Christmas Tradition from All Over the World: Get Ready for the Weird, Interesting, and Downright Bizarre
Christmas, ah yes, the time of the year when it’s perfectly acceptable to indulge in eggnogs, wear ugly sweaters, and suck up to grandma to make sure you get a neatly wrapped gift under her Christmas tree. Every culture and family has their own Christmas tradition, but have you ever wondered how people from across the globe celebrate this holiday?
Eating KFC
Forget turkey, in Japan, they eat KFC during Christmas (sign me up!) The tradition of eating KFC during Christmas began in 1974 with KFC’s “Kentucky For Christmas” marketing campaign. Since most Japanese people practice Shintoism or Buddhism, Christmas is considered a secular holiday, and they don’t have any specific traditions for it.
The idea to market KFC to Japanese people during Christmas was a happy accident when a KFC Japan sales team member overheard a foreign customer who came to KFC in Tokyo at Christmas and said, “I can’t get turkey in Japan, so I have no choice but to celebrate Christmas with Kentucky Fried Chicken,” according to the KFC website. It sparked an idea that became a tradition to the present.
Roller Skating to Mass
In Venezuela, people roller skate to Christmas mass. What a fun way to lose all those extra pounds you gain eating from all the Christmas parties you attended! While it’s unclear how the tradition started, it could be an alternative to sledding—something people in other parts of the world experience during the Christmas season.
Keeping a Shoe on the Window
Iceland has its version of Santa Claus, albeit a naughtier version. And it’s not just one, but 13! The 13 Yule lads of the Nordic Island bring a small gift to behaved children while naughty children often get a potato! The Christmas trolls arrive one by one every day from December 12 until 24 and stay for 13 days with humans.
Caring for a Log that Poops Candies
A weird Christmas tradition in Catalonia, a region in Spain, involves caring for a log with a drawn-on face and a red pointy hat, “Caga Tió,” that poops “turróns,” bite-sized pieces of nougat, after being hit with a stick. (Try getting hit with a stick and see if you can stop yourself from pooping!).
The origins of “Caga Tió” started as a pagan celebration during the Winter Solstice in rural villages of Catalan. It started with using the log for a bonfire and burning it throughout the winter. The practice evolved into caring for the log until it was time for the log to “give back.”
As for the “turrón” as a treat, it’s the usual sweets that the Spaniards eat during Christmas, according to NPR.
Christmas Tradition of Sitting in a Sauna
Now, this is a Christmas tradition we don’t mind participating in! In Finland, Finnish families sit in a sauna to cleanse their souls and bodies before the holiday celebrations since Joulupukki or Santa Claus visit after the family members are clean and have dressed up for the occasion.
Bringing treats to the sauna elf or “saunatonttu” is another Christmas tradition since the Finnish people believe that every sauna has its own elf.
Gift Giving with a Theme
In the Philippines, Secret Santa has a twist. Gift-giving usually starts on the first day of December or the first week, depending on the group’s preference, and culminates on Christmas Day or when the Christmas party is held.
Participants draw names for their Secret Santa (“monito” or “monita”) and prepare a small gift based on a specific theme. Common themes include something sweet, something round, something useful, something long and hard, and something wet (yes, we get the innuendo, too).
Dancing Around the Christmas Tree
Dancing around the Christmas tree is a tradition followed by the Danes. They dance around the tree, holding hands, and singing Christmas songs. Some families do this before opening presents while others do this before dinner.
So, there you have it. Quirky, strange, and downright delightful traditions that make the Christmas season even more magical. Whether you’re eating fried chicken in Japan, dancing around the Christmas tree, or sitting in a sauna, one thing’s for sure: the world sure knows how to have fun during Christmas.
