By: Artus Siu

Photo Link Photo by Spears, Gary on

Christmas in North America is a familiar scene: Christmas trees, presents, Santa Claus, candy canes… We all know what this is all about. However, have you ever wondered how people around the world celebrate Christmas? Today, we will explore three different Christmas traditions in three different countries.

1). Japan – Kentucky Fried Christmas

In Japan, a peculiar Christmas treat is, surprisingly, Kentucky Fried Chicken. During Christmas time, people across Japan flock to their local KFC for a tasty bucket of fried chicken. It was a tradition that started from a KFC advertising campaign. During the 1970s, the company advertised themselves as an “American Christmas Tradition”. They were heavily influenced by American culture after World War Two. During this time, KFC urged the Japanese society to have their esteemed fried chicken as a Christmas tradition to mimic American society. Since having turkey is not popular in Japan, this practice became a big hit. Soon, communities across Japan have adopted the fried chicken for their custom Christmas tradition.

2). Ukraine – A Creepy Crawly Christmas

Canadians decorate their Christmas trees with fairy lights which are wrapped around the branches. Ukrainians, on the other hand, use spider web-like decorations as a replacement. This tradition started with a folk tale: A poor widow and her son planted a pine cone into the ground. For years, they tended to it until it grew into a Christmas tree. Unfortunately, they were unable to afford conventional Christmas decorations. Amazingly, on Christmas day, they found their tree wrapped with spider webs, the glimmering sunlight shone through the silver webbings. In the present, Ukrainians use spider-related decorations as a tribute to this folk tale as part of their culture.

3). Venezuela – Christmas on Wheels

While Canadians dream of traveling in a flying sled during Christmas, Venezuelans speed on their roller skates. Specifically, in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, residents travel to their daily morning mass – which is mandatory for the week before Christmas – on their roller skates. In the morning, mass amounts of skaters take to the streets, crowding the roads and blocking traffic. The streets are so congested that some roads are closed until eight o’clock in the morning to accommodate the hundreds of skaters.

Which one was your favorite?

Works Cited

Free Stock Photos, Royalty Free Stock Images & Copyright Free Pictures · Pexels, https://www.pexels.com/. Accessed 4 December 2023.

“The Eight Strangest Christmas Traditions on Earth.” YHA Australia, https://www.yha.com.au/travel-and-tours/traveller-stories/the-eight-strangest-christmas-traditions-on-earth/. Accessed 4 December 2023.

“The world’s 12 weirdest Christmas traditions | Wanderlust.” Wanderlust Magazine, 23 December 2022, https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/worlds-weirdest-christmas-traditions/. Accessed 4 December 2023.