Holidays Around the World
Although Christmas celebrations across cultures include many similar traditions, it is interesting to see what cultures do differently.
By Samantha Bockoven — December 19, 2022
Each year, billions of people worldwide gather together to celebrate Christmas. Although Christmas celebrations across cultures include many similar traditions, such as decorating the house, getting together with friends and family, and opening gifts, I was interested to see what cultures do differently. I decided to ask some of my friends from around the world what traditions they have for celebrating Christmas. Below is a summary of what they said.
Mexico
In Mexico, traditionally, the Three Wise Men will bring little presents and put items in your shoes instead of Santa bringing presents. There is also a traditional sweet bread called Rosca de Reyes with a little plastic figure of baby Jesus. If you get the slice it is in, you cook tamales for veryone on Candelaria Day. Candelaria Day is celebrated 40 days after Christmas and commemorates the day that Mary brought baby Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem for the first time.
Ukraine
In Ukraine, many people celebrate Christmas on January 7th to follow the Orthodox Christian calendar. Christmas celebrations typically start the night before when the family gathers for Sviata Vecheria (holy dinner). The holy dinner starts with the appearance of the first star in the sky. Twelve dishes are served for this dinner, which symbolizes the twelve apostles or months. These dishes tend not to include meat, eggs, or milk products but are dishes like borshch, varenyky, and holubtsi (stuffed cabbage), and Uzvar (stewed fruits). The main dish of the evening is Kutya (????) which is boiled wheat with poppy seeds and honey. Items like nuts and candied fruits can be added to this dish. Traditionally, the man of the house will mix the Kutya and serve it to the family as the first thing to eat that evening. Around Christmas, it is also popular to sing songs like "Carol of the Bells," a Ukrainian composer wrote. Vertep is a well-known Ukrainian Christmas puppet theater that presents The Nativity and other Christmas plays.
Mongolia
In Mongolia, Christmas is not a cultural holiday celebrated by everyone. Only a small number of people (2.5%) who follow Christianity in a primarily Buddhist country celebrate this holiday. In addition, Christmas celebrations did not begin until the 1990s, when Mongolia was no longer under Communist control. Typically, those who celebrate put up a Christmas tree and spend time with their family. Instead of Santa, they have a Winter Grandpa who visits homes with his Snow Girls to give gifts to the children.
Albania
Like Mongolia, Christmas was not historically celebrated in Albania because celebrations were forbidden under communism. Post-1992, people who followed the Christian religion began celebrating Christmas and developing different traditions with their families. For these celebrations, Christians get together with family and friends and go to church before returning to someone's house to eat meals and exchange gifts.
Haiti
In Haiti, community members spend time cleaning up the streets so they can hang up many Christmas decorations and add some holiday charm. Families will make a large meal, including a big boiler of rice, kongo beans, and chicken or turkey, and they will sit and drink with their friends and family until the late hours of the night.
Sweden
In Sweden, where you might only see the sun for as little as an hour a day or not at all in the winter, Christmas celebrations have a lot to do with light and candles. Christmas starts on the first Sunday of December with advent, and they celebrate the four advent days on the Sundays leading up by burning a candle each Sunday and burning them all on Christmas. Every morning a candle is burned at an increment labeled for each day, and a candelabra is put in the window when advent starts. On the 13th of December, they celebrate Saint Lucia, where girls wear candles in their hair and sing songs because it is the darkest day. On Christmas, they only celebrate on the 24th and have ham and meatballs for dinner and open presents that night.
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are located in the Southern hemisphere, which means Christmas falls in the summer. Celebrations start on Christmas Eve when a parade takes place with floats like emergency services and a float where Santa sits and throws out candy to children. Later, families will gather and consume a large dinner with a main course of lamb. It is common for most people to take the week between Christmas and New Year off. There are several festivities during this time-including community barbecues and Boxing Day horse races that historically started as casual events with farmers "racing" their farm horses. In addition, there is a sheep speed shear in the street outside one of the pubs, which includes a full sheep shearing competition. In addition to sheep shearing competitions, a homemade raft race takes place in the Harbor.
Kenya
Christmas in Kenya is a special time for large families to gather together. People travel to get together with their extended families for a celebration, including church service, gifts, and meals. Meals include Kenyan chapatis, mandazi, beef stew, and greens.
In reading about different countries, it is cool to see that although there are differences in some of the smaller ways Christmas is celebrated, they almost all include getting together with friends and family to share a meal and fellowship. As we head into this holiday season, make sure you take the time to slow down and enjoy some time with loved ones coming up with unique traditions and making memories.
Samantha Bockoven
Samantha Bockoven graduated from Villanova University in 2019 with a degree in Peace and Justice and a minor in Global Health. She went on to get her master’s in public health with a concentration in disaster health and emergency preparedness. Since then, she has worked in a variety of public health jobs in the United States and around the world.
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