Enjoy a sunny Christmas in Australia

Due to its geographical location in the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas in Australia falls in the middle of summer, with temperatures sometimes reaching 30-40 degrees Celsius. This is one of the biggest holidays of the year in Australia, lasting from the night of December 24th to the end of January 1st. Some workplaces even give their employees a full 2 ​​weeks off. Australians spend this time relaxing, traveling, and of course, shopping.

Whether you are a Christian or not, Christmas is still a very joyful occasion, because a series of brands and shopping malls in Australia will have big discounts throughout the holiday season, culminating on Boxing Day, December 26. This is also one of the biggest shopping periods of the year in Australia, after the end of June shopping season (end of the fiscal year). Local people will eagerly line up to buy famous brands such as Zara, Topshop, Timberland... with prices sometimes only half of the usual price.

In particular, at Myer shopping mall in Melbourne and David Jones in Sydney, as has been the custom since 1956, the large windows of these two shopping malls have been decorated with elaborate and eye-catching models, simulating Christmas-related stories such as A Christmas Carol, The 12 Days of Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. In recent years, instead of simply imitating traditional images of cold-country Christmas such as pine trees, white snow, reindeer, etc., these two shopping malls have begun to use local elements such as blue sea, yellow sunshine and tropical forests. Families with small children lining up to look at the display windows at Myer is a unique and strangely cozy sight.

Recently, instead of simply imitating traditional images of Christmas in cold countries such as pine trees, white snow, reindeer, etc., two famous shopping malls in Melbourne and Sydney have started to use local elements such as blue sea, yellow sunshine and tropical forests.

In addition, major locations in Melbourne such as Federation Square, City Hall, Flinders Station… will simultaneously project lights every night, looking like giant gift boxes. Each administrative area of ​​Melbourne such as Fitzroy, Carlton, Footscray… will take turns holding carol singing sessions in the park, called Carols by Candlelights. Anyone can attend this event, and each audience member will carry a small candle to light up the concert night.

Restaurants will be closed for Christmas, so if you want to eat out, you will flock to Chinatown for dim sum. Chinatown is also the only place that is always open regardless of Chinese New Year or Western New Year!

Parks and beaches are packed with families picnicking and barbecuing, the Australian term for “BBQ”. Prawns, lobsters, and other freshwater prawns are popular Christmas dishes in Australia. The Sydney Fish Market, in particular, sells more than 120 tonnes of prawns and 70,000 oysters in just 36 hours each year. Fruits such as mangoes and cherries are also in season and are often bought chilled for dessert.

However, as the saying goes, “Wealth begets courtesy,” in Australia, it’s a funny thing that the greeting “Merry Christmas!” can offend some people. With a large immigrant population from many different cultures, not all ethnic groups in Australia celebrate Christmas, especially Muslims, Orthodox Christians, or Jews, who have their own holidays at the same time. For me, it doesn’t matter which holiday, as long as I get a day off work and buy discounted goods, I’m thankful!

More information:

- Weather: December temperatures in Melbourne range from 14-24 degrees Celsius, while in Sydney they range from 18-25 degrees Celsius. This is a great time to visit the beaches around Sydney, as the sea water warms up due to the influence of warm ocean currents.

- Itinerary: Vietnam Airlines currently has direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Melbourne or Sydney, making it easier to travel to the land of kangaroos. When flying back from Australia, you should arrive at the airport early to register for a GST refund (if you purchase goods with a total bill of 300 AUD or more from a store in Australia).

- Cuisine: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Thai food are very popular in the two big cities of Melbourne and Sydney, so you don't have to worry about not liking the food. If you like oysters and fresh salmon, you can go to South Melbourne Market (take stop 96 from Southern Cross Station towards St Kilda Beach), or Sydney Fish Market.

- Shopping: Chadstone Shopping Centre (Melbourne) is the largest shopping centre in Australia, as large as 10 football fields, with all the big and small fashion brands. From the centre of Melbourne, you can go to Federation Square to take the free shuttle bus to Chadstone. Chapel Street Bazaar (Melbourne) is also a very interesting place with antiques, collectibles,... from the best to the worst, located right on Chapel Street - one of the busiest shopping streets in Melbourne.

Article and photos: Dang Trinh

The Thanh