Top Five Christmas Traditions around the World

December 22, 2015 12:37 pm Published by Julia Munder Leave your thoughts

A tradition that the whole world shares? Christmas. Airports and train stations across the globe are alive with festive cheer as people head home for celebrations with their family and friends. The best part of Christmas for most of us is that it’s stayed the same since our childhood. Preserving our traditions feels comforting and honourable. After all, passing on tradition is a unifying human trait – it makes us feel like we belong.

Tradition will always be the light that keeps Christmas shining universally. Here, we share with you our top five Christmas traditions from around the world that are bound to surprise you…

Czech Republic

This country in the heart of Europe is full of Renaissance character, as well as old traditions dating back to its Celtic and Germanic roots. Unmarried women perform an ancient tradition on Christmas Eve to find out if they will marry the following year. With their backs to the door, they throw one of their shoes over their shoulder. If the shoe lands with the heel pointing towards the door, the woman will stay single. If it is pointing away from the door, tradition says that she will move out of her family’s home the following year and get married!

Visit the Czech Republic.

Greenland

This Danish icy island is internationally known for its spectacular Northern Lights but did you know about its unusual food traditions? Greenland natives gorge on a traditional delicacy known as ‘Kiviak’ at Christmas time. Made with the raw flesh of an Auk preserved for several months in the hollowed-out body of a seal, it’s a treat that is apparently known as delicious. Whale meat, known as ‘Mattak’, is also served during the festivities.

Visit Greenland.

Japan

The people of Japan don’t celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday however in the past few decades, the spirit of Christmas has trickled through into this East Asian country. Japan celebrate love and happiness at Christmas time and it’s very much a day for the romantics. Japanese couples spend Christmas Eve strolling around their city’s festive lights followed by a cosy meal for two at a restaurant. The Western fast-food chain, KFC, has become the place to eat on Christmas Day after a majorly successful marketing campaign in the seventies.

Visit Japan.

Australia

Down under, Christmas falls at the height of Australia’s searingly hot summer. There are no woolly jumpers and hot chocolate insight, here. This oceanic country in the Southern hemisphere is famous for its breath-taking beaches, and that’s exactly where most Aussies spend their Christmas Day. In temperatures that can regularly reach 40°C, celebrating Christmas with sand between your feet and the clear blue sea nearby has become the perfect tradition in Australia. Fish markets are often bustling with shoppers on Christmas Eve, hunting out the freshest prawns and lobsters to grill on the barbecue for the special occasion. Visit Australia.

Italy

A country close to our hearts, Italy is a country steeped in historical and religious traditions at Christmas time. The most significant tradition for the people of Italy is replicating the Nativity crib scene – the first crib scene is thought to have taken place in Naples in 1025. Italian families take pride in creating these cribs in their homes and they spend time lavishly decorating them. It is tradition to finish the scene by placing a figure of baby Jesus in the crib on Christmas Eve. Naples is home to the most elaborate Nativity scene, embellished with six hundred decorations and figures.

Visit Italy.