Christmas celebrations from around the world

The Christmas holidays are firmly rooted in religion but there are a lot of other naturally occurring traditions that many families take part in. Every country – and family within that country – have their own way of celebrating the holidays.

In the UK and the US, a big part of our Christmas traditions are festive meals, stockings above the fireplace and a brightly decorated Christmas tree. Before reading our list of some of the stranger traditions, make sure you have your own Christmas festivities planned. Hayes Garden World has a variety of luxury and artificial Christmas trees that would feel right at home in any UK home, but could seem out of place in France. Read on to find out why!

Japan

The Christian religion isn’t adopted by many people in Japan and as a result, the Christmas period isn’t widely celebrated.  However a few customs have crossed over: as well as a couple of unexpected traditions.

For those that celebrate the holiday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are more about spreading happiness than a religious message. Christmas Eve is actually thought of as a romantic day for couples, making it more akin to Valentine’s Day.

Santa Claus is still a recognised character in Japan, but he’s referred to as Santa-sa, which is an honorary term for ‘Mr Santa’.

When it comes to festive cuisine, fried chicken has bizarrely become the meal of choice. This has actually lead to KFC fast-food chains becoming incredibly busy on these days. This tradition has become so popular that families can now book their meal in advance to avoid long waiting times.

Russia

Unlike its western counterparts, Russia celebrates the Christmas holidays on the 7^th January instead of the 25^th December. This strange date was picked because orthodox churches still use the old Julian calendar for religious events. On Christmas Eve (6^th January), families will partake in the ‘Holy Supper’ which is made up of 12 different dishes to honour each of the Twelve Apostles.

France

In France, more of an emphasis is placed on the nativity display than decorating a Christmas tree in the front room. It’s much more common to find a crèche or crib that depicts this famous religious scene using small clay figures.

The tradition of burning a wooden log between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day has faded over the years, but it maintains its significance within festive French cuisine. The French will usually make a traditional cake shaped as a Yule log called ‘buch de Noel’, as part of their Christmas dessert.

If this article has made you curious about other peculiar holiday traditions, read about our Christmas experience in Vietnam here.