Although Santa Claus, reindeer, snowman, midnight mass and turkey dominate the Christmas celebrations in most parts of the world, there are people who have embraced this festival and added their own traditions along the way. Here are a few unusual but very charming Christmas traditions from different countries:
ROLLER SKATE CHRISTMAS MASS, VENEZUELA:
Every year between 16 and 24 December in Caracas, Venezuela, roads are closed to traffic to let people roller skate to the early morning Christmas mass or Misa de gallo. Children go to bed with a piece of string tied round their toe and the other end dangling out of the window. On their way, skaters tug on these ends and children know that it’s the time to put on their skates. Venezuelans leave their home pre-dawn to skate on the streets while singing Christmas carols. They occasionally stop for fried sweet arepas, a tasty cornmeal cake filled with black beans, avocado, cheese and/or steak. It is common to see ‘snakes’—15 or more skaters holding on to each other and moving at high speeds. It isn’t clear precisely how this unusual tradition started but it is believed to be an alternative to sledding, since December in the southern hemisphere are much warmer.
SPIDERY CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS, UKRAINE
You may think of spiders as a symbol of Halloween, but these eight-legged creatures are actually used as Christmas decorations in Ukraine. Ukrainians swap fairy lights for spiders and webs on their Christmas tree. The reason for this is explained in a folklore in which a widow and her children lived in poverty in a tiny hut. One year, a pinecone dropped to the ground and started to grow. The children were eager to have a tree of their own and took great care of the sapling. By the time it was Christmas Eve, the tree had grown well, but the family had no money for decorations and the tree would have to remain bare. Saddened, they went to bed. At night, spiders crept out from the corners to see the tree the children had taken such care of. Determined to decorate the tree, the spiders spent all night weaving delicate webs across the branches. In the morning, as the sunlight touched the Christmas tree, the webs turned into strands of gold and silver. The children woke up to a ravishingly decorated Christmas tree. From then onwards, the widow and her children never wanted anything more. This is why, Ukrainians decorate their Christmas trees with little spider ornaments called ‘pavuchky’ and fake spider webs. They never squish a spider in their house, especially around Christmas time.
JOLABOKAFLOD, ICELAND
Iceland has this amazing Christmas tradition known as Jolabokaflod, which translates roughly to "Christmas book flood". Icelandic people gift or exchange books as presents on Christmas and spend the Christmas eve reading their new book in a cozy nook or in front of the fire with a mug of hot cocoa. Iceland has a strong literary culture and history. In fact, one in ten Icelanders publish a book in their lifetime. The majority of new books are published during the weeks before Christmas. The tradition of Jolabokaflod can be traced back to times of World II, when very limited variety of goods were available in Iceland and therefore opting for a book as a Christmas present was a good idea. This limited availability of goods was mainly caused by the restrictive laws on imported products introduced in 1931, some of which lasted for many years. But, even after decades of free trade, reading still remains Iceland's national sport!
KFC FOR CHRISTMAS, JAPAN:
Although Christmas is not an official holiday in Japan, Japanese people have a unique Christmas tradition of 'Kentucky for Christmas ' which started in the 1970s. KFC ,in 1974, launched their first Christmas campaign, selling a bucket of KFC’s famous fried chicken along with a bottle of wine and suggesting it was the best way to party on Christmas. The original idea for the campaign came when a foreign customer who visited KFC in Tokyo on Christmas day said, "I can’t get turkey in Japan, so I have no choice but to celebrate Christmas with Kentucky Fried Chicken". Takeshi Okawara on the KFC Japan sales team overheard the remark and used it as inspiration to launch the first Christmas campaign and its tagline- Kentucky for Christmas. The campaign was a hit, and Kentucky for Christmas quickly became a tradition across Japan that lives on to this day. The lack of any Christmas traditions and perhaps Colonel Sanders, founder and brand Ambassador of KFC, bearing a striking resemblance to Mr Claus, especially when given a Santa hat and a red clothing makeover – meant that birthing a new custom was rather easy.
CHRISTMAS SAUNA, FINLAND
Finland is the country of sauna. There are 3 million saunas in a country inhabited by 5.5 million people. Many homes in Finland come equipped with their own sauna. To Finns, the sauna is more than a washing or relaxing place. It is a central part of their everyday culture and a place of many traditions, customs and folk beliefs. At Christmas time this cosy spot becomes a sacred space where everyone can enjoy peace and cleanse their body and mind. The atmosphere is created with candles, lanterns and decorations. On Christmas Eve afternoon, it's customary take a long and respectful stint in the sauna. After the sauna session, Finns head out to the evening celebrations - while spirits of those ancestors take their place in the bubbling water.It is important to remember that according to the traditions every Finnish sauna has its own sauna elf (or saunatonttu, in Finnish language). Finns pay their respect to saunatonttu and later spare some Christmas treats for him too.
Interesting isn't it? Well, there are many more unusual Christmas traditions followed in different parts of the world like radish carvings in Mexico and Krampus the beast in Austria. Would you like to adopt any of these beautiful tradition as a part of your holiday? May be you can even personalise it and celebrate it on some other day.
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