97: Christmas Music Traditions Around the World - The Philippines, Nigeria, Finland, Venezuela, and France

How do people around the world celebrate Christmas through music—and what can their traditions teach our children about culture, faith, and joy?

In this episode of the Music in Our Homeschool podcast, Gena Mayo takes homeschool families on a musical journey around the globe to explore Christmas music traditions from five unique countries: the Philippines, Nigeria, Finland, Venezuela, and France. Each stop highlights how geography, language, instruments, and cultural history shape the way people celebrate the birth of Christ through song.

You’ll hear about:

• The Philippines’ “-ber months” and joyful early Christmas celebrations, plus a fun craft to make
• Nigerian Christmas music filled with rhythm, drums, and call-and-response singing, try singing and drumming yourself
• Finland’s quiet, reflective carols and centuries-old Declaration of Christmas Peace, use the songs to bring more peace into your homeschool
• Venezuela’s lively caroling traditions and child-friendly songs like El Burrito Sabanero, practice caroling door to door (even inside your house!)
• France’s elegant cathedral carols, including the origins of O Holy Night, listen to the majestic music with your family

This episode is perfect for homeschool parents looking for easy, meaningful music appreciation ideas during December. Gena also shares simple, hands-on activities you can use right away—no music background required.

If you’d like to go deeper, be sure to explore the Music of Christmas course and Christmas Carols Made Easy, both designed with flexible, 15-minute lessons that fit even the busiest homeschool days.

Find links to all resources mentioned in this episode here: https://musicinourhomeschool.com/christmas-music-traditions-around-the-world/ 

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Transcript

E97 Christmas Music Traditions Around the World

Gena: [00:00:00] Hello, Harmony Heroes. Welcome back to the Music in Our Homeschool podcast. I'm your host Gena Mayo, and today we're taking a trip around the world through music of Christmas. This is one of my favorite kinds of episodes because it combines two of my favorite things, music and culture.

Music gives us a window into people's hearts, and Christmas music especially reveals how every culture expresses joy, faith, and family during this beautiful season. If you've taken my Music of Christmas course, you already know there's an entire section in there called Christmas Traditions Around the World, and we visit 12 countries, places like Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Egypt. But today I want to take you to five more countries not included in the Music of Christmas course. These are places with incredibly rich and unique musical traditions: the Philippines, [00:01:00] Nigeria, Finland, Venezuela, and France. Each of these countries gives us something special to explore: new rhythms, new instruments, and new ways to feel the wonder of Christmas. Let's start our musical journey.

If you think playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving is too early, try September! In the Philippines, the "-ber" months--that's September, October, November, and December-- mark the start of the world's longest Christmas celebration. From the moment September 1st arrives, you'll begin to hear "Ang Pasko ay Sumapit" on the radio. (Sorry, I don't know how to pronounce that.) Christmas lights in the malls, and handmade parol lanterns, twinkling in doorways. These parols are star-shaped lanterns, often made from bamboo and paper, representing the star of Bethlehem. Families take great [00:02:00] pride in making and displaying them. Sometimes, entire towns hold parol festivals, complete with music, dancing, and community choirs.

Musically, the Philippines blends two traditions, western carols inherited from Spanish and American missionaries, and local songs written in Tagalog and other native languages. A favorite is "Pasko Na Naman" (“It’s Christmas Again”).

Another key tradition is Simbang Gabi, a series of nine dawn masses leading up to Christmas Eve. Families rise before sunrise, walk to church together, and sing hymns with joyful energy. You'll hear both English carols and local songs.

You can bring Philippines into your homeschool this December with a few simple ideas. Find a Filipino children's choir performing "Ang Pasko ay Sumapit." I will link to this in the accompanying blog [00:03:00] post. Just check the show notes for the link. You can compare how it sounds different from Joy to the World. Is it faster? Does it have different rhythms or instruments? And, then definitely add an art activity and make your own paper parol lanterns using tissue paper and popsicle sticks.

Now let's move on to our second country, which is Nigeria. Here, Christmas is celebrated with family gatherings, special church services, and community feasts. But what really sets it apart is the music. In Nigerian churches, you'll often hear carols performed in multiple languages, English, Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa, accompanied by drums, rattles, and hand clapping. The sound is layered and alive.

One of the most famous Nigerian Christmas pieces is Betelehemu, written in Yoruba. It's a call and response song, meaning the leader [00:04:00] leads a phrase, and the choir answers. The song praises the birth of Jesus with words like, "We are glad that we have a father to trust." It's been performed by countless choirs around the world. You might even find it on your local symphony's holiday program. I've even sung it in choirs myself.

