Source: History.com
By Kendal Furman
I don’t know about you, but I take a great deal of pride in celebrating the holiday traditions that I grew up with. I’ve found that these wintery customs have helped me get more in touch with my culture, while also having loads of fun bonding with my loved ones! While it’s wonderful to learn more about your own culture, it can also serve as an opportunity for you to expand your outlook and learn more about other customs from around the globe. Whether you’re hoping to add a few unique traditions to your winter to-do list, find new ways to spend quality time with those close to you or simply learn something new, these unique holiday customs from all over the world are sure to pique your interest.
1. The Lohri Festival in Northern India
Celebrated mainly in India’s Punjab region, the winter festival of Lohri commemorates the Winter Solstice, as many hope for the return of shorter and warmer days in the Spring. The festival is dedicated to the sun deity, Surya, and is celebrated by communities gathering together to dance around a large bonfire, talking the night away and enjoying delicious sweets made from sugarcane and roasted corn from the new harvest.
2. Rice Pudding in Denmark
One of the most popular Danish traditions is the serving of creamy almond rice pudding, or Risengrød, for dessert on Christmas Eve. With this custom, the cook hides one whole almond in one of the bowls of rice pudding. Upon being served, family members race to see if they’re the lucky winner of the almond and they don’t stop eating until the almond is found. Traditionally, Danish households refrain from opening presents until late in the evening after visiting church, eating dinner and singing carols. Thus, the person who wins the almond is awarded a special gift which they get to open early! Here is a great recipe for this fantastic dish, which can be topped with cherry sauce, whipped cream and chopped almonds as well.
3. German Pickle Ornaments
According to tradition, on Christmas Eve, parents hide a glass ornament shaped like a pickle deep within the branches of their Christmas tree. The pickle, camouflaged by the green needles of the tree, turns invisible. On Christmas morning, the kids scramble to locate the pickle, and whoever does first is said to be rewarded with opening the first Christmas present. It’s believed that the pickle-finder is granted good luck in the coming year. Today, this tradition has spread to the United States where you can find a pickle ornament in nearly any Christmas store.
4. Night of the Radishes in Mexico
In Mexico, December 23rd denotes the Night of the Radishes or Noche de los Rabanos, a festival in which villagers anticipatingly grow radishes all year long. This tradition revolves around a radish carving competition, where people use radishes to depict wild animals, the Virgin of Guadalupe, mythical creatures and more. Radishes symbolize an essential ingredient in Mexican holiday cuisine, and this festival serves as a way for villages to promote local agriculture while highlighting the talent of local community members.
5. KFC for Christmas Dinner in Japan
Although most Japanese people don’t celebrate Christmas religiously, this holiday serves as a great way for families to come together and enjoy a hearty meal. This dates back to a wildly successful KFC marketing campaign in the ’70s that encouraged Japanese people to enjoy fried chicken on Christmas. Since then, it has become a tradition that millions participate in annually. Some Japanese KFC’s even receive orders months in advance! This December 25th, you might be tempted to ditch your pork roast or ham, opting for some delicious Colonel Sanders chicken instead!
6. The Catalonian tradition of Caga Tio
In Catalonia, Santa is replaced by a pooping log, known as Caga Tio. Starting on December 8th, this log, which kids adorn with a smiley face, limbs and accessories, appears under the tree. Throughout December, kids treat this log as a pet, feeding it fattening food and even warming it with a blanket on cold nights. On Christmas Eve, Caga Tio gets its last meal and the kids go into a separate room to pray that he will bring lots of gifts. Following their prayers, the kids proceed to gather around Caga Tio and beat the log with sticks to get him to poop out Christmas presents, eventually throwing it in the fire when they’re done.
7. Donuts in Israel
Donuts called sufganiyot have become a popular treat during the festive season of Hanukkah. During this time, it’s customary for most Jewish people to eat foods made with oil in remembrance of the miracle of a small bit of oil lasting for eight days, according to the Chabad. Hence, the Israeli tradition of eating donuts as a Hanukkah treat has become an integral part of the celebration of this holiday. While donuts were traditionally filled with jelly, now bakeries have taken on a variety of fun flavor combinations to please every type of donut-lover. You can use this recipe to make your own donuts inspired by Jewish tradition this holiday season!
8. Junkanoo Festival in the Bahamas
Junkanoo is a Bahamian festival characterized by vivacious colors, songs, dances and costumes presented during parades on the day following Christmas and on New Year’s morning. This custom originates from West Africa, where the famous tribal chief, John Canoe, demanded the right to celebrate the holiday season with his people even after being brought to the West Indies in slavery. Now, Bahamians prepare months in advance to create elaborate costumes and floats in anticipation for this revered tradition, hoping to earn a prize for the best costume, music, or theme portrayal.
9. Ukrainian Cobwebs
In Ukraine, there is an old folktale which tells the story of a poor family that couldn’t afford to decorate their tree for Christmas. According to legend, the spiders in the house, who had heard the family’s despair over their bare tree, decided to decorate the tree for them using cobwebs which glittered beautifully in the sun on Christmas morning. When the family awoke, they were overjoyed at the sight of the beautiful tree and were reminded of the blessings they had been granted that Christmas. This tale has turned into a wonderful tradition where Ukrainian families cover their Christmas trees with decorative spiders and spider webs to remind themselves to be grateful during the holiday season and to attract good luck and fortune in the coming year.
10. Roller skating in Venezuela
Every year between December 16th and the 24th, Venezuelan roads are closed to car traffic to allow citizens to roller skate to their early morning Christmas mass. According to the legend, Venezuelan children would go to bed with a piece of string tied around their toe and the other end dangling out of the window. In the morning, when skaters would pass by homes on their way to church, they would give the string a tug to let the children know that it was time to get up. Today, Venezuelans have kept the tradition alive, skating to mass and gathering in the street or outside their houses to share food, play music, dance and celebrate the holiday season.
These unique traditions serve as a reminder that the holiday season isn’t just about American traditions and the conventional Santa Claus. Instead, cultures from around the world celebrate this time of the year in extremely different ways. Regardless of whether or not you decide to adopt some of these traditions into your own celebrations this December, I hope you can better appreciate the important role that holiday customs play in providing an opportunity for you to reconnect with loved ones, reflect on what you’re grateful for before the New Year and learn more about the world around you.
