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…
Tačiau rimtai kalbant, Kalėdų tradicijos skiriasi ne tik kiekvienuose namuose, bet ir įvairiose kultūrose.
Below are a handful of Christmas traditions from around the world – we’re looking at adopting some of these for ourselves!
Kalbantys naminiai gyvūnai Lenkijoje
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!
Šventinis faktas: Vigilijos šventė negali prasidėti, kol nakties danguje nepasirodo pirmoji žvaigždė!
Saldumynų pristatymas Indijoje
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 maistas!
Šventinis faktas: Indijoje sunku gauti sniego, todėl vaikai naudoja vatą, kad sukurtų žiemos iliuziją!
Užpildykite batus Rumunijoje
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!
Šventinis faktas: Rumunų kalėdinės giesmės - tai ne tik paprasta šventinė melodija, bet ir ištisas teatralizuotas pasirodymas, įskaitant specialius šventinius drabužius!
"Kentucky Fried" Kalėdos Japonijoje
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.
Šventinis faktas: KFC Japan even produce their very own festive menu especially for the Christmas period – yum!
Nuvalyti Norvegijoje
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.
Šventinis faktas: Norvegija kasmet Jungtinės Karalystės gyventojams dovanoja didžiulę Kalėdų eglutę. Kasmet ją galima pamatyti Trafalgaro aikštėje Londone!
Kalėdos - tai laikas, kai susitinkama su artimais ir tolimais draugais ir šeima. Todėl "Lebara" elfai ruošia ypatingą dovaną visiems jums, mieli klientai, - nemokamus skambučius Kalėdų dieną! Daugiau informacijos rasite čia: https://mobile.lebara.com/gb/en/christmas