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CHRISTMAS celebrations in every country in various parts of the world are generally the same, namely enjoying the snow, traveling in winter, and filled with various kinds of gifts.
However, each country has its own unique tradition of celebrating Christmas. Anything?
Philippines
The Christmas season in the Philippines starts earlier and ends later than other countries, from September to January. In fact, shops started displaying Christmas decorations as early as August. Thus, the Philippines has the longest Christmas celebration in the world.
In the second week of December, there is a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation, namely the celebration of the Giant Lantern Festival in the city of Pampanga, north of Manila. Local craftsmen display their expertise in designing giant lanterns.
Austria
In Austria, it is not Santa who brings Christmas gifts but Christkind or the Child of Christ. Children in some areas of the country throw Christmas letters into the fireplace to make their wish come true.
St. Friendly Nicholas and his bad friend, Krampus, will come to the house to give gifts of candy, nuts, and apples to well-behaved children and give advice to bad children.
December 5 is Krampus Day, where people dress up in scary costumes made of sheepskin, wearing masks with goat horns.
Sweden
Every Christmas in the Swedish city of Gävle, people erect the Gävle Goat, a giant goat statue made of straw.
The story of Gävle Goat began in 1966 when the idea emerged to design a giant hay goat with the aim of attracting customers to the shops and restaurants of the southern city. The large goat was housed in Castle Square in Gävle.
Since then, the Gävle Goat has become a Christmas symbol placed in the same place every year and made it into the Guinness Book of Records in 1985 as the world’s largest hay goat.
Iceland
One of the most delightful Icelandic Christmas traditions is the tradition of putting shoes on the window.
On the night before December 12, Icelandic children will put their shoes in the window so Santa can leave gifts there.
The shoes were left on the windowsill until Christmas Eve. If children behave well, they will receive a gift of candy or a small toy. But if they are naughty, they will get rotten potatoes in their shoes.
Guatemala
At Christmas, people in Guatemala carry out weeks of traditional celebrations and rituals, one of which is “burning the devil”.
On December 7th, people make statues of the devil to burn over bonfires. Apart from that, people also took useless items in their homes to throw into the bonfire.
The ritual is a cleansing ritual to get rid of evil so that they are ready to welcome the next day’s celebration with a holy condition.
Ukraine
Christmas Eve in Ukraine is marked by gathering with family. On the table there should be 12 dishes that represent the 12 apostles. The main dish is Kutia, boiled wheat mixed with poppy seeds and honey.
The house is decorated with pieces of wheat stalks called didukh, which symbolize the spirits of the ancestors. It is believed that the ancestors would spend time with their families.
In addition, children will perform at the Vertep show, which is a puppet theater and drama featuring nativity scenes and mystery plays. An important attribute in this show is the Christmas star which is considered a symbol of joy.
Then, there will be Malanka, a carnival that has become a traditional celebration in Ukraine. Malanka is a lavish parade where people wear unique costumes and there is an abundance of food and drink. [antaranews]
