Yuletide Around the World

From country to country, Christmas is marked by a rich tapestry of customs. While traditions like hanging advent calendars, eating roast turkey dinners and waiting for Santa Claus to squeeze down the chimney are part of Christmastime in the United States and many countries, there are myriad unique customs that shape the celebration of Yuletide around the world. Following are some of the most delightful and distinctive traditions that bring extra joy to the holiday season. If you are looking to vacation over Christmas and wish to experience some one-of-a-kind festive sparkle, one of these locations might be just your ticket!

Philippines: Great Lantern Festival

This festival takes place in the city of San Fernando – the “Christmas Capital of the Philippines.” Each year, on the Saturday before Christmas Eve, visitors from all over the country (and the world) come to enjoy the festival and watch the fierce competition among the 11 villages as everyone attempts to build the most elaborate lantern. Originally, lanterns were simple creations made from origami paper, around 30 inches in diameter, and lit by candle. Today, lanterns are made from a variety of materials, are up to 20 feet in diameter and are illuminated by electric bulbs.

Japan: Kentucky Fried Chicken, Please

Forget the turkey, Japanese families make their reservations well in advance to secure a seat at a neighborhood KFC American-owned fast food restaurant on Christmas Day. Many others take advantage of the online service to purchase anything from a standard family bucket of chicken to a premium roast bird feast. A clever KFC marketing campaign convincing locals that fried chicken is a traditional U.S. Yuletide feast has rendered Colonel Sander’s bucket of finger-licking goodness a new, quirky, Japanese Christmas tradition.

Iceland: Mischievous Yule Lads

Much like the famed Irish leprechauns that run amok playing tricks on humans, the fun and naughty Icelandic Yule lads are out in force at Christmas in one of the more fun and mischievous Christmas traditions. As Christmas approaches, 13 tricksy troll-like characters make their debut – a different one each night leading up to the big day. For each night of Yuletide, children place their finest shoes on the windowsill and a different Yule lad leaves gifts for nice girls and boys and rotting potatoes for the naughty ones!

Norway: Hide Your Broom!

One of the more unorthodox Christmas Eve traditions can be found in Norway. Norwegians believe that Christmas Eve coincides with the arrival of witches and menacing spirits that take flight and glide across the winter night sky. With the coming of cursed winds, households tuck their brooms away before they go to sleep. Sometimes people take the tradition up a notch and launch a warning shot to keep the night’s mischief at bay. After all, nothing spoils Christmas quicker than finding your broom stolen or broken into pieces by a joyriding witch.

Venezuela: Roller Skating to Christmas Mass

During the days leading up to Christmas, Venezuelans head to church early each morning for Misa de Aguinaldo (a series of masses held at dawn). What makes this long-running holiday tradition unique is that, in the capital city of Caracas, churchgoers travel on roller skates. Many of the roads remain closed until 8:00 a.m. to ensure the “worshippers on wheels” can safely get to and from mass. Since the 16th century, the tradition of holding 5:00 – 6:00 a.m. mass for nine consecutive days has endured, but the curious twist of incorporating roller skating didn’t emerge until the 1950s. Locals embrace the quirky addition wholeheartedly, though its origins remain a mystery.

Ukraine: Spider Webs on Christmas Trees

The standard tinsel, twinkling lights and ornaments may adorn Christmas trees in Ukraine, but it is the addition of artificial spiders and spider webs thought to bring good fortune and prosperity that are the real showstoppers. This beloved tradition stems from a late 19th century Ukrainian folktale of a poor family who could not afford to decorate their tree and woke on Christmas morning to discover spiders had covered it in glorious sparkling webs. When the sunlight hit the tree, the silken threads transformed into strands of gold and silver.

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Debbie Linville

Forsyth Magazines writer since 2016. Although Debbie has lived as far south as Florida, as far north as New York and as far west as Texas, she loves calling North Carolina (Winston Salem, in particular) home. Debbie married her high school sweetheart and they have two grown, married children. Their nest is far from empty – two adorable Havanese, Lola and Millie, keep them on their toes and fill their home with joy! Debbie recently retired from a long career in the educational arena. She holds a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction with a focus in literacy education. After 20 years in the elementary classroom, she spent the next two decades teaching and supporting pre- and in-service teachers. She still continues to promote educators in myriad ways, but is thoroughly enjoying the flexibility of a schedule she crafts to engage in activities of her choosing. She loves spending time with family and friends, volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House and Crisis Control Ministries, pursuing hobbies such as card making, quilting, and photography, cooking, reading, traveling (as often as possible!), and writing on a consistent basis for Forsyth Magazines!

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