Blogmas Day 7: 5 Holiday Traditions Around The World

Do you know how other parts of the world celebrate Christmas? We all have our own traditions that we rigidly adhere to, year after year. But here are 5 holiday traditions from other parts of the world that may seem strange to us, but are completely normal to someone else.

Austria

In the folklore of Central Europe, Krampus is a half-goat, half-demon creature with horns, fangs, and a long, pointed tongue. (Also inspired the 2015 film with the same name) Where St. Nick rewards nice little girls and boys with gifts, Krampus comes to punish the naughty. He’ll swat them with birch branches, while others involve a sack for taking them to Hell.   He traditionally appears on Krampusnacht (December 5th), the night before the feast of St. Nicholas.

Oaxaca, Mexico

On December 23rd, in Oaxaca, Mexico, competitors carve nativity scenes into large radishes, which are proudly displayed at the Christmas market. This yearly tradition is dubbed, “The Night of the Radishes.”

Japan

Family Christmas traditions in Japan include eating their big holiday meal at fast food giant KFC! (yes, that KFC)

Iceland

People in Iceland will often exchange books on Christmas Eve, then spend the rest of the night reading them and eating chocolate. The tradition is part of a season called Jolabokaflod, or “The Christmas Book Flood.” As a result, Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country selling most of them between September and November.

Have you heard of any of these traditions? If you are from these areas, are they true? Let us know in the comments!

You can read Blogmas Day 6 right here. Or, catch up on all Blogmas 2022 posts here.