In this post, we listed down 10 ways the world celebrates Christmas. It turns out that the way we celebrate the holidays is completely different from how others celebrate it!
Here are 10 more ways other countries celebrate the Yuletide season. Read on below:
1. In Denmark, television stations usually air a Julekalender (Christmas calendar), a series with 24 episodes shown each day in December until Christmas Eve. Stations usually air different stories, but the plot is usually the same: someone tries to save Christmas.
2. Ethiopia still uses the old Julian Calendar (we use the Gregorian Calendar) so they celebrate Christmas on January 7!
3. It is believed that Santa Claus originated from Finland, so people all over the world send letters to Santa in Finland. There is also a Christmas theme park in the northern part of the country, which has Santa’s office, a post office, and themed shops and restaurants.
4. In India, locals use a banana or mango tree to decorate their homes.
5. In Indonesia, some locals use chicken feathers as trees!
6. In Italy, locals celebrate Christmas by setting up a Nativity crib scene. It is believed that the Nativity Scene was made famous by St. Francis of Assisi, an Italian friar. Some take their cribs seriously that they add several layers on it and decorate it with colored paper, fruits, gifts, and candy. The biggest crib in the world can be found in Naples, and has 600 objects on it.
7. In Japan, locals celebrate Christmas with fried chicken, so restaurants like KFC are very popular. Some people order buckets of chicken as early as October!
8. In Poland, Christmas Eve meals are usually free of meat to respect the animals who took care of baby Jesus in the manger. Some even believe that at the stroke of midnight, animals can talk!
9. In Slovakia, children are asked to leave the room so that Jesus can put the Christmas gifts under the tree. A bell is rung to signify that they are there. The kids then run to the room, always missing Jesus.
Photo from Bloomberg
10. Locals in North Korea celebrate Christmas in secret because you can go to jail, or killed, for practicing the Christian faith.
What other ways do other countries celebrate Christmas? Share them below!
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