Christmas Traditions From Around the World
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I have been seeing sooo many people talk about their
Christmas traditions and it got me thinking about how
Christmas is celebrated in other parts of the world. So I set
out to do a bit of research and in this article I am sharing with
y'all what I found! I definitely think there are some traditions I found
that I will be adopting next year so I hope you enjoy reading!
Also, feel free to let me know your Christmas traditions in the comments!
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Japan - Fried Chicken, Coleslaw, and Cake. Count. Me. IN!
Image Source:
https://www.goodiesfirst.com/2010/12/barrel-of-fun.html
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This is actually a Christmas tradition I have heard of before
and am 1000% behind. Instead of making Christmas
dinner at home, many Japanese will bring themselves to
their local KFC to get a bucket, named the party barrel, of that
finger lickin' good food. This tradition started back
in 1974 after the “Kentucky For Christmas” marketing
campaign put on by the fast food chain. With Japan having a
grand fascination with western culture after the war, it is no
surprise that when KFC went into advertising overdrive around
the Christmas holiday that the marketing done by this western
food chain stuck and created this tradition forever associating
KFC with Christmas. Ever since then people have been ordering
their KFC party barrels (December 24th is the busiest day of the
year for KFC in Japan serving 5-10 times more food than any other day)
early or standing in line for hours if they procrastinated and
waited until the day of. Also, side note, to whoever decided to shut down the KFC
in my town...I hope you got coal in your stocking this Christmas. lol
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New Zealand - A Kiwi Christmas
Image Source:
https://www.propertyguides.com/new-zealand/news/what-is-christmas-like-in-new-zealand/
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To many people here in the US Christmas involves the cold
and the snow. And when I was a kid I wanted as much snow
as possible. However, I have found that as I have gotten
older I want snow less and less and instead dream of Christmas
in a tropical location like Hawaii or…New Zealand apparently.
Lol Christmas actually falls in the summertime for New Zealanders
so families will find themselves barbecuing some surf and turf
instead of cozying up around a fire with hot chocolate. They also
have their own special “Christmas trees” called pohutukawa trees
that have beautiful red flowers perfect for Christmas. I think I am going to
be travelling to New Zealand for Christmas next year. lol
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I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Ireland (definitely at the
top of my countries to visit list) and was surprised to learn
about just how big of a deal Christmas is there. (I would almost
say it is bigger than St. Patrick’s Day!) One of the most unique
traditions regarding Christmas in Ireland is the welcome candle.
Every Christmas Eve after sunset families set a tall, thick candle
in their windowsill and (typically) let the youngest member of
the family light the candle leaving it to burn all night long. There
are a variety of different reasons why families do this, but the
most common is that the candle stands as a welcoming sign
to the Holy Family (Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus) saying they
are welcome into their home for the night. Another fun Irish
tradition involves the treats they leave for “Santy”. Here in the
US it is custom to leave milk and cookies out for Santa, but in
Ireland they leave a pint of Guinness and mince pies! (Lucky Santa eh? lol)
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Image source:
https://www.pinterest.ca/amp/pin/390335492684106687/
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Finally, one of the traditions I find most intriguing is called
the Christmas Eve Busk on Grafton Street. Before COVID
Ireland’s biggest stars like Bono, U2, The Script and even
Hozier (OMG I would just die to see Hozier doing this…if y’all don’t
know Hozier look him up. You will thank me later.) would return
and perform for everyone donating any funds to charity.
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Image Source:
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Austria - KRAMPUS
I had to include Austria solely because of Krampus (spooky season lives on!!! lol).
In Austria the Christkind (aka the Christ Child/Baby Jesus) is the
one that brings children their gifts and not jolly ole Santa Claus.
All presents are opened on December 24th and in some regions
kids throw their Christmas list letters into the fire to ensure that
their Christmas wishes are answered. However, if the kids weren’t
good they would instead be getting a visit from the evil Krampus.
Throughout Advent St. Nicholas and Krampus may come to your
door asking whether the children had been good or bad. The good
children receive sweet treats while the bad children receive a
warning to shape up before Christmas or else. This is typically
done on December 6th.
