Isn’t it amazing how the countries in the world are filled with different cultures and values? We have different dishes, traditional attires and even different ways of celebrating Christmas.
Oh, yeah. There are countries that do not just go to church on Christmas eve, sing carols and share food. There are countries who uphold other methods of celebrating Christmas and we are going to look at six of them.
1. Christmas in South Africa
‘Geseënde Kersfees’ is how you say Merry Christmas in Zulu. While we cook and share gifts, some South African go camping. Oh yeah, camping on Christmas day and eating fried plumpy caterpillars also known as Moth Emperor. Totally delicious – if you ask them.
2. Wedding Fairy in the Czech Republic
Travel.Earth
Hey ladies! If you are looking to get married right away then you might want to travel to the Czech Republic ASAP. They have this distinct belief that if an unmarried lady throws her shoe (on Christmas day) over her shoulders and it lands with the toe pointing towards the door, she’ll be married soon! Talk about superstitions.
3. Japan’s Kentucky For Christmas
Business insider
The gods of fried Chicken awakens on Christmas eve for those celebrating the season in Japan. (Quote me on this one and you are on your own) Once upon a time in 1974, KFC ran a campaign in Japan called ‘Kentucky For Christmas’ and it stuck even till now. KFC and other restaurants selling fried Chicken are usually overwhelmed with customers. The Japanese do not have a lot of Christians, so they do not necessarily follow the usual rituals. Instead, they go out with their loved ones (like valentine’s day) and enjoy a meal of fried chicken!
Top Flexxzone Picks
- Take A Break, Go Get A Shower!
- How To Sell Anything In A Typical Lagos Market
- 10 Little Habits That Can Help Turn Your Life Around
4. The Pooping Log in Spain
Ottsworld
Are you thinking what I think you are thinking? Oh, come off it!
The Caga Tio, also known as pooping log, is found in a region of Spain called Catalonia. Spanish children feed the log, believing that it will grow bigger. And on Christmas Day (just as they deceived us with Father Christmas) the parents will exchange the log for a bigger and stuff it with presents. The children wake up to a bigger log and sing to it, in hopes that it would keep pooping out gifts. Haha…now you see it wasn’t what you were thinking.
5. Banana Trees are enough in India
easirent
Just like Japan, Christianity is not one of the most populous religions in this country. So, they hold their other celebrations in high esteem. But for those who celebrate the yuletide season (about 2.3%), they also do it in style. Mind you, the population of India is over 1 billion, therefore, there are about 25 million Christians in India. Yikes! Since they do not have the regular Christmas trees around, they make do with Banana and Mango trees. Talk about creativity! Their Churches are decorated with Poinsettia flowers and candles for the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass service.
6. The Spider and Ukraine
A long time ago, there was a poor Ukrainian widow who didn’t have any money to buy ornaments for decorating her family tree. While she wept in self-pity some compassionate spiders watched and when she went to bed, they decorated it with silver and gold and the family lived happily ever after with all their financial needs met. Isn’t that some great folklore?
Oh, well, the culture stuck and today the people of Ukraine use fake spiders to decorate their Christmas trees (which is celebrated on the 7th of January) in hopes that it would bring wealth and prosperity. Biko, do you know any shop selling fake spiders in Lagos?
Hey Flexxer! Now’s the perfect time to open a Flexx account with FCMB, if you haven’t already. It’s a pretty stress-free process and you get access to seamless banking solutions. Wanna get started?
Click HERE!
Leave a Reply