When you hear the word Christmas, do you think of banana trees, hiding brooms and trips to the sauna? If not, that’s probably because you haven’t experienced Christmas in other parts of the world. For the U.S., Christmas is synonymous with Santa Claus and gift giving, but in many other countries, this isn’t the case.
Considering that Christmas is one of the most popular holidays in the world, it’s no surprise that there are countless different ways it’s celebrated, with some traditions more unique than others. In Gävle, Sweden, for example, a 60-year-old tradition of constructing a 40-foot tall Yule Goat has turned into a betting opportunity for citizens, as each year vandals attempt to burn it down (and they’ve succeeded 26 times so far). And in Norway, superstition drives people to hide their brooms in order to avoid witches and evil spirits from stealing and riding them. Norwegian children are also responsible for leaving out bowls of porridge for the guardian gnome, Nisse, similar to the American custom of leaving out carrots for Santa’s team of reindeer.
In fact, many countries boast Christmas traditions that mirror those celebrated in the U.S. In India, popular traditions like gift giving and midnight mass are celebrated, with one small twist: due to the lack of evergreen trees in the country, India decorates banana and mango trees, even using the leaves as decorations for the house.
Plants play an important role in Lebanon’s version of Christmas, too, where chickpea and wheat grain seeds are planted in the two weeks leading up to Christmas day. After daily watering, the seeds will usually grow to about six inches in height and are then used to decorate nativity scenes.
In Finland, home of many widely celebrated Christmas traditions, it’s common to take a pre-Christmas dinner trip to the sauna. While saunas are already extremely commonplace in Finnish homes, the explanation for the specific Christmas cleanses can be traced back to the belief that elves reside in the saunas to make sure people behave on the holiday.
When it comes to the commercialization of Christmas, America does not stand on its own. Coca Cola’s success in tying its brand to the holiday did not go unnoticed by KFC, which has become the unofficial Christmas dinner in Japan. Although not largely celebrated in the country, the tradition of eating a Kentucky Fried dinner has blown up in popularity since an advertising campaign that promoted fried chicken as an appropriate Christmas meal. The tradition has become so popular that lines at the fast-food chain are out the door on Christmas Day, and many families have begun pre-ordering their dinner. If further proof of KFC’s synonymity with the holiday is needed, it’s estimated that 240,000 barrels of Kentucky Fried Chicken will be sold in Japan on Christmas.
Despite the various quirky traditions that countries employ in their celebrations, Christmas worldwide contains the same universal themes. From Australia to Venezuela, the holiday is spent giving back and spending time with loved ones. So this Christmas, no matter where in the world you’re celebrating it, make time for the ones you care about, be generous, and celebrate all the joys that life has to offer.

Jasmine Weis is a senior at Benicia High School.

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