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It's so fun to think about how the day looks different for people but is still filled with the same joy! I'm pretty sure Japan celebrate with a KFC and in Korea it's common to head to the club

Leyla wrote: »

It's so fun to think about how the day looks different for people but is still filled with the same joy! I'm pretty sure Japan celebrate with a KFC and in Korea it's common to head to the club

I've heard about Japan doing this on Christmas day. So how they celebrate is that quite often families will treat themselves to a KFC bucket meal. KFC in response to this often ramps up their marketing of their buckets and stuff to get people to order KFC on Christmas Day in Japan.

In Germany, children who are naughty will get punished by Krampus, a half demon and half goat with horns with black coarse fur and cloven hooves, on December 5th otherwise known as Krampus Night.

tw: mention of abuse
In some cases, the children would be abducted by Krampus and would be taken back to hell and would either be held captive or eaten by Krampus himself. Krampus would also be accompanied by Saint Nicholas because being a Saint meant Nicholas wasn't allowed to punish children. Krampus, to my information anyway, is no longer a popular figure with children as people realised that telling their children if they're being naughty during Christmas, a half goat demon would either beat them or abduct them and possibly eat them was not the best for their mental health. But Krampus is still a popular figure in Germany and has gained popularity world wide.

There is more to Krampus this tradition but this is a very basic summary.

As a fellow Welshie here, I'd thought I would share how Christmas is celebrated here. During the winter season/period, often small Welsh communities or rural villages, towns celebrate by having a horse named the Mari Lwyd, a horse normally on a pole decorated with ribbon and a white sheet (normally a group of people who dress up) go around houses, often asking for entry into the home for food and drink. This is often done in the style of a rap battle style verse. If the person of the house fails the battle, Mari Lwyd has to be invited in to eat and drink food.

(I had to google this up a bit for research as I coulden't remember if the Mari Lwyd actually entered the home or not)

Thank you for putting this together and sharing it @Nathan . I enjoyed reading all the different ways Christmas is celebrated.
In Germany, Christmas Eve (called Heiligabend) on December 24th is the main day for celebrating Christmas. That’s when most families decorate the Christmas tree and open presents together in the evening, even though December 25th and 26th are also public holidays. German Christmas traditions include advent calendars, Christmas markets singing carols and traditional Christmas food and drink like Glühwein (spiced mulled wine), Stollen (fruit bread), and Lebkuchen (spiced gingerbread).
There’s also a special day known as St. Nicholas Day (Nikolaustag). On the night of December 5th, children in many parts of Germany clean a boot or shoe and leave it outside the door. On the morning of December 6th, St. Nicholas (Nikolaus) is said to fill the shoe with sweets, fruit, or small gifts if the child has been good.

In Caracas, Venezuela, one tradition I know of (called “las patinatas”) is that throughout the Christmas season, people often roller‑skate to early‑morning church services called “Misa de Gallo” (the cockerel’s mass), in the days leading up to Christmas. In this tradition, children sometimes go to bed with a piece of string tied around their toe and the other end hanging out the window. The next morning, as people pass by on roller skates on their way to Mass, they gently tug the string to wake the children, signalling that it is time to rise and join the procession. After Mass ends, families often gather together in the streets and in one another’s homes to share food (like hallacas (savoury corn dough parcels) and pan de jamón (ham bread)) enjoy traditional music (such as Gaita), and dance as part of the Christmas celebrations.

The Philippines is famous for having the longest Christmas season in the world, Christmas celebrations often begin as early as September and can continue all the way into January. Christmas celebrations include hanging parols (star-shaped lanterns made of bamboo and paper), children going from house to house singing Christmas carols with homemade instruments (pangangaroling), and attending Simbang Gabi, which is a series of nine dawn Masses leading up to Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, families gather for Noche Buena, a grand family dinner often enjoyed after the midnight Mass (Misa de Gallo). The feast may feature traditional Filipino food like lechon (roast pig), glazed ham, bibingka (rice cake), and puto bumbong (purple rice cake steamed in bamboo tubes).

So, with Christmas coming up, i thought let's look at how Christmas is celebrated across the world. Different cultures and nations celebrate very differently, with the day taking on different meaning for different people. So let's look over a few.

The UK
So to us in the UK, we celebrate Christmas in a variety of different ways. With a Christmas dinners, Christmas crackers, Christmas carols, and a Christmas tree. Sometimes, there's Christmas markets, advent calendars, and almost always presents with Santa clause playing a major role. Even though originally a Christian holiday, the day is one for everybody to celebrate, regardless.

