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 allvarligt talat, jultraditionerna skiljer sig inte bara från hushåll till hushåll, utan de skiljer sig också mycket mellan olika kulturer.
Below are a handful of Christmas traditions from around the world – we’re looking at adopting some of these for ourselves!
Talande husdjur 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!
Festligt faktum: Wigilia-festen kan inte börja förrän den första stjärnan syns på natthimlen!
Leveranser av sötsaker 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 mat!
Festligt faktum: Snö är lite svårt att få tag på i Indien så barnen använder bomull för att skapa en illusion av vinter!
Fyll dina stövlar i Rumänien
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!
Festligt faktum: Rumänska julsånger är mer än bara en enkel festlig melodi, de är en hel teaterföreställning, inklusive speciella festkläder!
Ha en Kentucky Fried-jul 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.
Festligt faktum: KFC Japan even produce their very own festive menu especially for the Christmas period – yum!
Sopa upp 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.
Festligt faktum: Varje år skänker Norge en enorm julgran till folket i Storbritannien. Du kan se den varje år på Trafalgar Square i London!
Julen är en tid då man umgås med vänner och familj, nära och fjärran. Därför har tomtenissarna här på Lebara arbetat på en speciell gåva till alla er underbara kunder - gratis samtal på juldagen! Läs mer här: https://mobile.lebara.com/gb/en/christmas