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…
En serio, las tradiciones navideñas no sólo difieren de un hogar a otro, sino también de una cultura a otra.
Below are a handful of Christmas traditions from around the world – we’re looking at adopting some of these for ourselves!
Mascotas parlantes en Polonia
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!
Hecho festivo: La fiesta de Wigilia no puede empezar hasta que aparece la primera estrella en el cielo nocturno.
Entrega de golosinas en la India
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 alimentos!
Hecho festivo: La nieve es un poco difícil de encontrar en la India, así que los niños utilizan algodón para crear la ilusión del invierno.
Llénese las botas en Rumanía
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!
Hecho festivo: Los villancicos rumanos son algo más que una simple melodía festiva, son toda una representación teatral, ¡incluida una vestimenta festiva especial!
Navidad Kentucky Fried en Japón
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.
Hecho festivo: KFC Japan even produce their very own festive menu especially for the Christmas period – yum!
Barrer en Noruega
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.
Hecho festivo: Cada año, Noruega regala un enorme árbol de Navidad a los habitantes del Reino Unido. Puedes verlo todos los años en Trafalgar Square, en Londres.
La Navidad es una época para reunirse con amigos y familiares, cercanos y lejanos. Por eso, los duendes de Lebara han estado trabajando en un regalo especial para todos los clientes: ¡llamadas gratis el día de Navidad! Más información, aquí: https://mobile.lebara.com/gb/en/christmas