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Image source:
https://www.austria.info/en/things-to-do/skiing-and-winter/christmas-traditions
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On Christmas Eve everything shuts down creating
a “silent night” aside from the sounds of families singing
Christmas carols around the Christmas tree. Fun fact
the song “Silent Night” was written and performed for the first
time on December 24th, 1818 by Josef Mohr and Franz Gruber
in the Austrian village of Oberndorf.
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Ukraine - Caroling and Spiderwebs
Image source:
https://vidviday.ua/blog/en/ukraine-traditions-holidays/
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In the Ukraine the Christmas festivities begin Christmas
Eve (for the traditional Catholic Christmas. They do have
a second Orthodox Christmas that is celebrated on January 7th)
with a huge Christmas dinner feast that consists of 12 different
dishes. The Ukraines recognize that Christmas is the celebration
of the birth of Christ and the 12 different dishes they make are
to symbolize his 12 apostles. Typical dishes you would find at
the Ukrainian Christmas feast include things such as pickled Herring, oven-roasted
cabbage, perogies, a special dessert called uzvar, and the most
anticipated kutya. Kutya is made up of barley or wheat seeds, poppy
seeds, raisins, honey, and walnuts, takes about 4-6 hours to
prepare, and is only prepared for the Christmas Eve feast. It is served
in a community dish to symbolize unity and after dinner it is left on
the table with a candle burning so the loved ones that have passed
have something to eat as well. Another fun Kutya tradition is to take
a spoonful of it and throw it onto the ceiling. If it sticks then it is a sign
that you will have peace and prosperity in the upcoming year! Personally
this dish doesn’t look all that appetizing to me, but I love all the traditions surrounding it!
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Image source:
https://www.grainews.ca/farmlife/just-in-time-for-christmas-kutya/
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After dinner Christmas caroling and the vertep (a portable
puppet theater) is performed. Everyone dresses up in costumes
and spreads the news of Christ’s birth as they sing for
friends, family, and neighbors.
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Image source:
https://vidviday.ua/blog/en/ukraine-traditions-holidays/
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The final tradition in the Ukraine is probably my favorite.
Instead of tinsel on the tree it is common to find spiderwebs hung up!
An old wives tale says that there once was a widow who
couldn’t afford to decorate the tree for her children at
Christmas and some nice little spiders (Charlotte? lol) decorated
the tree with beautiful spider webs. Spiders are also said to be a
sign of good fortune for the people of the Ukraine so I guess maybe
think twice about squishing spiders when you see them in your home.
I totally think this is a tradition I will be picking up next year!
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Image Source:
https://www.vancouverchristmasmarket.com/spider-and-the-christmas-tree-ukrainian-story/
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Czech Republic - Carp and Christmas Superstitions
Image source: https://www.10best.com/interests/food-culture/how-carp-became-the-star-of-czech-christmas-dinners/
Since I am half Czech I figured it would be fun to include
their Christmas traditions! Very similar to Austria they have
St. Nicholas Day on December 5th where St. Nick and the
devil roam the streets rewarding good children with presents
and bad children with coal. However, the Christmas traditions
that I found really interesting are all the superstitions surrounding
the holiday. For instance, single girls are to throw a shoe over
their shoulder towards the door on Christmas and if the toe of their
shoe points towards the door they will be married within the next
year. If it points away from the door they will spend another year
single. I tried this, twice, and both times the toe of my shoe
pointed towards the door….so umm….there’s that. Lol
Another superstition includes cutting an apple in half and
counting the seeds. 5 seeds in a star pattern means everyone around
you will remain healthy. Less than 5 seeds and someone is going to fall ill.
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Image Source:
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Another crazy one is that you are not allowed to do laundry
or hang up any laundry on Christmas. If you do, someone
in your family will die. Sounds like the perfect excuse to me
to get out of having to do laundry! Lol The final superstition
I thought was cool involves nutshells and candles. Supposedly
if you put a candle in half a nutshell and then place the nutshell
in a bowl of water and it floats away from the edge you can expect
to do some travelling! If it stays close to the edge you will
be remaining close to home.
