10 Christmas Traditions From Around the World
Christmas is around the corner but the festive spirit has already pervaded our hearts. So as you get all ready to decorate your Christmas tree and party, here’s something fun for you – a list of Christmas traditions around the world:
1. Ireland
In Ireland, people are pretty considerate about the jolly good old fellow– Santa Claus. They make sure that the one who spreads happiness on Christmas doesn’t go hungry from their homes, so they put mince pies along with a bottle of Guinness for Santa to enjoy. How sweet, isn’t it?
2. Venezuela
If you happen to be in Venezuela on a Christmas Eve, guess what? You can’t drive. Oh yes, that’s because you’ll be attending the Mass by using your roller skates. That’s right. Quite a sporty Christmas tradition indeed!
3. Norway
Come Christmas Eve in Norway and you will not find a broom or any other cleaning equipment. Why? It’s because of the belief that witches and spirits are on a lookout for brooms to fly high in the skies. So people in Norway hide them as a part of Christmas tradition. For extra precaution, men go out and fire shotguns in empty air to scare the spirits away.
4. Slovakia
Before enjoying the Christmas Eve feast, the head of the family gets up and scoops out some Loksa. It is a traditional Christmas dish made there from bread. The family head then throws this up, with the intention of it sticking to the ceiling. The longer it remains stuck there on the ceiling, the better the chances of richer crops for the family.
5. Greenland
If you are in Greenland this Christmas, then don’t expect to get the traditional Christmas feast comprising of rich Christmas pudding, delicious meat pies, turkey or ham with yummy cranberry sauce. Instead get ready to dig in to some ‘KIVIAK’ – a traditional dish of Christmas in Greenland comprising of raw flesh of an auk which is nicely wrapped in skin of a seal. This whole thing is then kept under a rock for many months so that it decomposes. And, this dear friends, is then eaten as a Christmas feast. That’s the tradition!
