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, juletradisjonene varierer ikke bare fra husholdning til husholdning, men de er også svært forskjellige fra kultur til kultur.
Below are a handful of Christmas traditions from around the world – we’re looking at adopting some of these for ourselves!
Talende kjæledyr 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!
Festlig faktum: Wigilia-festen kan ikke begynne før den første stjernen dukker opp på nattehimmelen!
Levering av søtsaker i 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 mat!
Festlig faktum: Snø er litt vanskelig å få tak i i India, så barna bruker bomullsull for å skape en illusjon av vinter!
Fyll støvlene i Romania
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!
Festlig faktum: Rumenske julesanger er mer enn bare en enkel festmelodi, de er en hel teaterforestilling, inkludert spesielle festklær!
Ha 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.
Festlig faktum: KFC Japan even produce their very own festive menu especially for the Christmas period – yum!
Feie opp 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.
Festlig faktum: Hvert år gir Norge et stort juletre til befolkningen i Storbritannia. Du kan se det hvert år på Trafalgar Square i London!
Julen er en tid for å treffe venner og familie, nær og fjern. Derfor har nissene her hos Lebara jobbet med en spesiell gave til alle dere herlige kunder - gratis samtaler 1. juledag! Les mer her: https://mobile.lebara.com/gb/en/christmas