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Image source:
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Finally let’s talk about carp. Sometimes poached, sometimes in
soup, sometimes just kept alive in the bathtub, carp is one of the
main symbols of a Czech Christmas. It is also thought that if you
place carp scales in your wallet you will always have money in the upcoming year.
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I’m sure my cats would love this tradition. Lol Image source:
https://www.tresbohemes.com/2016/12/theres-carp-bathtub-czech-christmas-traditions/
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Switzerland - The Animals Can Talk?
Because of the blonde hair and blue eyes I have been mistakenly
thought to be of Swiss origin so that is why I included the
country on this list and honestly, it made me want to be
of Swiss descent! One of the big things surrounding Christmas
traditions in Switzerland is spending time with family. They will
get together and bake tons of batches of Christmas cookies
and partake in an advent calendar (sometimes one they make
themselves) to count down the days until Christmas. On Christmas
Eve the family gathers for one of their Christmas dinner feasts
(it is common for Swiss to have a big meal on Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day..sometimes at two different houses) which usually
consists of foods such as ham, scalloped potatoes, fondue, and Christmas cookies.
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Image source:
https://matadornetwork.com/read/coziest-winter-foods-switzerland/
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After dinner is when Swiss families break out the tree for the
first time which they decorate with various different things
including actual burning candles. (Apparently the Swiss like to
live life on the edge and don’t have cats. Lol) Then, they end the
night with a midnight mass service full of carols and bell ringing.
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Image source: https://windagainstcurrent.com/tag/christmas-tree-candles/
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One very interesting thing I found was that in certain regions
of Switzerland it is believed that animals are given the power
to speak. Yes you read that right…animals can speak. The
miracle is said to happen at midnight on Christmas Eve as a
reward for the animals that served the baby Jesus on the first
Christmas. In order to try and keep the talking down farm
animals might be given extra hay so no one overhears their conversations
and invites a year of bad luck.
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Sweden - The Yule Goat
Image Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_goat
With the town of Lindsborg being so close to me I thought
it would be fun to learn about some Swedish Christmas
traditions! One very important tradition in Sweden is the
advent wreath and the lighting of a candle every Sunday until
Christmas while enjoying glögg (which is a hot, spicy, mulled
wine with blanched almonds and raisins) and gingerbread biscuits
called pepparkakor. The church I go to is in the same parish as the
Catholic church in Lindsborg and lemme tell you…people are VERY
particular about their advent wreath and candles. Lol My family actually
used to set up and light our own advent wreath every year as well.
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Image source: https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/advent-wreath-with-candles-gold-finish-P001149796
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In the days before Christmas families set out to find the
perfect Christmas tree. Oh and when I say perfect I mean
perfect. The Christmas tree is the main symbol of Christmas
for the Swedes so finding a tree that is densely and evenly branched
and straight is a very big deal. The Swedes also, like the
Ukrainians, believe that their loved ones come to eat after
dark and leave the leftovers of their Christmas feast, which
typically is made up of pickled herring, ham, lutfisk, and jellied
pig’s feet, out on the table when they go to bed.
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Lutfisk. Image source:
https://www.thedailymeal.com/travel/what-heck-lutefisk-and-why-do-minnesotans-eat-it
You can learn more about Lutfisk in this episode of Gordon
Ramsay Uncharted (a show I HIGHLY recommend you
check out!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cvWCDe0SKc
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The final tradition in Sweden I am going to talk about is the
Yule Goat. Every year the town of Gavlé puts up a huge 42
foot straw goat (which is actually a Guinness World Record) and
makes bets on whether it will make it to Christmas or not. The goat
is like a siren for arsonists and over the years the town has tried
to keep their goat safe by using guards, security cameras, and
fences to protect it. However, most years the goat isn’t so lucky
and since it’s construction in 1966 it has been destroyed
(in some very elaborate ways) at least 35 times! In fact, it was
set aflame for the first time in five years just here recently on December 17th, 2021!
