Holiday Traditions Around The World
By: Kelsey Martin
It’s Christmastime people! Here in the United States, we celebrate this time by decorating houses and yards, making gingerbread houses, ugly Christmas sweater parties, and sending Christmas cards to friends and families. But the holiday season differs around the world. Here are some of the various holiday traditions you can find in other countries.
Bad Santa in Austria is the Alpine legend of the original, bad Santa. Every year in early December, children in Austria get ready for St. Nicholas to visit them. If they’ve been good, he’ll reward them with presents and treats. But if they’ve been bad, they’ll get a lot more than a lump of coal—they’ll have to face Krampus!
In Ukraine, they have a Cobweb Christmas, which means spider webs can bring good fortune for the New Year. This is why you will see Ukrainians decorate their Christmas tree with a spider web. It’s for good luck in the upcoming year.
Christmas and Kentucky Fried Chicken are synonymous in Japan thanks to Colonel Santa. Every Christmas, life-sized Colonel Sanders statues are dressed as Santa throughout the country and families gather to share buckets of fried chicken.
Pickle in a Tree is a German Christmas tree tradition. For this, a decoration in the shape of a pickle is hidden on a Christmas tree with the finder receiving either a reward or good fortune for the next year. There are a number of different origin stories attributed to the tradition.
Befana The Witch in Italy is an interesting holiday tradition. In Italian folklore, La Befana is a witch who brings good children treats on the morning of the Epiphany, January 6. But if you were bad, look out – you may wake up to a lump of coal!
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