Christmas is a time for celebration the world over – but that doesn’t mean those celebrations always look the same.
While Brits might be content with their traditions (even if some are puzzled by Christmas crackers), like watching the best Christmas films for the 100th time while eating a mince pie, in countries all over the world, customs differ tremendously.
From roller skating to mass (really) to getting naked in the sauna with your nearest and dearest (again, really), there are plenty of fun and fantastical traditions that will make you want to experience Christmas in other parts of the world.
Let’s take a look at a few of them…
KFC for Christmas Dinner
An annual tradition that might surprise some is Japan’s appetite for southern fried chicken instead of Turkey and trimmings.
Back in 1974, the fast food giant KFC released a festive marketing campaign in Japan with a simple slogan ‘Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!’ (Kentucky for Christmas) and, well, whoever came up with that needs a raise.
It’s remained a tradition ever since, even though Christmas isn’t actually a national holiday in Japan.
Families from all over the country still head to their local KFC for a special Christmas Eve meal.
Is KFC open on Christmas Day?
If you want to try this Christmas tradition for yourself, it’ll probably cost you a trip to Japan, as KFC does not open on Christmas Day in the UK.
However, you can still get your southern fried chicken fix over the festive period, as many KFC restaurants across the country are open on both Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.
Sharing a sauna with dead ancestors
Saunas might be a selling point for gyms in the UK, but sauna culture is embedded in places like Finland.
People often invite colleagues or new acquaintances as a sign of respect and, at Christmas time, this hot spot becomes a sacred space associated with long-dead ancestors.
On Christmas Eve, it’s customary to strip and do a stint in the sauna, which is also believed to be home to the legendary sauna ‘elf’.
After the sauna session, Finns head out to the evening celebrations, while spirits of the ancestors take their place in the bubbling water.
Swapping sparkly lights for spiderwebs
This Ukrainian custom swaps out tinsel and twinkles for creepy crawlies.
Spiders and webs are believed to bring good luck in Ukrainian culture, but this particular custom goes back to a folktale about a poor widow who could not afford to decorate a tree for her children.
Legend has it that spiders in the house took pity on the family, and spun beautiful webs all over the tree, which the children awoke to find on Christmas morning.
The best places to travel to for Christmas
If you’re keen to experience a different culture at Christmas, then you might want to consider some of the world’s best destinations for winter sun:
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Orlando, Florida
- Larnaca, Cyprus
- Brisbane, Australia
- Sihanoukville, Cambodia
- Muscat, Oman
- Playa del Carmen, Mexico
- Bridgetown, Barbados
- Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
- Bali, Indonesia
The pooping man in Catalonia
Conjure an image of the nativity, and you’d probably think of angels, shepherds and the baby Jesus.
But in Catalonia, a nativity wouldn’t be complete without a sculpture of a pooping man, the Caganer, who can usually be found tucked away in the corner.
And the Caganer isn’t the only poop-themed Christmas tradition in Catalonia.
Tio de Nadal is a Christmas log with stick legs, a smiley face and a floppy red hat, and is hugely popular with children.
He is brought out on December 8 and every night until December 24 children are tasked with ‘feeding’ the log with nuts and dried fruit.
Then, on Christmas Eve, they sing a song and beat him with sticks, urging him to poop out presents. When the blanket is removed, to their delight, he has done exactly that.
Digital fireplaces in New York
Chestnut roasting on an open fire is a hard thing to achieve when you live in an apartment block.
For those poor souls who aren’t lucky enough to have a fireplace, the New York-based channel WPIX plays a film of a merrily burning fire.
It first aired on Christmas Eve in 1966, as a loop of a 17-second-long film of a roaring fireplace at Gracie Mansion, the New York City mayor’s residence.
How to get a digital fireplace this Christmas
These days, you don’t need to live in New York to experience a roaring fireplace on your TV.
Netflix has its own ‘Fireplace for Your Home’ (including a Yule Log version with Christmas music), while Amazon Prime and Apple TV offer watchable fireplaces too.
There are also plenty of options on YouTube to choose from.
Hiding a pickle in the tree
The origins of why we have Christmas trees and why we decorate them are unclear, with both Estonia and Latvia laying claim to it.
The cities of Tallinn in Estonia and Riga in Latvia are both said to have put up the first Christmas tree in their town squares; Tallinn in 1441 and Riga in 1510.
And just like no one knows who had the Christmas tree first, we’re also not quite sure where the ‘Christmas pickle’ came from.
Weihnachtsgurke is a Christmas tradition that involves hanging a pickle-shaped ornament on the tree, and while many claim it originated in Germany, the truth is that most Germans have never even heard of it.
The origins are anecdotal, with some saying it comes from an old tale in which St Nicholas rescued two boys imprisoned inside a pickle barrel, while others link it to the glass-blowing industry in the German town of Lauscha.
In fact, it’s thought to be more of an American tradition, created in the late 19th century to coincide with the importation of glass Christmas tree decorations from Germany.
Hidden among the branches, it is said that the first person to find the pickle gets an extra gift!
The Christmas Devil
The German legend of Krampus is rooted in Alpine folklore, and is a half-goat, half-demon monster who punishes badly behaved children while giving presents to the good ones.
In Munich, an annual Krampuslauf (Krampus run) is held annually on the Sunday after December 6, in which people dressed in Krampus outfits parade through the city to the delight of onlookers.
The Krampus was also joined by the Perchten, whose stamping and rattling of bells is said to scare away the evil spirits of winter.
The easiest way to tell the difference between the Krampus and the Perchten is that the Krampus has two horns, while the Perchten usually have several.
In Munich, the Krampus parade through the city centre began in 2004, but the tradition itself dates back more than 500 years in the Alpine region.
Carved radishes
On December 23, residents in the Mexican city of Oaxaca hold a sculpture competition with a twist.
Locals compete to make the most extravagant, radish-based sculpture art, and the event is known as La Noche de Rabanos (The Night of the Radishes).
It’s nativity like you’ve never seen it before.
The winner gets their picture in the paper (and you would hope so too, after all that effort).
Rollerblading to mass
The people of Venezuela have gone and upped the ante with a unique Christmas tradition that makes building snowmen look positively dull.
For locals in the capital of Caracas, it is customary to strap on your roller skates and glide to Christmas mass.
As legend has it, children go to bed with a piece of string tied around their toe and the other end dangling out of the window.
As skaters roll past, they give the string a tug and children know that it’s time to, well, get their skates on.
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Skating to mass became so popular that the government took to closing streets until 8am so that families could skate together in safety.
However, since around 2010 political turmoil and economic struggles in Venezuela have taken a toll on daily life, and now the tradition is at risk of fading out.
While it isn’t clear precisely how or why it started, sources suggest it is an alternative to sledding – December temperatures in the southern hemisphere can reach into the high thirties.
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