Traditions and food

Dynatrace

Miguel Ceballos Gómez, Ahmad Sabry (center) and Jessielaine Punongbayan are some of the international employees who work for Dynatrace in Upper Austria.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Dynatrace/Wakolbinger, Miguel Ceballos Gomez, Jessielaine Punongbayan, Ahmad Sabry)

The obligatory Christmas tree, singing "Silent Night, Holy Night" together - for many Austrians, this is all part of December 24th. But how do people from abroad celebrate Christmas? What traditions from their home country do they bring to Upper Austria? We asked software manufacturer Dynatrace, which employs people from almost 70 countries in Austria.

30 percent of the employees that software specialist Dynatrace employs in Austria come from abroad - this is due to the high demand for the brightest, most creative and most innovative employees. How does a team with representatives from almost 70 countries manage to form a community? Dynatrace relies on so-called "Culture Nights", which are held regularly: On these evenings, traditions, typical food and the music of the home country are shared.

Sweet spaghetti for Christmas
And how do the internationals celebrate Christmas in Upper Austria? Very differently! A star-shaped lantern made of bamboo, representing the Star of Bethlehem, adorns Jessielaine Punongbayan's front door, for example. The Product Manager describes Christmas in the Philippines as a festival "that is all about community, warmth and sharing a meal with loved ones". What does Punongbayan serve at Christmas? "Sweet spaghetti with hot dogs and a classic barbecue." Puto bombong, a dish made from purple rice, grated coconut and brown sugar, is also a must.

Perchten and Krampus "exotic"
Miguel Ceballos Gómez enjoys visiting the Christmas markets. The software engineer from Madrid, who works at Dynatrace in Hagenberg, finds Perchten and Krampus "really exotic". In his home country of Spain, the children don't receive their Christmas presents until January 6, he explains. 

Mark Kaplan with his family and their animal offspring, Frankie & Beans.(Bild: Mark Kaplan)

The home becomes a Christmas village
Mark Kaplan, who works as a Principle Program Manager at the Linz-based software company, is delighted with the timing. "This year, Christian Christmas and Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, coincide. My wife, our son and I celebrate both festivals," says the US-American. Kaplan's wife decorates their own four walls in an atmospheric way: "She sets up a whole Christmas village and bakes traditional Christmas cookies using her mother's recipes." What advice does he have for people celebrating Christmas in Austria for the first time? "You shouldn't get too attached to your own traditions. It's better to embrace and enjoy Austrian customs and traditions."

Children's punch at the Advent market
Five years ago, Ahmad Sabry moved from Abu Dhabi to Linz, where he works in customer support at Dynatrace. Sabry was born in Egypt and, as a Muslim, does not celebrate Christmas. He enjoys the Advent markets with his family: "We like to meet up with friends and family, chat and drink hot children's punch."