Christmas traditions – funny things, aren’t they? What comes first in your house, presents or the Christmas dinner? Do you have stockings or sacks? And hands up if your whole family wear matching Christmas pyjamas on Christmas Day? Oh – that last one’s just us then…
Men seriøst, juletraditioner er ikke kun forskellige fra husstand til husstand, men de er også meget forskellige på tværs af kulturer.
Below are a handful of Christmas traditions from around the world – we’re looking at adopting some of these for ourselves!
Talende kæledyr i Polen
For the Polish, Christmas Eve is the big day! Known as ‘Wigilia’ – which means to ‘wait’ – the day is spent preparing a twelve course feast (yes, twelve courses!). At the start of supper, a thin type of wafer – called an ‘oplatek’ – is shared by the whole family, starting with the head of the household. Even the pets get a nibble, as legend has it that the wafer’s magical powers allow the animals to speak in human tongues!
En festlig kendsgerning: Wigilia-festen kan ikke begynde, før den første stjerne dukker op på nattehimlen!
Levering af søde sager i Indien
Instead of giving presents on the big day, Indians hand-deliver sweet treats! Traditionally called ‘kuswar’, these tasty culinary creations include fruitcakes, cookies and sweet dumplings that are given to friends, family and neighbours on Christmas Day, along with some Christmas cheer. Think Deliveroo – but with delicious Indian Christmas mad!
En festlig kendsgerning: Sne er lidt svært at finde i Indien, så børnene bruger vat til at skabe en illusion af vinter!
Fyld dine støvler i Rumænien
Christmas comes early to little ones in Romania, where they celebrate St Nicholas (‘Sfantul Nicolae’) on the 6th December. The night before, Romanian kids clean their boots, place them at the door or window and wait for St Nicholas to fill them up – which of course, depends on whether you’ve been naughty or nice!
En festlig kendsgerning: Rumænske julesange er mere end bare en festlig melodi, de er en hel teaterforestilling, inklusive en særlig festlig påklædning!
Hold en Kentucky Fried Christmas i Japan
As IF we needed any more convincing to visit Japan… A relatively new tradition – where Christmas isn’t that widely celebrated – Christmas Day involves gathering around the table with your nearest and dearest and diving into a share-sized bucket of deep-fried chicken.
En festlig kendsgerning: KFC Japan even produce their very own festive menu especially for the Christmas period – yum!
Fej op i Norge
Norwegian Harry Potter fans hoping for a game of Quidditch at Christmas will be rather disappointed – as the whole nation hides their brooms! It’s a centuries-old tradition that dates back to when people believed that evil spirits came out on Christmas Eve and would steal people’s brooms to ride on.
En festlig kendsgerning: Hvert år forærer Norge et kæmpe juletræ til befolkningen i Storbritannien. Du kan se det hvert år på Trafalgar Square i London!
Julen er en tid, hvor man hygger sig med venner og familie, nær og fjern. Derfor har nisserne her hos Lebara arbejdet på en særlig gave til alle jer dejlige kunder - gratis opkald 1. juledag! Læs mere her: https://mobile.lebara.com/gb/en/christmas