From play-fighting your siblings for the acclaimed spot of placing the shining gold star on the top of your adorned Christmas tree to trying to catch Santa Claus in his act of leaving presents, Christmas is a holiday based around family, love, and tradition. However, Christmas traditions are not the same for everyone. A variety of celebratory customs show the importance of different cultures around the world whilst sharing the recurring idea of togetherness.
Placing warm, freshly-baked cookies next to the blazing fireplace is a tradition many families in America partake in. But what about those shoes you left by your doorstep this morning? In the Netherlands, it’s custom for Dutch kids to leave a shoe by the chimney, filled with a present for Sinterklaas, or St. Nicholas, and his horse, for which a carrot is most commonly left. For three weeks leading up to December fifth, Sinterklaas’s arrival is eagerly awaited by excited kids who have heard of tales of this joyous man filling their shoes with small gifts and candies.
Moving east, Japanese families get ready to fill their hungry stomachs on Christmas eve. The doorbell rings and someone rushes up to grab bags full of… KFC? This mouth-watering, greasy odor wafts through the house, marking the long-awaited date of the night before Christmas. Despite Christmas not being a national holiday in this country, this widespread tradition started in the 1970’s, after the slogan “Kentucky for Christmas” popped up when the company marketed their festive, chicken-filled party buckets designed for the whole family to share together. Advertisements in Japan showed families enjoying chicken during Christmas, adding to the rise of KFC during the holidays for Japanese citizens.
A “typical” Christmas dinner almost always features family-cooked meals made from the the most treasured recipes out of the dusty cookbook your parents pulled out from the top cabinet filled with old cobwebs and stuffy air. But this is definitely not the same for everyone around the world, as we’ve already noticed from Japan. In South Africa, a hearty holiday meal is topped off with fried emperor moth caterpillars. Eating these crunchy snacks are said to give you some extra luck going into the new year.
Moving on from the topic of food, many Christian families go to Christmas service on December 24th or 25th. When I say this, you would assume the “normal” way to get there would be either in cars or maybe even cycling if it’s close enough to your house. But in Caracas, Venezuela, it’s customary to rollerskate to your early morning Christmas service! This has become so popular within the local community that the government closes down streets on Christmas day until 8 a.m. so this fun tradition can be enjoyed safely. There’s even a legend that entails that kids will go to sleep with string wrapped around their toe and out the window so any passersby can tug on the string to wake them in time to go skating. This Christmas roller skating is a way for families and communities to show togetherness and joy from something as simple as a fun commuting tradition.
In America, the few days leading up to Christmas are the most celebrated times of the year, as the holiday spirit starts filling homes and shops. In Sweden and Norway December 13th marks the beginning of the Christmas season, with the festival of lights beginning with a procession of young girls and boys dressed in white and certain accessories. During this religious festival, girls wear a wreath atop their head while boys wear white flowy clothes and sing Christmas songs. St. Lucia, a Christian killed due to her beliefs, is celebrated in homes when the oldest daughter is picked to serve home-baked goods and drinks to the other family members . This tradition is meant to bring light and hope amidst darkness.
These five traditions are not the only customs different from ours in America. Everyone has their own little twist to Christmas celebrations, and while you may have a certain way of spreading holiday cheer, it’s important to shed light upon differences in the many different cultures our world holds.
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