Unusual Christmas Traditions from Around the World
25th Dec 2024
Unusual Christmas Traditions from Around the World
It may seem that Christmas is celebrated in much the same way across the world: we all decorate Christmas trees, and the holiday period is spent with family. However, in many countries, local traditions are celebrated that are unknown elsewhere. Want to discover a few of them? Read today’s post!
The Good and the Bad Santa
In most countries, children receive gifts from Santa Claus at Christmas (although he may go by various names). He doesn’t usually have an evil counterpart. However, in Austria, it’s different – alongside Santa, there is Krampus, a figure that’s part monster, part goat. Krampus’s job is to hunt down naughty children, punish them, and take away all their presents. Krampus even has his own festival in Austria! On the winter solstice, parades and markets are held, where young people dress in goat or sheep skins, wearing scary masks to frighten children watching the parade. The event features fire-eaters, music, and dancing. There are also temporary stalls sellinghand-painted Christmas baubles, snacks, and more. So, if you visit Austria in December, you’ll see not only Santa Claus on the streets but also masked figures scaring passers-by.
Another similarly dark holiday figure is Iceland’s Yule Cat. This enormous cat roams the country at Christmas, hunting for misbehaving people. One of the traditions connected to the Yule Cat is the practice of giving new clothes. In the past, farmers would give new clothes as a reward to their hardest-working employees. Those who were lazy were said to be eaten by the Yule Cat. Nowadays, Icelanders buy new clothes for Christmas to avoid being mistaken for lazy by the Yule Cat.
Christmas in Front of the TV
Many Australians enjoy spending the holidays relaxing in front of the TV. Christmas is no different – if we’re not visiting family or hitting the Christmas sales, we like to kick back and catch up on movies. In some countries, watching TV has become a real Christmas tradition!
In Sweden, in 1958, television aired a special episode of a Disney cartoon called Donald Duck and His Friends Wish You a Merry Christmas. At the time, Sweden had only two TV channels, and the appearance of Disney cartoons was a big event. Od tamtej Since then, every Christmas, withglass baubleshanging on the tree and dinner on the table, Swedish families gather at 3:00 PM to watch Donald Duck. It’s now a Christmas tradition for both adults and children. It’s estimated that over 40% of people schedule their holiday around the TV programme to make sure they don’t miss their favourite Christmas films.
In Poland, Home Alone has become a similar phenomenon. For decades, the film has been shown at Christmas, and people say that “Christmas without Kevin isn’t real Christmas.” Each year, one of the main TV channels airs the film in the early evening, allowing families to watch it together after their Christmas meal.
Don’t Forget Santa’s Helpers!
In most countries, Santa Claus is helped by animals – without their assistance, he wouldn’t be able to quickly travel from house to house, leaving presents in children’spersonalised Christmas stockings. In Australia, Santa’s sleigh is pulled by kangaroos or dolphins, while in the Netherlands, he’s helped by a white horse called Amerigo. Before December 5th, Santa visits Dutch children at night, leaving small gifts and sweets. Children leave carrots in their shoes as a thank-you treat for Amerigo.
Fighting Witches
In Norway, it’s a tradition to hide brooms in the most concealed parts of the house at Christmas. Where did this custom originate? In the past, people believed that witches and evil spirits awoke on Christmas Day. They would search for brooms in people’s homes to fly off and cause trouble for ordinary folk.
Christmas KFC Bucket
For most of us, a family meal on Christmas Day is associated with homemade dishes, where family members pour their hearts into the preparation. However, in Japan, Christmas dinner consists of… a KFC bucket. How did this custom find its place among Christmas trees,glass baubles, and carolling? It’s a byproduct of the commercial side of Christmas. In Japan, where less than 1% of the population is Christian, KFC entered the market with Christmas ads featuring Santa Claus. These commercials were so popular with the Japanese public that they rushed to buy their KFC buckets. To this day, KFC in Japan sells “Christmas buckets,” and long queues form at the restaurants on Christmas Day.
Sharing Halva
When it comes to unique Christmas traditions, Spain offers another interesting example. In most Catholic countries, families symbolically share an opłatek (Christmas wafer) during the holiday. However, in Spain, families share halva. The halva is rolled up and wrapped in a wafer, but aside from its spiritual significance, it’s also a beloved festive treat – enjoyed by both children and adults alike.