Twelve distinct Christmas customs from throughout the world provide a fascinating glimpse into the various ways people celebrate this wonderful season.
While some people connect Christmas with snowy settings and evergreen trees, others wear roller skates to church or hide brooms to fend off evil spirits.
This joyful season takes on a variety of shapes and colors, reflecting the rich pattern of global cultures.
Twelve Distinctive Christmas Customs from Around the World
Lets explore these:
1. The Yule Lads from Iceland
With the Yule Lads, Iceland puts a new spin on the old Santa Claus story. Instead of a single beneficent character, Iceland has 13 naughty Yule Lads who offer gifts or play pranks over the 13 nights before Christmas.
For Icelandic youngsters, this whimsical and mystical ritual provides an added dimension of delight.
2. Beach Barbecues in Australia
While many people associate Christmas with wintry vistas, Australians celebrate it in the middle of summer.
Beach barbecues have become a popular custom in Australia, allowing families to enjoy the sunshine, sand, and waves rather than the conventional wintry setting.
It’s a one-of-a-kind way to embrace the season in a uniquely Australian way.
3. Venezuela: Mass Roller Skating
In Caracas, Venezuela’s bustling capital city, Christmas Mass takes on a new twist as people roller skate to the early morning session.
The practice provides a safe and enjoyable trip to Mass by closing streets to motorists, blending religious devotion with a hearty dose of pleasure and communal enthusiasm.
4. La Befana, Italy
The advent of La Befana on the night of January 5th, known as the Epiphany, extends the Christmas season in Italy beyond December 25th.
This pleasant witch distributes gifts to good children and coal to bad children, providing a sense of excitement and anticipation to the Italian holiday season.
5. Ethiopia: Ganna
Ganna, a game similar to field hockey, is a unique sporting event in Ethiopian Christmas celebrations.
Families gather to play and watch Ganna, which adds a sporting and community element to the holiday season.
The Ethiopian Christmas experience is completed by the customary Christmas feast, which includes injera and several stews.
6. Czech Republic: Forecasting the Future
On Christmas Eve, unmarried Czech ladies participate in an interesting and age-old tradition.
They stand with their backs to the front entrance and toss one of their shoes over their shoulder to foretell their future love lives.
If the shoe lands with the toe pointing towards the door, they are expected to marry within a year, instilling a feeling of playfulness and anticipation into Czech Christmas celebrations.
7. Japan: KFC Buffet
The KFC Feast custom gives Christmas in Japan a distinct flavor.
Families look forward to a festive lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken over the Christmas season because of a clever marketing effort in the 1970s.
Pre-ordering KFC dinners several weeks ahead of time has become a popular tradition, giving a crispy and savory touch to the Japanese Christmas celebration.
8. Ukraine: Spider Webs and Best Wishes
Ukrainians add a magical touch to their holiday decorations by covering trees with spider web ornaments.
According to legend, on Christmas morning, a penniless widow’s spider-web-covered tree mysteriously changed into gold metals.
This practice represents good fortune and creates a distinct and wonderful Christmas atmosphere in Ukrainian homes.
9. Greenland: A Feast for the Senses
Greenland’s Christmas celebrations take an unusual turn, with a focus on traditional cuisine such as mattak, which is whale skin with blubber.
During the holiday season, families and friends meet to taste this delicacy, demonstrating the value of local resources and customs in creating a memorable Christmas celebration.
10. El Gordo Lottery in Spain
The world’s largest lottery, El Gordo, adds an extra dimension of excitement to Spaniards’ Christmas celebrations. On December 22nd, relatives and friends purchase tickets in the hopes of winning a portion of the large prize pool.
This annual event has become an important and exciting component of the Spanish Christmas customs.
11. Norway: Hiding Witches’ Brooms
Christmas Eve in Norway contains a strange tradition of hiding brooms.
On this night, witches and evil spirits are said to roam freely.
Norwegians conceal brooms to prevent these things from causing mischief and to ensure a quiet and pleasant Christmas celebration.
12. Ghana: Christmas Day National Dress
Ghanaians add a splash of color to their Christmas celebrations by dressing in traditional “kente.”
Wearing this colorful outfit to church on Christmas Day adds a cultural flare to the festivities, highlighting the beauty and diversity of Ghanaian traditions during the holiday season.
These twelve unique Christmas traditions offer an insight into the global celebration of this cherished holiday in a world that is interrelated yet beautifully distinctive.
From roller skating to Mass in Venezuela to hiding brooms in Norway, each ritual crafts a cultural story that adds to the holiday season’s unique beauty.
Let us appreciate the beauty of these different rituals that make the holiday season truly global as we celebrate Christmas.
