Advent, Advent, a little light is burning: the most wonderful time of the year is upon us and the celebration of love is within reach. There are many things to love about Christmas - be it the food, the family get-togethers or the gift-giving. What makes the Christmas season even more enchanting and brings great joy to people around the world are the many small Christmas traditions and customs. Whether it's Norway, Japan or Venezuela - every country has developed its own Christmas traditions that are still properly celebrated. We present 7 Christmas traditions from around the world that are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.
7 Christmas traditions from around the world
Japan
The Christmas holidays are all about food - that's probably the case all over the world. But in Japan, Christmas food is associated with three familiar letters: KFC. The Japanese literally beat down the doors of the American fast food chain KFC to eat "Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!", also known as "Kentucky for Christmas!". The tradition of eating Christmas chicken goes back to an advertising campaign launched by the fast food giant in 1974. To this day, KFC records its highest sales figures of the year on Christmas Eve. Now that's a fun tradition!
Spain
If you are not a fan of Christmas trees, we might be able to inspire you with this custom. In many parts of Spain, presents are not brought by the Christ Child as they are here, but by a piece of wood known as a "Tió de Nadal". This block of wood is often decorated with a face, little legs and a cosy little blanket. Cute, isn't it? Unfortunately, this is where the cuteness ends, because on Christmas Eve, the log is placed in the fire and beaten with sticks by the family. Pretty bizarre, isn't it?
Norway
Christmas is...
... when the brooms and mops are hidden in Norway. That's right - the Norwegians are pretty superstitious and want to prevent evil spirits from going on a joyride with this custom. This Norwegian Christmas tradition is intended to prevent evil spirits returning to earth on the night of Christmas Eve from stealing the brooms and making the Christmas sky unsafe. What a fun custom!
Canada
Everyone has probably written letters to Father Christmas or Father Christmas at some point. But did you know that Santa Claus has a real address? His letterbox is in Canada and if you write to him by 16 December, he will reply. The Canadian Santa Claus understands more than 30 languages, including Braille, and has a really cool address. So just send the letters from your children, nephews, nieces or grandchildren to: Santa Claus, North Pole H0H 0H0, Canada. The whole thing is free and you don't need stamps because Father Christmas is a really cool guy.
Poland
In Poland, the right time to open presents is literally written in the stars. This is because the youngest child in the family is tasked with watching the evening sky on Christmas Eve and waiting for the first star to appear. This is then the sign that it's time to start opening presents. But don't worry - even if Christmas Eve is cloudy rather than starry, the Polish children are allowed to open their presents sooner or later. Nevertheless, stargazing is a really sweet Christmas tradition in our opinion.
USA
Oh, you holy pickle! Quite bizarre, but pickles are the best thing that can happen to an American child at Christmas. The reason: pickles mean you get an extra present. In many American states, an ornament in the shape of a pickle is hidden somewhere on the Christmas tree and the first person to discover the pickle gets an extra gift as a reward. Nobody really knows where this strange tradition originally came from. Nevertheless, the pickle is now one of the classic American Christmas traditions and brings a smile to many people's faces.
Venezuela
True to the motto "The best is saved for last", we would like to introduce you to what is probably the coolest Christmas tradition. In the Venezuelan capital Caracas, people don't go to Christmas mass as usual - they go on roller skates. That's right! Parts of the city are closed off so that all the roller-skating churchgoers can cruise from A to B safely. One thing is certain: there is probably no more sporty and fun Christmas tradition than this one in Venezuela!
