagination leaping ahead of time and place. "Carols by candlelight!" he whispered----and, in that moment, perhaps the most modern of all traditions was born".
Christmas is a rare time of year. it stirs men's hearts. Norman Banks was deeply mpved by another incident----the memory of a child whom he had seen that very day in a Melbourne hospital, a victim of infantile paralysis. On the one hand, the old lady, when she heard the carol, became nostalgic of heart, while the crippled child was living in a realm of darkness. The two thoughts began to fuse in Banks' mind. What could be done to lift hearts like these? By the following Christmas Eve, he had arranged for carol singing in Alexandria Gardens, along the river in Melbourne. Thus, was launched "Carols by Candlelight", an annual event in which thousands of all ages and creeds take part every year. It is broadcast and sent all over the world. On Christmas Eve in 1943, the "Melbourne Carol" with words and music by Norman Banks was sung for the first time in Alexandria Gardens. The "Melbourne Carol" has been recorded by St. Patrick's Cathedral Choir in New York City and sold for the benefit both of children afflicted with infantile paralysis and of blind babies.
Depending on where you live in Australia, it is Father Christmas or Santa Claus who brings the gifts. While dinner may be traditional on Christmas Day, supper is likely to be a picnic at the beach or in the country, Ferns, flowers, and foliage, including the Christmas Bell and the Christmas Bush, are used for decoration during the holiday season. The day after Christmas is usually a pleasant one for a picnic. |
