8 ways to celebrate — Christmas around the world

It’s that time of the year again when children write letters to Santa, and the streets are filled with bright lights, snowflakes, and Santa Claus. However, have you ever wondered how different countries celebrate this festive holiday across the globe? It’s awe-inspiring to note that each country’s culture and traditions significantly influence the way people celebrate Christmas. So, it’s “all aboard!” for a fascinating journey through various countries worldwide as we look at 8 ways to celebrate Christmas around the world.

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8 ways to celebrate Christmas

Let’s start our journey in Peru, where Christmas Day is an opportunity to bury the hatchet and start the new year fresh and grudge-free. They celebrate an interesting festival called Takanakuy, which involves a fistfight among community members, and the winner is considered fearless. The essence of the festival is to fight out all disagreements to start fresh in the new year. Let’s just say, no thanks, I’ll pass!

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in New Zealand, is a tradition I could get behind. Christmas falls during the height of summer where people flock to the beautiful beaches to celebrate with family and friends. They enjoy fresh seafood during their beach picnic and often sing their famous Christmas song, “Pohutukawa Tree,” a unique way of celebrating and enjoying their warm weather Christmas.

If warm weather’s not your thing, Finland families enjoy a cozy bowl of hot porridge on Christmas morning before opening their presents. A highlight of their Christmas season is when Santa Claus or Joulupukki as they call him, comes for a visit during the big festive dinner, asking each child what he or she wants for Christmas.

European celebrations can get a little strange

Other parts of Europe seem to have some pretty creepy traditions. For instance, during Christmas in Austria, you might come across Krampus, known as “Bad Santa.” In this country, it’s a tradition for this demonic figure to visit children, punishing those who have misbehaved. Krampus often carries chains and roams the streets on the night of December 5th, the infamous “Krampusnacht.”

And if you have Arachnophobia, you will definitely want to avoid Ukraine, where it’s a Christmas tradition to decorate the Christmas tree with a spider web. Legend has it that a poor family woke up on Christmas morning to find a spider had decorated their tree with silk webs, turning them into silver and gold strands. From that day, the spider web has been a symbol of good fortune.

In Germany, they have an unconventional Christmas tradition called “Weihnachtsgurke,” literally meaning “Christmas pickle.” It involves hiding a pickle ornament in the Christmas tree, and the first child to find it on Christmas morning receives a special gift. It is a fun tradition that brings families together during the holiday season.

70s marketing meets Christmas Dinner

If you’ve ever stressed out over Christmas dinner, consider a visit to Japan, where KFC has become a Christmas favorite thanks to a popular marketing campaign in the 1970s. Given that our ham and turkey dinners have British origins, I suppose it’s fair that Japan would borrow from us.

Have it your way

To borrow another clichéd marketing line, you can have it your way. From fistfighting to spiderwebs, hot porridge, and Christmas pickles, the diversity in these traditions and customs is what makes Christmas so wonderful. No matter how or what you celebrate during this holiday season, may the joy of the season be with you!

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