7 Most Unique Christmas Traditions in the World

Everyone in various parts of the world makes Christmas a very special day every year. Apart from Christmas celebrations that are conducted by worshiping at church, in other countries, especially Western countries, almost all people celebrate Christmas — starting from dinner together, the distribution of Christmas gifts to friends and family, to other habits. Here are 7 countries in the world that have unique ways to celebrate Christmas.  

POLAND

Poland has a dinner tradition that is so unique. People who celebrate Christmas will return to their hometowns to gather with their families. No wonder if you visit Poland at Christmas, the city center in this country will look so empty. The tradition of eating with family is called the Wigilia tradition. When doing this tradition, dinner is held at a table lit only by a candle, with a white tablecloth. They will also put straw under a tablecloth as a symbol of the birthplace of Jesus. An empty chair is prepared as a preparation for sudden guests who are looking for food or a place to stay. This was done so that no one would celebrate Christmas Eve alone in Poland.  

SWEDEN

In 1966, residents of the city of Gavle in Sweden once made a statue of a male goat as high as 13 meters made of straw, which was placed in the town square. Strangely, every midnight Christmas, there are always people who try to burn the goat statue. But even though that happens often, the townspeople keep remaking the goat statue every year so that it becomes one of the Christmas traditions in Sweden. So far, he said the statue of a goat that had been burned had reached 27 times.  

IRELAND

Irish residents celebrate Christmas with a tradition of lighting candles and giving snacks to Santa Claus. Candlelight itself is a natural tradition for Christmas. Every Christmas service in the church will surely include a candle lighting event accompanied by the song of the Holy Night. But the difference is, lighting a candle in Ireland can only be done by small children, and the candle is placed in the window. Irish residents will also prepare snacks in the form of minced meat pie and drinks for Santa Claus.  

FINLAND

In Finland, the Christmas event is celebrated on St. Lucia, which is December 13th. On this date, the eldest girl from each family must wear a white robe and a candle crown and then serve her family with bread, cakes, coffee, and wine. Then on Christmas Eve, Finnish residents will visit the sauna to relax and make a pilgrimage to the funerals of those nearby. Lunch at Christmas is made by eating porridge with almonds in it. Those who find the almonds are believed to have good luck for the rest of the year.  

SPAIN

Christmas tradition in Spain, which is unique, is the presence of 'Caga Tio.' In Spanish itself, ‘Caga Tio’ means dirt from tree trunks. But in the Christmas tradition, ‘Caga Tio’ is a name given to a smiley-faced piece of wood with a red hat that brings laughter and excitement to the Catalonian children. The tree trunk is also loved by children because there are many gifts stored in it. Children must take care of 'Caga Tio' from December 8 until Christmas Eve. They will give ‘Caga Tio’ a blanket, even feed them orange peels every meal. They believe that the more 'Caga Tio' is cared for, the more gifts they will receive at Christmas.  

AUSTRALIA

Unlike other sub-tropical countries that are identical to snow at Christmas, December in Australia is not snowing at all. This makes Christmas celebrations in Australia seem more different from other Western countries. Christmas celebrations in this kangaroo country are mostly done in swimming pools, beaches, to shopping centers. Various competitions are also held in an open area where people will also visit family, relatives, friends, and other friends to eat together.  

CANADA

Canada also has a unique Christmas tradition because it almost resembles a Halloween party. Of course, the celebration is not as scary as Halloween parties in general. The public will only wear many cloth masks without paint. With this mask, they visit each other's neighbor's house, and if others can guess the face of the wearer of the mask, it is they who will buy food and drink to their heart's content. This tradition is called Mummering.