For many migrant families in Rotorua, a Kiwi Christmas is something entirely new.
While the summer sunshine is a welcome addition to the silly season, many families are making sure they blend their own traditions with those of their new home.
For Astrid Bunne-Namdari’s Swedish family, it’s all about togetherness.
Celebrating in summer “feels weird”, she said. “I can’t really get into that Christmas feel. But with having my mum and stepdad here, and also my own children, it does feel like a little bit more of a Christmas because it’s about family, and extended family.
“It’s gratitude and living that, and generosity, and the joy of being together as a family.”
However, her household had brought a touch of Sweden, making lussekatts, a sweet saffron bun, for breakfast. They also have spent time remembering the wintry conditions they are more used to comparing the European solstice with New Zealand’s midwinter celebrations.
“Because it’s the darkest time of the year, it is a lot about bringing the light in. There’s a lot of symbolism around light, which in New Zealand I guess Matariki would be more like that.”
For the Arpanaei family, of Iran, Christmas was a way to help them strengthen their connections to their new friends in Rotorua.
Soon-to-be university student Farnoosh Arpanaei said that this year her family is observing Christmas for the sake of their local friends.
“Being friendly with them and showing that we respect your culture,” she said. “We are trying to get to know you, and I think this is a good reason. To find friends and be more involved in their community and their culture.”
“I never saw people more kind than New Zealand people are. It’s so different from my own culture. My mum said I never feel homesick when I was here.”
Embracing Kiwi culture was important for the Arpanaeis and putting up their twinkling tree is just one way to do that.
“Iranian people are always looking for a reason to celebrate,” Farnoosh said.
Her brother, Mohammad Arpanaei, agreed.
“We like to try new things and learn about the place we live in, our environment and be able to like it ourselves,” he said. “That’s encouraging us to hold Christmas.”
Mercedes Calderon was from El Salvador, a traditionally Catholic nation, so Christmas festivities are not new to her family, but she’s bringing a Latin American spin to her Rotorua Christmas.
“We have the best of two places because now we celebrate 25th and we celebrate 24th too!” she said.
Her family are hosting a party for her Latin American friends.
”We try to conserve the traditions, but we try to adapt to our new life now. We saw good opportunities to celebrate life, to celebrate another year together and to celebrate our beautiful country — adoptive country, because not all the countries are so friendly with migrants. We celebrate the opportunity to live in New Zealand.”
The Iwasakis are from Japan and see Christmas as a chance to enjoy a summer break and all that goes with it. While their family will exchange small gifts, they don’t usually celebrate the traditional meaning of Christmas, although back home in Japan, Christmas is gaining popularity.
“Fifty, 60 years ago? I don’t even know when Japanese people started celebrating Christmas,” Yumiko Iwasaki said.
“Christmas is for the Christian people.
“But now in my generation, the younger ones, they don’t really know what Christmas is for, they just celebrate having fun, you know? They have a fancy dress on, have nice food and drink — so more like fun.
“Christmas is like Halloween. About 20 years ago in Japan, no one celebrated Halloween. People don’t even know what Halloween is. But now every year, the Halloween day, people just get a costume and they get together and have big parties. So more the younger generation, they have a Western culture because they can make it fun.”
Her husband, Keisuke Iwasaki, had another reason to celebrate.
“Drinking beer in the summer at Christmas, and getting people together, and the long weekend.”
Irrespective of where these families are from, there seems to be a common theme among them — embracing family, togetherness, and their new home.