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Venezuela - Skate to Mass
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This is one dope tradition. In the capital city of Caracas
locals will don their skates and glide as a family to Christmas
mass. It is also said that before going to bed children will tie a
string around their big toe and put the other end of the string
out the window. As skaters skate by they give the string a little
tug to let the children know that it is time to get up and put on their
own skates and get to mass with their family. This tradition has
actually become so popular that the government shuts down the streets
until 8am the next morning to ensure everyone can skate with their
families safely to Christmas mass. Another tradition in Venezuela
involves their love for fireworks. Venezuelans can expect to be woken
up Christmas morning to the sound of fireworks exploding out in the
streets along with the ringing of the church bells. The final thing I found
to be pretty interesting revolves around decorating. While trees may
still make an appearance at Christmas, nativity scenes are really where
the most effort is put and you can find some very elaborate ones that not
only include the Holy family, but the entire landscape of Bethlehem. It’s not
uncommon for visitors to leave money in the nativity scenes to be used towards
new figures for the next year and some towns even have competitions to see
which has the best nativity scene.
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Germany - Pickles and Potato Salad
As I mentioned earlier I am half Czech. Well, the other half of me
is German so I figured it was fitting to round out the list with
Germany! One of the most popular and unusual traditions in
Germany is the tradition of hiding a pickle in the Christmas tree.
It is thought that this tradition began from an old tale where St. Nicolas
heroically saved two young boys who were trapped inside of a pickle
barrel bringing them back to life. It is said whoever is lucky enough
to find the pickle hidden in the tree gets an extra gift at Christmas!
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Image source:
https://homemaking.com/hannah/true-meaning-pickle-christmas-tree-ornaments/
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Let’s talk about fooood. One of the most popular dishes you
will find at a German Christmas feast is potato salad with
sausage. However, this isn’t the potato salad you might
typically think of and find at a 4th of July barbecue, but instead
a hot dish of actual potatoes. From what I could find in my
research this tradition started most likely back around the
time of WWII when the majority of the German population was
struggling financially and needed a meal that was both filling and
cheap. Another theory is that this dish has to do with the fasting
period between St. Martin’s day on November 11th and December
24th. Since the fast ends on Christmas Eve it is said that a simple
and easy meal should be served. Whatever the reason for its start
it is one I am 1000% behind. Lol (My dad on the other hand
told me that he has had German potato salad before
and is definitely not a fan. lol)
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Image source:
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Again, regardless of where you are from, let me know what
your Christmas traditions are! I'd love to hear them! And merry Christmas!!!
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References:
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/kfc-christmas-tradition-japan/index.html
https://www.countryliving.com/entertaining/g4933/christmas-traditions-around-the-world/
https://vagabondtoursofireland.com/what-are-some-irish-christmas-traditions-and-customs
https://www.austria.info/en/things-to-do/skiing-and-winter/christmas-traditions
https://www.visitczechrepublic.com/en-US/3da30e40-5d0f-42ff-9833-9e12459897d7/article/n-christmas-traditions
https://sweden.se/culture/celebrations/christmas
https://www.littlezurichkitchen.ch/swiss-christmas-the-manual/
https://www.alpenwild.com/staticpage/swiss-christmas-traditions/
https://www.cbc.ca/kidscbc2/the-feed/the-strange-legend-of-the-swedish-yule-goat
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/sweden-yule-goat-julbocken-fire/index.html
https://christmas.lovetoknow.com/christmas-history-traditions/venezuelan-christmas-traditions
https://metro.co.uk/2021/12/24/christmas-unusual-customs-from-around-the-world-from-kfc-to-cobwebs-15762490/
https://www.grainews.ca/farmlife/just-in-time-for-christmas-kutya/
https://www.toronto.com/community-story/32639-ukrainian-christmas-celebrated-with-12-course-meal/
https://theworldofcruiseandtravel.com/2020/11/29/christmas-traditions-in-germany-potato-salad-and-wiener-wuerstchen/
https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/life/how-germany-celebrates-christmas