Interesting and Unusual Christmas Traditions from Around the World

@Josie Salmon

Christmas, the wintery day of celebration that we all know and love - the part of winter that brings us together and breaks up the long nights and the bad weather!

To get us all in the festive spirit in the lead up to Christmas, I want to share with you some interesting and unusual Christmas traditions from around the world!

I’ll start with my home the UK...

England - Tacky Christmas Jumpers

This is a particular favourite of mine! Not only are Christmas jumpers practical during the cold seasons, they make for fun party attire. Descended from the jumpers worn by Scandinavian fishermen in the 1890s, it wasn’t until the 1980s that tacky/garish Christmas jumpers really came into their own thanks to pop culture and Christmas comedy films. Nowadays you can be seen sporting a suitably fashionable Lidl jumper around the dinner table on Christmas day.

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Scotland - Burning a Rowan Twig

Sadly there weren't many Scottish Christmas traditions until 1958 because Christmas was actually banned in Scotland for over 400 years. However, one tradition that remains strong is the burning of a twig from a rowan tree. to get us all in the festive spirit Supposedly, burning rowan is used as a way to clear away bad feelings of jealousy or mistrust between family, friends and neighbours.

Photo by Tomas Sobek on Unsplash

Wales - Mari Lwyd - The Horse Skull

Originating in South Wales as a wassailing folk custom, the name Mari Lwyd translates to Grey Mare, Grey Mane or Grey Mary. The tradition entails a hobbyhorse made from a horse's skull mounted on a pole and carried by an individual hidden under a sackcloth. Teams of men would walk the streets, competing, knocking on doors with Mari Lwyd, requesting entry using a song. The householders would be expected to deny them entry, again through song, and the two sides would continue their responses to one another in this manner. If the householders eventually relented, the team would be permitted entry and given food and drink.

Ireland - Wren Boy Procession

Wren Day, also known as Wren's Day, Day of the Wren, or Hunt the Wren Day (Irish: Lá an Dreoilín), is an Irish celebration held on 26 December, St. Stephen's Day in a number of countries across Europe. The tradition consists of "hunting" a wren (now a fake wren but previously a real one) and putting it on top of a decorated pole. Then the crowds of mummers, or strawboys, celebrate the wren by dressing up in masks, straw suits, and colourful motley clothing. They form music bands and parade through towns and villages. These crowds are sometimes called the wrenboys, hence the name wrenboy procession.

When I’m teaching my students about British culture I like to share each country’s individual identity. Quite often, when people think of Britain or the UK, they think of England which isn’t accurate and can be frustrating for the Irish, Scots and Welsh!

A lot of traditions from the different countries in the UK are shared such as - days of partying and getting merry (drinking copious amounts of alcohol), opening presents on the 25th December, mince pies, hanging up a stocking for presents, pantomimes, and many more!

Now, let’s take a look at some global traditions…

Germany - Weihnachtsgurke (Christmas Pickle)

For this tradition, an ornamental pickle is placed on a Christmas tree as one of the Christmas decorations. On Christmas morning, the first person to find the pickle on the tree would receive an extra present from Santa Claus or would be said to have a year of good fortune. To be fair in Germany it’s also a tradition to put lit candles in trees which, for nation that is known for being organised and efficient, absolutely baffles me with the risk of fire hazard. Pickles - much safer. I personally love eating pickles straight out of the jar so I'm really into this tradition!

Spain - Caga Tió (Poo Log)

When I think of Spain, I think passion, parties, sun, good vibes! May I introduce to you Caga Tió (or Tió de Nadal) aka the poo log. A Catalonian tradition - from the 8th of December households adopt a small log with a smiley face and a "barretina" - a traditional catalonian red hat in the shape of a bag. The log is fed little bits of food and then poops out sweet treats (turrón) when you hit it with a stick and sing it a song! Sounds perfectly adorable and bizarre at the same time which is how I like my Christmas. Honestly, finding this out made writing this blog 150% worth it. If anyone from Spain fancies sending me one as a Christmas gift I would be very grateful!

South Africa - Deep Fried Caterpillars

If you fancy something a bit more exotic than turkey for your Christmas dinner… In South Africa, eating these crunchy little critters is part of the Christmas day celebration. Coming from the Emperor moth, these creatures are said to have a taste similar to tea and a great source of protein. They are an accompaniment as opposed to a main so don’t worry if you don’t fancy nibbling on them. There’s always a tin of twiglets to snack on!

Portugal - Consoda (Dinner with the Dead)

I really like the sentiment of this tradition, especially as Christmas can be a tough time for those without loved ones around them. Known as Consoda, the Portuguese pay their respects to their dead loved ones with a big Christmas feast. On Christmas morning, the family dine with the deceased by pulling up a chair and setting a place for them. As important as it is to celebrate and have fun at Christmas, it’s a great time for gratitude and taking stock of what we have.

Bulgaria - Survakane (A Bulagrian beating for good luck)

So this one isn’t technically a Chritmas tradition (my apologies) but it is part of the holiday season - New Year! To gather as much good luck as possible for the coming year, children are allowed to beat adults with delightfully decorated sticks. Rooting itself in Pagan rituals from back in the day, the idea is to bring health and prosperity. The kids even get a bit of money at end for their “service”!

Japan - KFC

In Japan is customary for families to get a big ol’ bucket of KFC on Christmas day. This finger licking good tradition actually came about because of a marketing plan to promote the restaurant in Japan in 1974. I have in fact spoken to a few Japanese students about this and can confirm it’s true and also they were led to believe it is also a custom in western countries. So if don’t feel like cooking this Christmas, this could be the way to go!

Hungary - Love Spells

Christmas can be a difficult time for some without a romantic partner to spend it with. One tradition that hoped to break that was for an unmarried woman to cast a love spell. To forecast the name of her future husband, an unmarried woman would write twelve names on small scraps of paper and burn one a day until Christmas. The name on the last piece of paper was believed to be her future husband's name. Seems legit!

Mexico - Noche de Rábanos (Night of the Radishes)

Annually on the 23rd of December and event happens in Oaxaca, Mexico that is dedicated to the carving of oversized radishes to create scenes that compete for prizes in various categories. The event has become very popular, attracting over 100 contestants and thousands of visitors. Since the radishes wilt soon after cutting, the works can only be displayed for a number of hours, which has led to very long lines for those wishing to see them. I mean, we carve pumpkins at Halloween so I think this tradition makes total sense!

Krampus

Finally, I had to throw in this creepy character at the end because I just find them so fascinating! Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure in the Central and Eastern Alpine folklore of Europe who, during the Advent season, scares children who have misbehaved. Assisting Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus, the pair visit children on the night of 5 December, with Saint Nicholas rewarding the well-behaved children with modest gifts such as oranges, dried fruit, walnuts and chocolate, while the badly behaved ones only receive punishment from Krampus with birch rods. Krampus has been adopted in modern Western pop culture, appearing in films, on TV and even in video games!

Image by Jody Marx from Pixabay

So! This is only a handful of country’s celebrations, I would love to know…

What interesting and unusual Christmas traditions do you have in your country?

Have you adopted any traditions from other countries?

Try a free trial class with us to learn about different traditions in English and more!

Merry (almost) Christmas!

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wren_Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_pickle

https://www.kashkaval-tourist.com/6-weird-bulgarian-holiday-season-traditions/

https://www.triphobo.com/blog/christmas-in-hungary

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Radishes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus

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