The rhythm patterns in Nigerian Christmas music tell stories of joy and belonging. Drums like the djembe and the talking drum communicate not just beats, but meaning. Changes in tone mimic speech, turning rhythm into language.

Here are some fun ways to make Nigerian Christmas music come alive for your kids. Look up a performance of Betelehemu by a university choir, and then have your children clap along to the repeated patterns. As I said before, you will find a link to a video in the accompanying blog post to this podcast episode.

You can make your [00:05:00] own instruments to accompany the song. Use an oatmeal container to make a drum or empty water bottles filled with rice for shakers.

Now we'll move from the heat and color of Nigeria into the soft white stillness of Finland. Christmas in Finland is a time of quiet beauty. Snow covers the villages and candles glow in every window. Families gather for evening carols, homemade food, and a slow pace that feels peaceful and restorative.

Musically, Finnish carols reflect that same calm. One of the most famous is Sylvian Joululaulu, which translates to Sylvia's Christmas Song. It's a gentle piece about longing for home. And another is En Etsi Valtaa, loistoa, which translates, I Seek No Power, No Glory. The melody is tender, the harmonies are simple, [00:06:00] and the lyrics express humility and faith.

A centuries-old tradition in Finland is Declaration of Christmas Peace. It's read aloud every Christmas Eve in the city of Turku, dating all the way back to the 1300s. After the Declaration, bells ring, people wish one another peace, and the celebrations officially begin.

So for your homeschool connection, you can play the music to bring some calm into your December homeschooling days. Talk about how music can create feelings of peace. You could even add a creative writing activity and ask your older children to write a short poem about what peace sounds like to them. The stillness of Finnish Christmas music offers a beautiful balance to the busy energy of the holiday season. It shows us that joy can also be quiet.

Now we'll fly to South America, Venezuela, where Christmas is a [00:07:00] celebration full of rhythm and movement. And here music takes two forms, Gaita and Aguinaldo. Gaeta originated in the city of Maracaibo and features drums, maracas, and a small four-stringed guitar called a cuatro. The lyrics often tell stories about faith, love, or humor, and the rhythm is upbeat and danceable.

Aguinaldo, on the other hand, is more traditional. It's the Venezuelan version of caroling. Groups travel from door to door, singing songs about the nativity, often rewarded with food or small gifts. The most famous Venezuelan Christmas song is one you might recognize: El Burrito Sabanero, which is The Little Donkey from the Savannah. It tells a story of a boy riding his donkey to see the newborn baby Jesus. The melody is catchy and repetitive, which makes it perfect for kids to sing.

So head [00:08:00] over to the accompanying blog post to hear El Burrito Sabanero, and sing along. Identify the instruments you hear, maracas, drums, or the guitar. Find Venezuela on the map, and maybe ask your children to practice caroling from door to door.

Now our final stop is France, a country where Christmas music has both elegance and emotion. Some of the oldest European carols come from France. Il est né, le divin Enfant dates all the way back to the 1800s and is filled with joy and light. Its dancing rhythm makes it nearly impossible not to tap your foot.

Then there's Minuit, Chrétiens, which many of us know as O Holy Night, written by composer Adolf Adam in 1847. It's become one of the most beloved carols in the world.

French carols are often heard in cathedrals, accompanied [00:09:00] by pipe organs or full choirs. The acoustics in those vast stone spaces make the sound shimmer and echo, creating an awe-inspired listening experience.

So, an activity you can do in your homeschool is to compare O Holy Night in both French and English. Which language feels more expressive to you?

Look up images of the Notre Dame Cathedral at Christmas time and find a video of a choir singing there to hear the beautiful acoustics.

As we wrap up our journey around the world, I hope you feel inspired by how music tells the story of Christmas in so many different voices. E ach country brings its own culture, climate, and creativity to the season.

if you'd like to explore more Christmas traditions from around the world, I invite you to check out the Music of Christmas course at Music in Our Homeschool, filled with 15-minute music lessons that you can definitely fit into your homeschool at this busy [00:10:00] time of year. Or if you'd like to sing some songs from countries around the world, check out Christmas Carols Made Easy. You'll find links to both of those in the show notes and description for this episode. Until next time, keep the joy of music alive in your homeschool.

Find links to all resources mentioned in this episode here: https://musicinourhomeschool.com/christmas-music-traditions-around-the-world/