Christmas traditions around the world

Christmas is a traditional Christian religious holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ; however, in modern times, the holiday has also become a more secular celebration and is observed in many countries worldwide, including some non-Christian nations. As a result, Christmas traditions around the world vary widely. Many traditions have their roots in the ancient world during the time of Jesus and the Roman Empire. Over the centuries, celebrations of Christmas have evolved to include elements from Germany, Scandinavia, Great Britain, and the United States, among others. The most well-known holiday traditions include the iconic Christmas tree, exchanging presents, and awaiting a visit from Santa Claus; however, in some countries, Christmas is celebrated with fast-food fried chicken or trying to avoid a hungry cat who eats those who do not wear new holiday clothes.

Background

In Christianity, Christmas marks the celebration of the birth of Jesus, who Christians believe was the son of God who came to Earth in human form to eventually sacrifice himself for the sins of humanity. Two of the four New Testament Gospels provide more detailed accounts of Jesus’s birth, but neither of them gives an exact year or season in which he was born. Using other information found in the Bible, scholars have estimated that Jesus was likely born between 4 and 7 BCE. Even less evidence points to a time of year, although some scholars see the Gospel accounts of shepherds tending to their flocks in the fields as a sign that Jesus was born in springtime.

The first known connection of Christmas to its traditional date of December 25 occurred in the year 336 when Pope Julius I chose that date for the Feast of the Nativity, as the celebration was then called. Scholars believe he likely chose that date because it coincided with several pagan festivals, noting the winter solstice. In Rome, this festival was known as Saturnalia and was marked by weeks of feasting and celebrating in honor of the god Saturn. In other parts of the ancient world, people observed winter holidays celebrating the return of the sun’s upward movement after months of slipping closer to the horizon. In an effort to promote the spread of the religion through the ancient world, the Church likely placed Christmas on December 25 to “Christianize” the pagan rituals and absorb the people and their customs into Christianity.

Overview

Over the following centuries, Christianity spread throughout Europe, reaching the British Isles in the sixth century, Central Europe and Russia by the ninth and tenth centuries, and Northern Europe and Scandinavia by the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The religious celebration of the Feast of the Nativity did not become a significant Church holiday until the ninth century. However, even then, it was considered less important than Easter and other spring holidays commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus. As Christian beliefs spread, celebrations of Jesus’s birth became intertwined with local traditions and festivities, evolving into a holiday that took on its own distinct flavor among the many cultures in which it was observed.

Christmas in the United States

Like the nation itself, Christmas traditions in the United States grew from a patchwork of customs brought over by the various immigrant groups that settled there. Many people incorporate religious elements and elements from their ethnic heritage into their holiday celebrations, but the “traditional” American Christmas shares many common themes. One of the main holiday staples is the Christmas tree, a brightly decorated evergreen that typically serves as a centerpiece for holiday celebrations inside the home. German immigrants introduced the Christmas tree to the United States in the early nineteenth century, and it soon became one of the signature symbols of the holiday. The American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA) estimated that 77 percent of Americans displayed either a real or an artificial tree inside their homes in 2019.

In the United States, many families gather around the Christmas tree for the traditional exchange of gifts, which typically occurs on Christmas morning. The gifts are usually wrapped in decorative, festive paper as a way to keep their contents a secret and add to the colorful nature of the holiday. In many cases, families also decorate other parts of their home—both inside and outside—with colorful lights and other symbols of the holiday. In some neighborhoods, outside light decorating becomes a sort of pseudo-competition, with households trying to outdo one another for the most colorful displays.

For American children—and some adults—the highlight of Christmas is a visit from Santa Claus, a jolly, red-clad grandfather-like figure who brings presents to those who have behaved themselves over the past year. The modern version of Santa grew from stories of St. Nicholas, a third-century Christian bishop renowned for his kindness. Dutch immigrants brought the idea of St. Nicholas—whom they called Sinter Klaas—to the United States in the late eighteenth century. His image was further refined by the writings of American author Washington Irving and the poetry of Clement Clarke Moore, most notably in his 1823 poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” By the twentieth century, Santa Claus had become an indelible part of Christmas, adorning Christmas cards, appearing on holiday TV specials, and greeting children in shopping malls and department stores.

Mexico

Although the religious aspect of Christmas also plays an important role for many Americans, in Mexico, it remains the primary focus of the holiday. The Mexican celebration of Christmas is extended for almost an entire month from December 12 to January 6. It begins on the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a revered religious figure in Mexico who represents the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. Each year, more than ten million people travel to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on December 12 to honor the Virgin Mary. Afterward, people celebrate with music, large parades, and fireworks displays.

