Christmas
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It’s without a doubt the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is far more than a religious event. Celebrated around the world, people of all faiths and beliefs have embraced Christmas traditions.
As Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year, I wanted to put together these weird and wonderful Christmas traditions for you. Yes, they are very different to anywhere else in the world! However, i thought this blog could be a forefront for learning more about how other cultures choose to celebrate christmas….
What I love about Christmas Day is you know everyone is doing pretty much the same thing. Cooking starts at 6am, beloved stocking filler chocolates for breakfast, flimsy paper hats in our crackers, complaints at how dry the turkey is, the odd heated argument over the dinner table here and there, all before passing out on the floor or in front of the telly in your new pj’s from a food coma. That’s what Christmas is all about.
Here’s some insight into different countries and how they celebrate Christmas.
Germany’s Christmas
Germany is responsible for the origin of Christmas trees, as devout Christians began the tradition in the Middle Ages. Typically, the tree is brought into the house on Christmas Eve and is secretly decorated by the mother of the family for the young children. Germans also exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, rather than on Christmas Day. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce. December 24th, the religious feast day of Adam and Eve-they hung wafers on it (symbolizing the eucharistic host, the Christian sign of redemption).
Poland’s Traditions
Christmas Eve is the most important day over the festive period in Poland, as this is when the main festive meal is consumed. Traditionally, families do not eat until the first star has appeared in the sky, then 12 different dishes are served. Catholics say the dishes represent Jesus’s 12 disciples, and some believe consuming them will provide you with good luck for the next 12 months. The tradition of decorating christmas trees came to poland originally from Germany, before that people would hang a spruce and hang a sheaf of corn
from the corner of their roof . In their eyes to
protect them and there house from ‘evil.
Russia’s Traditions
Rather unusually, Russia celebrates Christmas on January 7th, with only some Catholics choosing to mark the occasion on December 25th. This is because the Russian Orthodox church uses a different, older calendar- known as Julian, for religious celebrations. New Year’s Eve tends to be a more important time of year, as this is when Grandfather Frost gives presents to the children. Many Russian Christmas traditions originated with the pagan culture that predated Christianity in Russia. Long-standing Russian Christmas traditions include caroling, fortune-telling, and following a strict Nativity Fast for forty days leading up to Christmas Eve.
Japan’s Christmas
Christmas isn’t celebrated as a religious holiday in Japan, and is instead seen as a time to spread happiness. Christmas Eve is often celebrated more than Christmas Day. Its thought of as a romantic day, in which couples spend together and exchange presents. A lot of the traditions have been taken from the West, as Christmas is a new concept to the Japanese. Fried chicken is the most popular meal to eat on Christmas Day, so restaurants like KFC take orders in advance.
Read up more on japanese christmas culutre here: https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/things-to-do/tokyo-q-a-how-does-japan-celebrate-christmas
Norway’s Traditions
Much like in many other European countries, gifts are opened on Christmas Eve in Norway- The reason for this is the way the Nordic countries used to measure time and dates. Based on ancient ways of counting time, a day would typically start after sundown. Presents are not only delivered by Julenissen (Santa Claus), but also his small gnomes, known as ‘nisse’. Norway is known for gifting a huge Christmas tree to the UK every year, which is placed in Trafalgar Square. It is a ‘thank you’ present for the UK’s help during World War II.
British Christmas Traditions
To spice things up here are 10 British traditions we do today;
-Putting a silver coin in the Christmas Pudding
-Going to the pantomime
-Filling a shoebox with charitable donations
-Christmas cards being sent out here there and everywhere
–Watching out for that beloved John Lewis advert
–Switching on the christmas lights
-Bread sauce and Brandy butter
–Watching all those christmas specials
–Swimming in the sea
–The Queens Speech
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Here lies the list of some of the weird and wonderful christmas traditions us Brits get up to leading to christmas- to get us all feeling festive and alot of traditions almost all families can say applies to them.
If not maybe you can incorporate some into your traditions this year, im sure youll have a blast either or, incorporate any other countries traditions this year as a change to your norm!
Hope this read is helping to contribute your festive feelings…..
Feel free to comment your favourite christmas tardition… or whats your favourite christmas tradition you have just read about… let us know! <3
Stay well everybody, not long to go till the big day..
If you have found this blog interesting make sure to check out: https://blog.icecoolfashion.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=3520&action=edit for more A+ content!! 🙂
-Erin