So once the Christmas festivities are over, many of you are returning home with memories of pleasant times spent with your families. Each of you likely has some traditions closely related to celebrating Christmas that are carried from year to year. But have you ever wondered how other people have celebrated Christmas century after century?

Czech Republic

In Czechia, Christmas is called Vánoce. The most popular and probably the most surprising Czech tradition is preparing carp for the Christmas dinner. You probably ask yourself why it is so surprising? There seems to be nothing strange about that. But what if we tell you that before cooking it, it is customary to keep the living carp in the bathtub and feed it? Yes, the carp lives in the bath for a few days and only then meets its demise. Not everything is cruel though. Some people prefer to release the fish in the nearest pond or lake. Even the carp scales find their use – Czechs put them in their wallets so they will bring them wealth.

On another note, Nativity Scenes are among the most prominent traditions as well. They are usually found at Christmas markets and feature beautifully carved wooden figurines and sometimes even live animals. Such exhibitions are called výstava Betlémů. And presents are brought by Jezisek (Baby Jesus).

Spain

The Spanish name for Christmas is Navidad, however, in some regions of Spain, it is called differently. For example, in Catalonia, they say “Bon Nadal” to wish someone Merry Christmas, “Bo Nadal” in Galicia, and “Eguberri on” in the Basque Country. One of the most popular traditions is participating in the “El Gordo” (The Fat One) lottery which is held on the 22nd of December. The reason for the name is the prizes: their total value is more than 2 billion euros! It is customary to buy lottery tickets for each member of the family and then watch the announcement of the winners together in the morning. In Cataluña, Navarra, and Northern Aragón instead of the Christmas tree they have something called Caga Tió. Caga Tió is a log with a face, legs, a Catalan hat called barretina, which is covered with a blanket. Before Christmas, children “feed” the log with orange peel or nuts. When Christmas arrives, children sing a special song and beat it up with sticks, hoping that it will poop out treats for them. Then the blanket is removed, revealing the sweets.

Ukraine

Until recently in Ukraine, Christmas was celebrated on the 6th of January, but some time ago the date of celebration was changed to the 25th of December. Ukrainian Christmas traditions represent an interesting mix of Orthodox Christian and Pagan traditions. The Slavic Pagan holiday closely linked to the date is the Birth of the New Sun which is astronomically connected to the winter solstice. This way, the Ukrainian name for the holiday is Rizdvo, which is literally translated as “the holiday of Birth”. This could be both the birth of Christ and the birth of the new Sun. One of the most prominent Christmas traditions is called kolyaduvannya. In the evenings, typically a week or two before Christmas and on Christmas Eve, groups of young boys and girls go around towns and villages, visiting individual houses and performing special songs (Christmas carols) called kolyadky. They mostly describe the event of Christ’s birth, but many of the older (Pagan) ones tell the stories of the creation of the world and incorporate stories of the everyday life of the people. But they all have one thing in common: they wish the homeowner and their family health and prosperity. People singing usually dress in traditional clothes and carry around a large, brightly-coloured eight-angled star on a pole. This star symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem. The duty of each homeowner visited is to reward the singers with some snacks, sweets, and/or money. Another tradition worth mentioning is celebrating Christmas Eve called Svyatvechir (Holy Evening). It was a must to have precisely 12 dishes on the table symbolizing 12 disciples of Jesus.

Japan

Japanese actually have a different take on celebrating Christmas than most Europeans are used to. There, Christmas Day is similar to Valentine’s Day, the most romantic day of the year. Couples book tables at restaurants and cafes to have romantic meals. Since Christmas is not an official holiday in Japan, only couples exchange presents. The traditional dish for Christmas is a light sponge cake with cream filling or “kurisumasu keki”. This cake has become a symbol of wealth and prosperity as Japan rose from ruins after World War II. And the most unexpected thing is that a lot of people order “Christmas dinner packages” from KFC as the main part of their Christmas dinner! And all thanks to an incredibly smart idea of KFC store manager Takeshi Okawara, who came up with the idea to sell “party barrels” during the “Kurisumasu ni wa, Kentakki” (Kentucky for Christmas) campaign.

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