Christmas traditions from around the world

For most people here in the UK, Christmas is a widely celebrated holiday full of bright lights, family dinners, and more stress than what should be warranted for something that’s supposed to be a good time.  

And, while circumstances have certainly changed over the years, there’s still a great deal of familiarity when it comes to the great red-and-green beast that is the winter holidays. It all about Christmas trees, stocking stuffers, plastic tins of sweets and chocolates, advent calendars, Christmas cards, a visit to a Christmas market. All these and more are hallmarks of the season.

But that isn’t the case everywhere. All over the world, Christmas is celebrated in wildly different ways.  

For example, Christmas in Japan is a little bit different to how it is here in the UK. For one, while it’s not technically a national holiday, it is still celebrated. For example, Christmas Eve is seen primarily as a time for couples, with some saying it’s the most romantic time of the year. Groups of friends will also host Christmas parties.  

In terms of food, you might be surprised to learn that one of the most popular Christmas meals is actually KFC! Originally launched as a marketing campaign, the trend has since caught on and become a proper Japanese Christmas tradition.

Alamy Images: OTARU, JAPAN – NOVEMBER 12, 2019: Colonel Harland Sanders Figure in Santa Claus costume standing in front of Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Otar

Next on our list is Finland, where Christmas is celebrated in ways both similar and different to how they are here in the UK.  

For one, children in Finland celebrate Christmas with the opening of presents brought to them by Santa, or ‘Joulupukki’ as he’s known, which literally translates to ‘Yule Goat’ or ‘Christmas Goat’. It’s also typically celebrated by sitting down for a meal with one’s family and enjoying a traditional Finnish beverage known as ‘glögi’, which is a spiced, oftentimes alcoholic drink made from blackcurrants and lingonberries. Where their traditions differ in greater ways is around the sauna. In Finland, it’s common for families to get together and enjoy a brief stint in the sauna. It’s seen as a way to clean one’s body and connect with family.  

Alamy Images: New wooden Finland-style sauna

Lastly, while Christmas in the U.S. does bear a great deal of resemblance to how the UK enjoys the season, they do have a lot of traditions all their own with a distinctly American flair. 

For one, there’s all the usual stuff – setting up the tree, hanging lights on the house, sitting down for a meal with the family. Where things differ is the sheer scale of it, the enormity of the decorations, the degrees to which people in the U.S. will go to show off their holiday spirit.  

Other, smaller differences can be found in the little things, the tiny traditions celebrated in hundreds of different ways across the vastness of the U.S. One such tradition is the ‘Christmas Pickle’, wherein a decoration shaped like a pickle is hidden somewhere on the Christmas tree. Whoever finds it is said to garner good luck for the following year.  

Alamy Images: Giant red holiday ornaments on 6th Avenue. Christmas season decorations. Midtown. New York City