Celebrated every year on 25th of December around the globe to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, it is a time for love, peace and joy.
Some famous Christmas traditions include decorating Christmas trees, gifting presents, and watching Christmas movies with loved ones. But some of the traditions around the globe might sound surprising.
In the Ukraine, the Christmas trees are decorated with ornaments that look like spider webs. The story goes back to a poor woman who couldn’t afford ornaments to decorate her tree. Legend has it that spiders in the house took pity, and spun beautiful webs all over the tree which looked sparkly and beautiful in the sunlight. Spiders’ webs are also considered to be lucky in Ukrainian culture. In countries like Poland and Germany, finding a spider or spider web in the Christmas tree is considered good luck.
Christmas Eve dinner does not start until someone in the family spots the very first star shining in the sky in Poland. But in Ukraine, a whopping 12-course meal is served during their traditional Christmas feasts, each dedicated to one of Jesus’ apostles. Chinese give entire packages of apples to their loved ones for Christmas.
In the Czech Republic, Santa Claus does not visit on Christmas Eve but instead, he delivers his presents on December 5, or St. Nicholas Eve. Right before Christmas, in the Netherlands, children place their shoes filled with carrots next to the fire for “Sinterklaas” to fill them with tiny gifts. The carrots in their shoes are for a white horse named Amerigo, his faithful steed. In the past, naughty children would receive a potato instead of gifts. On the eve of 5th of January, according to folktales, an old woman named Belfana visits all the children of Italy filling their stockings with candy and leaving them presents if they’ve been good.
The Russian version of Santa Claus, “Father Frost” brings presents on January 7th, which is when Russians celebrate Christmas.
Iceland has a Christmas tradition where on Christmas Eve, books are exchanged as gifts, and then the rest of the evening is spent cozied up by a fire while reading and eating sweet treats. The tradition is known as Jólabókaflóð (Jolabokaflod) or ‘Christmas book flood’.
In many parts of the world, the Poinsettia is treated as the official flower of Christmas. But in tropical Costa Rica, the official Christmas flower is the orchid. Pohutukawa, a native tree that blooms throughout the country during the holiday season in New Zealand famed for its bright-red blooms is seen as an official symbol of Christmas. It often appears in decorations and cards in the country.
In Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, residents head to church services in the morning on roller skates. Many of the city’s streets are even closed to traffic to ensure safety.
Isn’t it amazing how this wonderful time is celebrated in different ways around the world?