From December 16 to Christmas Eve, children participate in nine traditional processions called posadas, Spanish for “inn.” The children carry candles and a board with clay figures of Jesus’s parents, Mary and Joseph. The processions symbolize Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging in the days before Jesus was born. As the children march through town, they sing songs and ask homeowners to let them in. However, they are sent away and told no room is available until they reach a designated house and are invited into the celebration. Each night, a different house acts as the host for the children.

On Christmas Eve, the children add a manger and shepherds to their boards and march through town until they find the home for the final posada. Then, a figure of baby Jesus is added to their miniature Nativity scenes. After a church service, people return home to celebrate the holiday with fireworks. Nativity scenes, or nacimiento, are popular in Mexico and can sometimes be so elaborate that they can fill an entire room. Similar to the boards carried during the posadas, figures are added to the scenes as the season progresses, with the infant Jesus arriving on Christmas Eve. The epiphany, or the arrival of the Three Kings, is celebrated on January 6 with the final addition to the nacimiento. Traditionally, this marks the end of the Christmas season in Mexico, although in some places, celebrations continue until February 2.

Great Britain

Christmas in Great Britain bears many similarities to that in the United States, as nineteenth-century British celebrations of the holiday helped inspire those across the Atlantic. Christmas trees and light displays are common, as is the practice of singing Christmas carols, often by candlelight. When Santa, or Father Christmas as he is often called in Great Britain, leaves presents for children, he often leaves them in stockings hung by the fireplace or in pillowcases left on the bed. As is the case in many countries, children write out a wish list to Father Christmas, asking for specific gifts. However, instead of mailing them, many British children toss the letters into the fireplace, where their wishes rise up in the smoke and can be seen by Father Christmas.

Iceland

In Iceland, the Christmas season is known as Jól (Yule), which developed from pagan winter solstice celebrations in Scandinavia. While Jól technically begins on December 23 and lasts until January 6, one popular tradition begins in the thirteen days leading up to Christmas Eve. During this time, Icelandic homes are visited by the Jólasveinar, or Yule Lads, thirteen gnome-like figures with mischievous English names like “Pot Licker,” “Window Peeper,” sand “Candle Beggar.” The Yule Lads are said to leave thirteen presents—one per night—in shoes that children leave out on the windowsill. If a child has been bad, his or her “gift” may be a potato or a note telling them to be good.

Books are a tremendously popular gift in Iceland, with so many being given as presents the phenomenon is called the “Christmas flood of books.” Icelanders also receive new clothes as gifts, and, according to legend, they must wear them on Christmas. If they do not, a giant black cat known as the Yule Cat will eat them.

Finland and Sweden

The people of Finland lay claim to being the home country of Santa Claus/Father Christmas, who, they say, lives in the Arctic region known as Lapland. In 1985, the nation opened a holiday-themed park known as Santa Claus Village, where tourists can visit Santa and his elves as they go about their toy-making business.

According to ancient Finnish tradition, a frightening creature known as Joulupukki, or Yule Goat, once roamed the countryside demanding presents from passersby. As time went on, Father Christmas became the traditional holiday gift-giver, and the Yule Goat rode with the reindeer and joined him on his yearly rounds. In nearby Sweden, the Yule Goat was believed to be a helper spirit who oversaw the preparations for pagan midwinter festivals. Today, many Swedes decorate their homes with a straw Yule Goat to “guard” their Christmas trees. Since 1966, a 42-foot (13-meter) tall straw goat has been constructed in the town of Gävle. The goat is built at the beginning of December and is traditionally supposed to be burned on New Year’s Eve.

Palestinian Territories

While the population of the Palestinian Territories is more than 80 percent Muslim, Christmas is of significant importance there because the West Bank town of Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus. Both Muslims and Christians celebrate Christmas Eve with a parade through the decorated streets of Bethlehem. Christians attend a special mass at the Church of the Nativity, a place of worship believed to have been built over the traditional spot of Jesus’s birth.

Ukraine

Ukrainian Christians, like many followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church, celebrate Eastern Orthodox Christmas on January 7. This date is based on the Julian calendar, which was phased out in other parts of the Christian world in 1582. Ukrainians often decorate their Christmas trees with sparkling spider webs to commemorate the legend of the Christmas Spider. According to the story, a poor family did not have the means to buy a Christmas tree. One day, a tree miraculously started growing inside their home. On Christmas Eve, spider webs began appearing on the tree; the next day, the webs had turned to silver and gold.

Japan

While Japan is not a predominantly Christian country, the Japanese people have often embraced American culture. In the twentieth century, they began incorporating the traditions of gift-giving and sending Christmas cards. In Japan, Christmas Eve is more important than Christmas Day and is seen as a romantic holiday for couples. However, Japanese families still celebrate Christmas Day with a special dinner, which, since the 1970s, has traditionally come from Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). In 2018 alone, KFC in Japan pulled in more than 63 million dollars in the days leading up to Christmas. Oftentimes, lines to get the annual dinners begin forming on December 23.

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