10 Favorite Christmas Traditions Around the World
What are your family’s fun Christmas traditions? Caroling? Hiding an almond in the rice pudding? Matching pajamas?
Holidays naturally bring out traditions — special food, songs, activities, even clothes (I’m thinking hideous sweaters here) and, with Christmas being celebrated in 160 countries around the world, there are so many ways variations for how to celebrate – from cozy and festive to downright quirky.
Germany, Austria and Switzerland: Christmas Markets
In the German speaking countries of Europe there is a definite beginning to the holiday season — the opening of the Christmas markets. Streets are lined with decorative wooden booths selling everything from Christmas punch and warm comfort food to handmade ornaments and crafts. Music plays while people shop, laugh and warm themselves with hot drinks, and at night everything is beautifully lit up. In Germany, which in our opinion has the finest Christmas markets, you find them typically in the old town or even in the woods for a truly magical effect.
Norway: Barn Elf Porridge
Scandinavia is a region that is steeped in legends about magical creatures, and during the Christmas season these legends are not taken lightly. Specifically, in Norway, one really shouldn’t forget about the elves. On Norwegian farms, it’s the job of a Nisse (elf is the closest translation) to watch after the animals’ health during the winter. As a show of thanks, the farmer leaves a bowl of Christmas porridge in front of the door for the Nisse to enjoy. However, if there’s not a nice slab of butter in the middle of the porridge, the Nisse is likely to get angry and the animals could get sick.
Venezuela: Blading to Church
There’s nothing unusual about going to church on Christmas, but Venezuelans in the capital city of Caracas have added a crazy twist — they rollerblade there! Yes, this is a real thing, and the Venezuelan police had to start shutting down car traffic on many roads on Christmas morning to keep the rollerbladers safe. Then after mass, friends and families rollerblade back to gather on the streets for food, music and dancing.
Japan: An unlikely Christmas feast
While Japan is not largely a Christian country, they do celebrate Christmas secularly as a time for giving gifts and light displays. But one of the most interesting traditions is what they eat — Kentucky Fried Chicken. That’s right, it has become an actual tradition in Japan to order a Kentucky Fried Chicken dinner for Christmas. What started out as a marketing ploy to boost KFC sales in Japan became a widespread practice and people have to preorder to make sure they get their what they want. Checkout the KFC Japan website for yourself to peruse the holiday menu.
Sweden: a giant straw goat
For the past 53 years, on December 1st, a 13-meter tall (about 40 feet), straw Yule Goat has been constructed in a square in Gavle Sweden. A straw statue that size is quite a site and obviously has gathered lots of attention over the years. Unfortunately not all the attention was wanted. On 29 of those 53 years, the Goat has been burned to the ground. In fact, attempts at burning the goat have become almost as much of a tradition as the goat itself, and each year residents wait to see if the goat will survive the season. To check the status of the goat yourself in real time, go to the Gavle website.
Much of Europe: St. Nicholas Day
Kids in much of Europe get an early start to celebrating – nearly three weeks early, as St. Nicholas visits homes on December 6th to fill boots left by the fireplace with oranges, chocolates and small toys. St. Nicholas Day was the idea of Martin Luther, who was not comfortable with Christmas Day being so closely associated with a Catholic saint. While the jolly and poorly American Santa is busiest on the 24th, his skinner and more devout looking European partner in places like Germany is already on vacation by this time. Instead it’s the Christkind who delivers presents to German children on the 24th. The Christkind (also the idea of Martin Luther) was first represented by the baby Jesus but has since evolved into an angelic female gift bearer.
Iceland: The Christmas Book Flood
Iceland has adopted what I believe is one of the sweetest, coziest holiday tradition in the world. It makes me actually want to move there despite the bitter winter weather. On Christmas Eve, Icelanders give one another books, and they spend the night reading them in front of the fire. Give me a break! How wonderful does this sound — the entire family gathered quietly around the fire, books in one hand, mugs of cocoa in the other. The custom has taken on the name Jolabokaflod, or “Christmas Book Flood” and is so popular that it accounts for most of the countries book sales for the year. It’s no surprise that the Icelandic people have one of the highest literacy rates in Europe.
Finland: Some time in the hot room
And what would Christmas be without sitting in a towel and sweating a little? One of the oldest Christmas traditions in Finland is to hit the sauna on Christmas Day. Ad this isn’t a recent fad; the tradition goes back centuries. Back then it was stressed that the sauna time be only during the day, because after dark the sauna was reserved for the local elves.
Mexico: Night of the Radishes
In the city of Oaxaca, Mexico, a strange thing happens every December 23rd, and it’s been happening for over 120 years — radish sculptures. Merchants in Oaxaca create amazing figures and designs out of radishes and people come from all over the country to see them. It started as a simple attempt by sellers to get some attention from passersby, but as many traditions do, it grew into something very different. If Halloween can have pumpkins, why can’t Christmas have radishes?
England: Christmas Crackers
This one makes the list just because we had so much fun with them while spending Christmas last year in Cornwall, England. Christmas crackers are not the kind of crackers you top with cheese. They’re tubular festive decorations that make a snapping sound when pulled opened from both ends, and they contain a paper crown, small gift and a joke. They’re like a cross between a wishbone, a pinata, a Laffy Taffy and a fortune cookie. And just so you know, the jokes are really bad. But that’s just our opinion. You judge for yourself.
What does Santa suffer from if he gets stuck in a chimney? Claustrophobia!
What do they sing at a snowman’s birthday party? Freeze a jolly good fellow
Why does Santa have three gardens? So he can ‘ho ho ho’!
And the worst of them all (but still my personal favorite when my 10 year old says it with a British accent.)
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Arthur
Arthur who?
Arthur any mince pies left?
