Hello. I’m Ruby Jones.

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　　And I’m Rachel Hobson. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

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　　“Oh! You got the prize last time!”

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　　“Pull another cracker with me!”

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　　There is a large table at the centre of the room. The table is ready for a special meal. There are five plates on the table. But there is no food on the plates. Instead there are thick paper tubes. Beautiful coloured paper covers the tubes. The ends of the paper are twisted and turned around and around. People pull on the ends of the paper until there is a loud noise - a bang or a crack. Then the tube breaks open. Inside it there are surprises and information including a paper hat, a funny poem, and a small gift. Everyone puts on a paper hat and reads the poems. This tube is called a Christmas cracker. It is a fun part of Christmas. Millions of people around the world love to start their Christmas meal with a Christmas cracker.

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　　Welcome to today’s Christmas cracker programme. It is full of Christmas surprises and information. In it, we tell of Christmas traditions and their origins.

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　　One of the most famous Christmas traditions is the Christmas tree. A fir tree is the most popular kind of Christmas tree. Some people use other trees, even plastic ones. People like to hang beautiful objects from the branches. In South Africa people hang coloured balls on them. In Denmark people hang sweet food on them. In China people hang beautiful red paper and lights on their trees.

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　　No one knows how the tradition of hanging objects on a tree began. People have done this for thousands of years. But the country of Latvia believes it had the first Christmas tree ever. Records tell of a tree dating back to 1510. This tree was in the capital city of Riga. This is why people call Riga the city of the first Christmas tree. People say this tree had flowers on it, though no one really knows. But it was in Germany that the modern idea of a Christmas tree became popular. And from there it spread around the world. At first, Germans hung fruit on the tree. Later they added candles to light the tree, and then glass balls.

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　　Perhaps the most beautiful object to put on a tree is a star. This goes at the top of the Christmas tree. This tradition represents part of the Christmas story. Christians believe that over two thousand years ago a star appeared to tell of the birth of Jesus. For them, his birth made true the words of the prophets from long ago. This was the child promised to bring peace and hope - the Messiah, the king! His star is called the star of Bethlehem.

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　　Wise men from the east saw the star. They studied the night sky and stars. They knew that this star represented an important event - a new king had been born. So they decided to follow the star. Their trip was a long one, and difficult. But finally they found the young Jesus in the town of Bethlehem. They gave him gifts. They worshiped him. The star had led them to this special king.

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　　Lights shines in the streets of Manila, the Philippines. Here people celebrate the star of Bethlehem with lanterns - lights in protective cases. People spend hours making and designing them. They make them in many shapes and sizes. But the most popular shape is a star. People call these lanterns parols. They hang them along roads. They also hang them in their houses. They start hanging parols as early as September! Filipinos say they celebrate Christmas longer than any other country - from September to December.

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　　Many people celebrate Christmas Day on the twenty-fifth of December. But some people celebrate on a different day. In Ethiopia, people celebrate on the seventh of January. There people call Christmas Day, ‘Gana’. They do not eat the day before Gana. Then on Gana, they wake up very early. They must be ready for a church service at four in the morning. They worship in ancient churches made from volcanic rock. People wear traditional white clothes with bright colours on the ends - shamas. And children sometimes receive new clothes.

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　　In Mexico there is a different tradition for children. In some places children act the story of the holy family - the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus and her husband Joseph. Just before the birth of Jesus, his family needed a place to stay. They had travelled a far distance to the town of Bethlehem. Mary was heavily pregnant. Joseph tried urgently to find a place where they could spend the night - an inn. But there was no room for them anywhere. Finally someone let them stay in a stable with the animals. Jesus was born in this low, poor place.

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　　For eight nights two Mexican children carry small statues of Mary and Joseph. They lead a parade of people from house to house. At each house they sing songs. Then they ask for shelter. On the ninth night they will find a family to help them. The children place their statues in this family’s nativity scene. This is a small wooden or plastic stable. It contains statues of animals and people. The nativity scene is an image of the night of Jesus’ birth. People put it in their houses to remember the promise of his birth, the promise of hope and everlasting life with him

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　　The Mexican children have one more exciting event left. They are waiting to hit the pi?ata. The pi?ata is made of thick paper. People make it in the shape of an animal or the Star of Bethlehem. They paint the pi?atas in bright colours. There are sugary sweets and small gifts inside the pi?ata. The adults put blindfolds on the children to cover their eyes. Then they turn the children around and around. The children do not know where the pi?ata is. But they try to find it. And then they hit it with sticks. Finally the pi?ata breaks open and the surprises fall out. The children run to get them.

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　　Around the world people celebrate Christmas in different ways. It is a day many look forward to all year round. But to all it is a time of good cheer. It is a time to remember the importance of family, the blessing of love and the gift of Jesus.

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　　The writer and producer of today’s programme was Rachel Hobson. The voices you heard were from the South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom. Computer users can find our programmes on our website at http://www.radio.english.net This. programme is called, ‘Christmas Cracker.’

　　Voice 2

　　To read more about the birth of Jesus and the complete Christmas story, please visit the script page for this program on our website, http://www.radio.english.net Than.k you for joining us today. Until next time, goodbye.