It is that faithful time of the year again: Presents, a tree full of ornaments, full bellies and joyful laughter. Christmas time is a tradition shared by the world. There are so many unique Christmas traditions in different countries and differences in how it is celebrated throughout the world. From perpetually burning goat statues to having fried chicken as a Christmas meal, there is simply a melting pot of cultures to explore during this holiday season.
Sweden: Yule Goat
In the far north, the people in the town of Gävle, Sweden, are building up something truly magnificent: a large yule goat standing proudly at a height of 11 meters.
This tradition started as a fun way for the citizens of Gävle to convey their Christmas spirit. It was to also depict a part of a folk talents, where Christmas elves ride the Yule Goat from door to door to deliver gifts on the night of Christmas eve. However, this isn’t the only thing the humongous Yule Goat is known for. Another well-known aspect is the goat’s inability to last the whole Christmas season due to it being highly flammable. As a matter of fact, in the past 56 years the statue has been destroyed 35 times to date. Now, the town has tried many different methods to protect the goat, including security cameras, employing guards and patrols, and fencing. The town has gone as far as spraying the goat with flame proof material. As the town’s methods of protecting the goat escalate, methods to bring down the goat increase two-fold. Some notable examples would be an incident in 2005, where a group of people dressed as Santa and gingerbread men fired flaming arrows at the goat. Another notable incident was in 2009, where hackers disabled the security cameras around the goat to set it on fire. Despite all the attacks on the statue, the town of Gävle is very proud of their Yule Goat despite all the attacks on it. It has been in the Guinness book of world records for its size and continues to draw curious crowds every year.
Mexico: Night of Radishes
Travelling further south-west, in the humble city of Mexico, the Night of Radishes or known as La Noche de Rabanos, is an annual event that has been a longstanding tradition for more than 120 years. This started with farmers and peasants that seek to showcase their produce to customers in hopes to quickly sell out during the holiday season. In 1897, President Francisco Vasconcelos announced the first radish carving competition, which kickstarted the time-honoured tradition of radish carving. Fast forward to today, this event draws the attention of hundreds with its impressively carved radishes and signature peppery scent.
Japan: KFC feast
Throughout the country of Japan, one of the most iconic and unique traditions is enjoying Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas Day. An estimated 3.6 million Japanese families order KFC as their Christmas meal each year. This custom began in the 1970s shortly after KFC opened their first store in Nagoya. At the time fried chicken was an unfamiliar cuisine but it quickly gained attention when a KFC manager overheard foreigners lamenting the lack of turkey in Japan. This gave the manager an idea to have fried chicken as a substitute. This idea led to the creation of the “Party Barrel”, a special Christmas meal set, and in 1974, KFC launched a nationwide marketing campaign with the slogan “Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii” (Kentucky for Christmas).
Heartwarming advertisements featuring happy Japanese families sharing KFC helped cement the tradition. This campaign successfully filled a cultural gap where Japan had no established Christmas food tradition. Today, KFC Christmas packages are often pre-ordered weeks in advance and the Party Barrel includes not just fried chicken but also cake and even wine.
Ukraine & Poland: The Christmas Spider
In Ukraine and parts of Poland, Christmas trees often include delicate spiderweb ornaments inspired by the legend of the Christmas Spider, or pavuchky in Ukrainian. According to folklore, a Christmas Spider visits homes on Christmas Eve to decorate the family’s tree with shimmering cobwebs, symbolising protection, good fortune and prosperity. The tradition seems to stem from a touching legend about a poor widow and her children who lived in a small cottage. One day, a pine cone fell onto their floor and grew into a small tree.The children saw this and tended to it as their Christmas Tree. However when Christmas came, the family was too poor to decorate it, and the children went to bed feeling heartbroken. During the night, spiders noticed their sadness and sun intricate webs around the tree.
When sunlight streamed the next morning, the webs glistened like silver and gold. Since then, spiderweb decorations have become a magical staple of Ukrainian and Polish Christmases.
Written by: Grace and Caelyn
Edited by: Sarah
