close up of yellow christmas star

Celebrations Around The World

Worldwide
young woman smiling into camera

Amy Kadel

From Brisbane Australia and working as part of the Blue-Roads Touring team, Amy loves discovering all the world has to offer. Amy believes there is nothing better than immersing yourself in different cultures and exploring away from the usual tourist spots.

6th January 2020

Lighting up Scandinavia for St Lucia’s Day

Located at the ‘Top of Europe’, close to the Arctic Circle, Scandinavia is plunged into darkness at Christmas time and the winter solstice brings bone-chilling temperatures. Each year on the 13th of December, Scandinavian countries mark St Lucy’s Day with a festival. Young girls dressed as St Lucy with crowns or plastic candles carry cookies and saffron buns through the streets. Young men follow, singing along to traditional songs. The procession symbolizes the bringing of hope and light during the darkest time of year and is an angelic tradition to behold.

young teenagers carrying candles for St Lucia's Day celebrations

Celebrating Hanukkah across the globe

A Jewish festival celebrated across the world, Hanukkah or the ‘Festival of Lights’ is a celebration of love, family and light. This religious tradition runs from the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar and is traditionally celebrated with gifts, games and the lighting of the Menorah. Over eight days, a new candle is added to the Menorah before being lit on the ninth day. Of course, it wouldn’t be a celebration without everyone sitting down for a meal, with latkes (fried potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jam-filled doughnuts) on the menu.

family sitting at table celebrating hanukkah with menora in foreground

A modern twist for Christmas in Japan

Leave the traditional dinner of turkey, stuffing and fixings at home because in Japan it’s been exchanged for something entirely different: Kentucky Fried Chicken. The meal is so important, locals begin placing their orders up to one month beforehand. The origins of this contemporary tradition can be traced back to a festive marketing campaign in the 1970s, featuring The Colonel as the face of Christmas and the idea stuck. The main course is followed by a Christmas dessert quite contrasting to the boozy denseness of the traditional fruit cake – with people enjoying a cream-laden sponge cake decorated with strawberries called kurisumasu keki.

busy street crossing Tokyo

Feasting for Epiphany

Also known as The Twelfth Day of Christmas or Three Kings Day, this Christian feast holiday is celebrated by various cultures around the world and embodies many different traditions and festivities. Epiphany is often marked on the 6th of January and commemorates the baptism of baby Jesus. Southern California hold the tradition of hiding a baby figurine in a specially baked loaf of bread. The lucky recipient of the piece is then in charge of hosting the final feast in February. Other countries such as Bulgaria, Russia and Greece take the plunge into chilly waters in search of a wooden cross – a bone-tingling tradition given the freezing temperatures!

 

man sprinkling icing sugar over a traditional cake

Oberammergau’s Passion Play

Celebrating its 42nd year in 2020, the Passion Play is a decennial performance in May to October based on the death and resurrection of Christ. In 1633 the Bavarian town of Oberammergau was riddled with the plague. Out of desperation, survivors pledged to stage a performance every decade if the town could be spared from the further spread of the disease. Their pleas were answered, and the first performance took to the stage in 1934. The play continues to be shown every 10 years, with hundreds of thousands of people travelling to the picturesque town to watch.

New or old, at home or abroad, the weird and the wonderful, traditions play an important role in bringing joy to our holiday season. And travelling at this special time of year is the best way to uncover the unique festivities from across the globe.

cross of christ perched up on green hill overlooking valley