by Matt McAnally

Christmas Traditions Around the World

Christmas is a holiday that is celebrated very differently across the world, whether for religious reasons or for the lack thereof. By looking at other countries with different cultures, we can appreciate and enjoy each country’s interpretation of the holiday and the traditions that come with it. 

Sweden

In Sweden, one of the biggest celebrations around Christmas time is St. Lucia’s (Lucy’s) Day on December 13th, rather than how we usually celebrate Christmas. It comes from a mixture of the pre-Christian pagan festival of lights and the stories brought by the monks that brought Christianity to Sweden. A national ‘Lucy’ is chosen as tradition, and along with many other unofficial Lucys are “dressed in a white dress with a red sash round her waist and a crown of candles on her head. Small children use electric candles but from about 12 years old, real candles are often used.” They may then visit hospitals and retirement communities to sing. St. Lucia’s Day is also celebrated in Denmark, Norway, Finland, Bosnia, and Croatia.

In the town of Gävle, Sweden, a strange tradition is found in the Gävle Goat. The Gävle Goat is a massive 43 ft. tall straw goat that is thought to protect the homes of people during Advent. They assemble the goat, taking two days, once every year; however, the strangeness comes when it is to be taken down. The tradition started in 1966 when the first goat was built, and promptly burned down on New Years’ Eve. Ever since then, it has been continuously targeted by vandals looking to carry on the tradition and burn the goat down. In its almost 60 year history, it has only survived through the Christmas and New Years’ season 15 times, and in 2016, it only survived two days.

Iceland

There is one tradition in Iceland that is very entertaining. This is the tradition of the Jóltide Lads, beginning on December 12th and ending around January 6th. They are 13 imps or elves that each visit for one night leading up to Christmas, and leave one by one afterwards, who like to play tricks on people. In Icelandic tradition, these lads are children of Grýla and Leppalúði, a pair of naughty-child-eating ogres. They even have a cat Jólakötturinn who eats children who don’t receive any new clothes for Christmas. Icelandic children may place their shoes on a windowsill to hopefully get a gift from these lads, but the naughty children may only find a potato, an equivalent of coal for Christmas in the US. Below are just a few of the interesting personalities of each of the 13 Jóltide Lads:

December 15. Þvörusleikir (Spoon-Licker): The fourth lad, appearing at Icelandic houses on the night before December 15th, is known to be tall and thin and steal long wooden spoons called þvörur and lick them.

December 18. Hurðaskellir (Door-Slammer): The seventh lad, and also the loudest, is known for slamming doors in peoples’ homes, especially during nighttime.

December 19. Skyrgámur (Skyr-Gobbler): The eighth lad is known for his obsession with the Icelandic yogurt, Skyr. Any trace of Skyr left in homes would be gone after the night of December 19th.

December 22. Gáttaþefur (Doorway-Sniffer): The eleventh lad is known for his large nose and incredible sense of smell. He smells between doorways, always searching for Laufabrauð, or a special Icelandic Christmas bread.

December 24. Kertasníkir (Candle-Stealer): The thirteenth and final lad is known to follow children and steal their candles, which used to be edible and made from fat rather than wax.

Mexico

A large part of the Mexican Christmas celebration is Posadas, meaning inn or lodging. The celebration lasts 9 days from December 16th to the 24th. During the celebration, children will go out to different Posada houses, designated with paper lantern decorations and owned by friends and family, and sing to them. Each of the nine nights, a different house is selected as the ‘correct’ house, which will let them in for a party; however, if they choose any other house, they will be told that there is no space and to find somewhere else to stay. The journey represents Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter. On the final night, they will all go to a midnight church service and celebrate afterwards.

Philippines

The most popular decoration around Christmas time in the Philippines is the parol, star lanterns traditionally made from bamboo and colored cellophane paper, and were lit with candles. Modern-day parols can be made out of plastic or metal and lit with electrical lighting. They were originally different shapes; however, after the American colonial period, they became stars to represent the Star of Bethlehem. It remains representative of the Filipino Christmas spirit.

Santa R-Kayma Klaws is also a significant of Christmas in some parts of the Philippines, specifically in the poorer areas. He is an Irish man in his 70’s who dresses up as Santa in poorer areas. For over 50 years, he has been spreading cheer to the poor Filipino children and making contributions to charity, most recently in a walkathon from San Pablo to Baguio in support of pediatric cancer awareness.

Sources:

https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures

https://evanevanstours.com/blog/unwrapping-the-magic-23-unique-christmas-traditions-from-around-the-world/ 
https://adventures.is/blog/the-icelandic-yule-lads/?srsltid=AfmBOootxDvaNhBnT-FpiKOu7Kx6cs0CeCTYzQlCz-oH3c_zdhjP8SQv