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…
Namun, tradisi Natal tidak hanya berbeda dari satu rumah tangga ke rumah tangga lainnya, tetapi juga sangat berbeda di seluruh budaya.
Below are a handful of Christmas traditions from around the world – we’re looking at adopting some of these for ourselves!
Hewan peliharaan yang dapat berbicara di Polandia
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!
Fakta yang meriah: Pesta Wigilia tidak bisa dimulai sampai bintang pertama muncul di langit malam!
Pengiriman makanan manis di 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 makanan!
Fakta yang meriah: Salju agak sulit didapat di India sehingga anak-anak menggunakan kapas untuk menciptakan ilusi musim dingin!
Isi sepatu bot Anda di Rumania
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!
Fakta yang meriah: Lagu-lagu Natal Rumania lebih dari sekadar lagu pesta sederhana, melainkan sebuah pertunjukan teatrikal, termasuk busana pesta yang istimewa!
Nikmati Natal Kentucky Fried Christmas di Jepang
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.
Fakta yang meriah: KFC Japan even produce their very own festive menu especially for the Christmas period – yum!
Menyapu bersih di Norwegia
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.
Fakta yang meriah: Setiap tahun, Norwegia menghadiahkan pohon Natal yang sangat besar kepada masyarakat Inggris. Anda dapat melihatnya setiap tahun di Trafalgar Square di London!
Natal adalah waktu untuk berkumpul bersama teman dan keluarga, baik yang dekat maupun yang jauh. Itulah mengapa para peri di Lebara telah menyiapkan hadiah spesial untuk semua pelanggan yang baik, yaitu telepon gratis di Hari Natal! Baca lebih lanjut, di sini: https://mobile.lebara.com/gb/en/christmas