Christmas celebrations

all around the world

japan
 KFC for In Japan, celebrating Christmas is
still relatively new. It's only been
christmas widely recognized for the past
dinner couple of decades, and is typically
seen as a time to spread joy and
cheer, or even a romantic couple's
day, instead of a religious holiday.
Many order KFC for Christmas
dinner, or make a reservation at a
restaurant instead of cooking a big
feast.
poland
PEOPLE SHARE In Poland, and many Polish
A PRE-DINNER communities worldwide, Christmas
WAFER Eve dinner (Wigilia) begins with
sharing the wafer (Oplatek). The
paper-thin square wafer is made of
flour and water has an image of the
Nativity on it. Everyone at the
table breaks off a piece and shares
a holiday greeting before passing it
along. Sometimes, even pets get in
on the fun.
slovakia
Carp for All over Central Europe, people
enjoy carp for Christmas Eve

dinner Dinner. But rather than picking it

up from the supermarket,
traditionalists let the fish live in the
bathtub for a couple of days before
preparing and eating it. Legend has
it, the scales bring luck and good
fortune for the coming year.
sweden
ST. Lucia's In Sweden, Finland, and Norway, St.
Lucia's Day is a special part of the
day Christmas season that commemorates
a woman said to be one of the first
Christian martyrs. Celebrations
involve candlelit processions, with the
eldest girl in each family dressed up
like St. Lucia in white gowns, often
wearing a wreath with candles. The
girls will also serve the family S-
shaped Lucia buns and coffee or
mulled wine.
greece
CHRISTMA In the seafaring country of Greece,
decorating Christmas trees and boats
S TREES has been popular for centuries. The
AND BOATS first known Christmas tree in
Greece was put up by King Otto
1833 next to a large decorated boat,
which families traditionally erected
to celebrate men's return from sea
voyages. Today, in cities like Athens
and Thessaloniki, large lit-up boats
appear alongside trees.
ETHIOPIA
 Christmas In Ethiopia, people celebrate
Christmas, called Ganna or Genna, on
processions January 7 in accordance with the
Ethiopian Orthodox Calendar. Mass
often begins with a special candelit
procession, in which participants wear
a thin white shawl called a Netela and
process around the church three times
before the service begins. They don't
typically give gifts during Ganna; it's
a time for church, games and of
course, food.
germany
Christmas In Germany, you can do
your Christmas shopping with a

markets mug of mulled wine in one hand

and a bratwurst in the other at
festive outdoor markets. The
sprawling seasonal markets pop up
all over the country with artisans
selling gifts for everyone on your
list.
philippines
Nochebuena Filipinos take the Christmas season
seriously, with big Nochebuena
and lots of parties on Christmas Eve. Many
lights will attend Mass, called Misa de
Riso in the evening, and then feast
and dance into the wee hours.
Decorations often go big too, with
the parol, a lighted star lantern,
featuring prominently.
Austria
Krampus hunts You thought coal in your stocking
for naughty was bad? In Austria and Bavaria,
St. Nicholas gifts good kids gifts,
children while Krampus, the half-man, half-
goat comes around the drag the bad
ones away. In some places, men
dress up as the scary character for a
Krampuslauf, or “Krampus run" in
which they parade through the
streets to blow off steam — and
scare some kids back into line.
england
Stockings hung When I was a kid, I always worried
on bedposts Santa wouldn't find our fireplace-
less house. In Britain, they don't
with care have that problem because
children hang their stockings at the
ends of their beds instead. That
way, they wake up to a sweet
surprise.
singapore
Serious light Singapore's Orchard Road
shopping district buzzes with
displays activity all year round but during
the Christmas season, it twinkles
with some of the most impressive
decorations in the world. Residents
also visit Gardens on the Bay for a
jaw-dropping Christmas village
display. We wouldn't mind getting
stuck in traffic with that kind of
view to pass the time.
switzerland
Kids get Although their popularity has
spread in recent years, Advent
advent Calendars are especially big in
calendars Switzerland. Some parents make
them for their children, while
others purchase unique ones
tailored to their kids' interests.
They open a new little treat every
day, with the biggest one arriving
on Christmas Eve.
australia
 Christmas Because Christmas falls during the
sweltering summer months in
on the beach Australia, many residents hit the
beach for a barbecue. People might
play a rousing game of backyard
cricket, according to one Insider
writer, and grill up fresh seafood
on the barbie. They still sing
"White Christmas" but won't ever
see one outside their front door.
iceland
 13 santa Not only does Iceland celebrate 13
days before Christmas, children also
caluses place get presents from 13 different Santa
treats in shoes Clauses, or Yule Lads. Each of these
lads has his own different qualities
and they can all be a bit feisty. But
if good children place their shoes on
the windowsill, the Yule Lads will
leave them little gifts. If they
haven't behaved all year, rotten
potatoes show up in their Crocs.
mexico
 All-night In Mexico, as well as many other
Latinx and Hispanic countries,
parties with families celebrate Nochebuena on
piñatas Christmas Eve. That includes a
huge feast, singing and dancing
and often a piñata for the kids.
More religious observers may
attend midnight Mass, but it's
always a time for family and
togetherness.