Christmas in the UK is also a time of tradition. The story behind the Christmas tree in London for example, is one that took on a new meaning entirely. Since 1947, as a thank you for British help during ww2, the evacuation of the Norwegian royal family, and the losses suffered, such as that of the carrier HMS Glorious, Norway has gifted a natural Christmas tree every single year, which has become the Christmas tree London uses in Trafalgar square. Whilst not as flashy or as big as ones in cities like New York, the symbolism of it is what matters most. The Christmas tree became a symbol of thank you, of friendship and of solidarity and togetherness. The tradition of the Kings speech is another one, broadcast for nearly 100 years, reflecting a tradition of unity and togetherness. Tradition plays a major role in Christmas in the UK.

Europe
Now, looking at Spain, celebrations are quite different there. There is a lot more strong emphasis on the Christian origins in their Christmas celebrations, than there is across the UK. Nativity scenes (known as belénes) largely replace Christmas tree's across towns, homes and churches. And rather than a celebration on the 25th December, instead there are multiple Christian feast days directly linked to biblical events, including the 8th December (to celebrate the immaculate conception), the 24th December (Christmas eve), the 25th December (Nativity of Christ), and the 6th January (celebrating Epiphany). Gift giving also happens on the 6th January, directly linked to the story of the three wise men, as apposed to Christmas day.

Now Italy, also strongly Christian in nature, also does very similar to Spain, with a few small differences. The pope's Christmas mass and midnight mass is a major event that is followed by millions across the world and in Italy, largely aimed at celebrating the birth of Christ above all else. Christmas eve is also largely meat free, in reflection of catholic fasting traditions, in Italy. They celebrate the same days as Spain, the 8th, the 24th, the 25th, and the 6th, but with more importance placed on the birth of Christ on the 25th.

The America's
Now looking over to the America's, at the United states, Christmas is a mixture of commercial and religious celebrations. As a major holiday, it is largely dominated with Santa clause as the primary figure, gift giving, decorations and pop culture. There are still a large number of Americans who treat the holiday with an emphasis on religion, but with less emphasis on it overall than Spain and Italy.

Now Canada celebrates Christmas in a very similar way to the US and the UK, combining it with it's own traditions. Snow, outdoor lights, winter activities, church services, family meals, and gift giving with larger emphasis on Santa Claus too.

Africa
Africa is an incredibly diverse continent, with a variety of different cultures, and religions. In nations such as Nigeria and Ghana, with large Christian populations, Christmas is marked with church services, music, dancing, and large shared meals. In Ethiopia, which has long standing Christian roots, Christmas is celebrated on the 7th January with long religious services followed by a period of fasting. Across the continent, Christmas is celebrated with less emphasis of gifts, and more on worship and community togetherness.

The Commonwealth
One thing that ties the entire commonwealth together on Christmas, is the tradition of the Kings Speech. In 1932 under George V, the first Kings speech was broadcast across the world, to every corner of the empire from the Australian outback, to the Canadian snowy provinces. This was considered the first major radio broadcast, unprecedented in scale, across the entire empire, for the very first time in history. This marked a turning point for global connection, communication and togetherness, all done to celebrate Christmas. The commonwealth still receives an annual kings speech, and whilst not as huge of a thing today as it was in the past, it's a tradition that has stuck.

Australia
As for Australia, Christmas takes place during the summer, which very much changes how it's celebrated. Christmas BBQ's, picnics, and beach celebrations dominate over winter celebrations because of this. Despite this, Christmas trees, carol's, and gift giving still are done, which creates a unique but still festive Christmas.

St Nicholas's (Santa Clause) Home
Major plot twist for those who didn't know, but St Nick was a real person who lived around the 4th century as a bishop in the town of Myra, which is now Demre in Turkey, handing out presents and gifts to the poor, a tradition that became the basis for presents at Christmas, along with the three wise men. Whilst Christmas is not celebrated in turkey, there are small, mostly private, commemorative events held around Christmas by small Christian groups, to honour him. I cannot confirm or deny that he didn't move to the north pole though.

How do you celebrate Christmas and are there any other ways you know of?
So overall, christmas around the world, is unique, nation by nation, blending tradition, local custom, culture and religion together. Every christmas celebration is unique in there own small ways. I'm curious how all of you celebrate Christmas, and if you know of any other ways christmas is celebrated across the world?

I love this! As someone yet to finish my christmas shopping I needed to read this lol

If you’re buying for any kids and don’t know what’s “in” at the moment, think about puzzles. I’m getting my 10 year old niece a Rubik’s cube. Makeup is good for a lot of teenage girls, and chocolate is good for anybody.

If the person is an adult and you know for sure they drink alcohol, a nice bottle also usually goes down well.

As Christmas is getting closer, I thought I’d start a thread to share some gift ideas. I’ve had a few in mind and wanted to post them here — feel free to add your own suggestions too! Hopefully this helps anyone who’s stuck on what to buy this year.
🎮 Tech & Gadgets (reasonably budget-priced options) 🎮 Games & Gaming Gifts 🍫 Sweets & Chocolates 🎁 Extra Gift Ideas (affordable, practical & trusted stores)