Compare and contras customs in Australia and in your home country.

EAP: Essay 2 – Comparative Essay
Social customs and cultural differences.

Compare and contras customs in Australia and in your home country.


Looking at Poland and Australia they seem to be very different, although their religion and festivals tend to be very complex. Some of cultural differences are being viewed as more important then others. After all comparing and contrasting those two social customs will predict common feeling in which their culture deal with religion and how celebrate their festivals. There is a fascination with the reasons of how immigrant cultures that where established in Europe, form in new environment.

Australian and Poles tend to look for religion from different perspectives. Although important is that these beliefs create extremely powerful motivations for them to encourage them self in it. Poles are very much concerned that “churches and religion continue to act as a vehicle of Polish culture” (Super, P. 1939). Most of the older Poles believe in the special properties of prayer book, they exhibit crucifix and pictures of their gods. Religion ceremonies are very important part of Polish culture. The Polish wedding is a time when family and friends get together and pray for their happiness. One of the folks practise to bring bread and salt as symbol for there happiness and good live. On the contrary Australians lives are not very much interact by their religions; they even tend to not believe in anything. However there are some that tend to follow them. The European style from times of immigrations interacts in religion ceremonies and being formed in new way.

According to Hayes, Victor C, (eds 1977) Australian “Christians represent 68% of the population, and Non-Christians represent about 4.9% of the population”. While in Poland according to Super, P. (1939) “Christians represent 95% of population and Non-Christians only 5%” it shows significant that religion interact in their lives very meaningful way. Religion in central Europe is one of the most important things that bring families tougher. Although Australian families appear to have this disadvantage, religion doesn’t have that power.

Contrasted with Polish Christians, Australian Protestants pray to the same god in the same way. The church brings them together, worship and way of the ceremony seems to not be different. Again in both cases Religion play role of eduction centre; believers seem to be getting advices about their live from the same source which is Bible. Also they attend to a church every week (usually Sunday), once a month they need to pray for their life mistakes, Sundays mass is held in similar way.

Christmas is the most popular family holiday in Australia and Poland. Similarly on 24th December usually all preparations for Christmas are complete. On this day families decorate Christmas tree with paper stars, angels, toys, nuts and glass balls. This day called Christmas Eve for both Australia and Poland. In the evening some Christian people go to church to attend the so called „midnight mass”, which is very common for Poles to do, because of important of their religions. In contrast to Australia, Poles tend to wait when the first star appears in the sky; then people take their seats at the Christmas table and share wafer, then wish one another the best wishes like: good health, luck, big money etc. Poles leave an empty place for an unexpected guest. Traditionally dishes should be twelve, yet in “Australia it’s only five or six” (Santa’s Net, 1997). The most popular dishes are “red barszcz”, pies and sour cabbage with mushrooms and fish (usually carp). The interesting dish is “kutia” in it there are nuts, honey, almonds, cooked wheat and dried fruit. Australian Christmas dinner traditionally consists of roast turkey, roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts and many other vegetables.

The next day, on December 25, Poles families eat and talk again, sing carols and go to church but no meat can be eaten. They do however eat salads, cakes, smoked meat, sausages, roasted chicken or turkey with dried fruit and drink beetroot soup and good alcohol. In this day Australians tend to, early in the morning open their present and eat Christmas dinner which contrast with Polish Christmas tradition.

The 26 December for Australians is called Boxing Day. It is celebrated as a bank holiday. “On this day people give presents of money to paperboys or dustmen” (Santa’s Net, 1997). This is last non-working day and the last day of the Christmas celebration. People spend Boxing Day relaxing or visiting friends and relatives. Polish people tend to spent 26 December as a St. Stephen’s day. The families eat the rest of food, talk, visit friends with wishes, sing carols and go to church to remember St. Stephen. From that day the festivities begin for both Australia and Poland.

All in all, despite differences and few similarities demonstrate the logical way on how Australia and Poland express them self. Concluding research from two cultures its being significant that social customs are dissimilar. However their religion and festivals tend to have the same foundation.







Word: 812









References:

Institute of Fairly Studies, 1985, “Ethnic, Family Values in Australia”, Creative Typographic Pty Ltd, Victoria.

Hayes, Victor C. ed, 1977, “Australian essays in world religions”, Australian Association for the Study of Religions, South Australia.

Santa’s Net, 1997, “Christmas Traditions around the World”, viewed 16 March 2006, .

Super, P. 1939, “The Polish Tradition”, George Allen & Unwin Ltd, London.