Greetings all!
The New Year is almost here, and may it be healthy and happy! There are so many interesting traditions around the worlds – here are just some of them!
Not to be confused with Carnival, the immensely popular street festival called Junkanoo is celebrated on December 26th and January 1st. Parades start around 2 a.m. and go until about 10 a.m. the following day. Wearing elaborate costumes, Bahamanians shimmy across the island to the sound of cowbells, drums, and whistles. While the origins of Junkanoo are debated, many Bahamians trace the celebration back to the era when enslaved people used “days off” between Christmas and the New Year for roving parties.
2. AUSTRIA: Krampus
With curled horns, fangs, and hooves, the legendary figure of Krampus is an alarming-looking creature that appears during the Christmas season. Instead of giving out presents, the mythological figure, believed to have roots in pre-Christian, European traditions, is said to scare children who have misbehaved. Today, Krampus parades are held in Austrian villages through the month of December.
While Christmas isn’t a national holiday in Japan, in 1974, KFC launched a campaign that read “Kentucky for Christmas” and the country has never looked back. Today, if you want to celebrate Christmas in Japan with a “party barrel” from KFC, you better order it weeks in advance. It often comes with all the fixings, including Christmas cake.
December 23 marks the Night of the Radishes in Oaxaca, Mexico. This interesting tradition dates back to colonial times when the Spanish introduced radishes to this region of Mexico, which is well known for its wood carving traditions. Hundreds of carved vegetables are displayed for a radish carving contest, all depicting Christmas-themed or Mexican folklore scenes. Radishes are grown specifically for this event, but in the past, it was a simple radish carved by shopkeepers to attract customers. Today, it’s a three-day long festival that attracts thousands of spectators. Sounds rad(ish)!
5. Greenland:
Unforgettable Dinner
Each Christmas, Greenalnders tuck into mattak – raw whale skin with a little blubber – and kiviak, which is made by wrapping an auk (a small arctic bird) in seal skin, burying it for several months and eating its decomposed flesh.
6. Venezuela:
Get your skates on
In
the week leading up to Christmas, Venezuelans attend a daily church service
called Misa de Aguinaldo (Early Morning Mass). In the capital, Caracas,
it is customary to travel to the church service on roller skates.
Indeed, so widespread is the practice, many roads in the capital are closed until 8am to provide Christmas worshippers with a safe passage.
Sources:
1-4: https://smartours.com/10-holiday-traditions-around-the-world
5-6:
https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/worlds-weirdest-christmas-traditions/
Which one was your favorite? Do you have an interesting tradition to share? Drop me a line!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
I like variety - it just proves there is no One way that is right.
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