A Magical Voyage: What does Christmas look like around the globe?

Photo by the author

Every 25th of December, people around the globe come together to celebrate the magic of Christmas. It is an annual holiday that honors the birth of Jesus Christ, but even in nations where Christianity does not flourish, Christmas is still a festivity to look forward to. Secular celebrations are common grounds; In India, where the Christian population is fewer than three percent, Christmas is a national holiday. Similarly, though only one percent of Japanese identify as Christians, department stores are nonetheless crowded with Santas and holiday tunes.

Shaped by cultural norms, Christmas has its own flair that makes it different from one country to another. While the holidays bring us together, some nations have slightly different Christmas customs and holiday celebrations last longer, from the beginning of December to the start of January. In the birthplace of Jesus that is Bethlehem, Christians construct nativity sets and mark their doors with crosses. Children in Syria look forward to receiving gifts, not from Santa, but from the youngest of the three wise men's camels. In the Philippines, people hang dazzling parols to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem.

Other countries also travel within borders to celebrate the special day. In New Zealand, residents gather around on the local beach with seafood dishes. Finns treat Christmas Day as a relaxation time and eat hot milk porridge inside the sauna.  

When we talk of Christmas, the roundtable should be present, and everywhere, food takes the spotlight. In Japan, people sit in the four corners of the famous American fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken and gather to eat dinner. In Poland, they fast on Christmas Eve before a 12-dish feast, and something that cannot be out of the table are fresh carp, traditionally kept alive a few days in a bathtub before the meal. South Africa holds a cookout, called braaing, with their main course—marinated steaks and boerewors sausages. In Ireland, people prepare handfuls of ingredients and bring the homemade roast to the dinner table to share with the whole family.

Here, we have collated some countries with a unique celebration of the festivity. 

Philippines

Photo From Philippine Travel Guide

As predominantly Christian Asian country, the Philippines is one of the countries known to have the most extended and lavish Christmas season in the world. Here in the Philippines, the Christmas season starts as soon as we step on the first day of -ber months. Its celebration begins from September until January during the feast of the three kings. Filipino families start putting up Christmas decorations, and one of the most iconic decorations is the Parol. 

During this season, children gather around and sing Christmas carol songs. The formality begins with the traditional Filipino Simbang Gabi, where we attend a series of pre-dawn masses held together over nine nights culminating in Christmas Eve. Something that cannot be missed is the party; we bring forth different dishes to feast on during Noche Buena with Lechon as the highlight and sides of ham, salad, rice cakes, and white steamed rice. The night ends with exchanging gifts, catching up with the small talk, and, of course, drinks.

Greece

Photo from eKathimerini

Another country with a unique celebration of Christmas is Greece. Greek Christmas does not involve much western traditional decoration; instead of shiny and bright ornaments, small boats with lights, locally known as a Karavaki, are displayed in every square of the country. They also keep a cross covered with a sprig of basil leaves and a shallow bowl of water to sprinkle water from that bowl all around the house to drive away evil spirits. 

They also gather for a special event, The Night of Wishes, lighting up and setting free ‘wishing’ lanterns across the night sky. The table setting is also a must as roast lamb or pork are served as the main course with sides of spinach and cheese pie and salads. They bake sweet filo pastry dishes like baklava, kataifi, and theeples. Melomakarona and kourabiedes, spiced cookies, and fresh butter cookies, respectively, are very popular during the Christmas feast.

South Korea

Photo from Korea Travel Post

With our Hallyu spirits still up, we wonder what our favorite Korean idols are doing on this special day. Unlike the Philippines, South Korea does not celebrate Christmas with the family; rather, it is more of an intimate celebration between couples or friends. Santa Claus is very popular and can be seen along the streets in Korea, but they defy the traditional red clothing and wear blue or green, instead. 

As it is also the winter season, many go to a great range of outdoor ice-skating rinks and sledding slopes to take advantage of the snow. Koreans, however, do not enjoy the comfort of their homes and prefer to eat out, and buffets are much sought after.

United Kingdom

Photo from National Geographic Kids

The UK traditionally celebrates Jesus’ birth with its twist of Pagan origins. Now, Christmas is a season to give and receive gifts and feast on special meals. Children hang stockings by the fire and pillowcases by the bed, waiting for Santa to leave presents. Every year, the monarch also prepares a speech broadcast via television. The celebration takes place at lunchtime or early afternoon with roasts—turkey and vegetables. The food is served with an exceptionally traditional beverage, eggnog, made up of egg yolks, milk, rum, or whiskey, and hints of spices. Their celebration drags on to the day after Christmas, a public holiday known as Boxing Day. However, decorations should be entirely out of sight before the year ends to avoid bad luck in the coming New Year.

With so many countries around the world, more than a single article is needed to cover them all. If you wish to know more about other countries, you may visit The Christmas Tradition. It is fascinating how a single festival can bring together different ways to celebrate it. If you were given a chance to experience one of these, which country would you choose to go to?

Wishing you a happy holiday, CASAns!