Given that the majority of holiday season–themed movies, songs, etc., we consume are focused on the US, you might assume everyone who celebrates Christmas does it basically the same way. However, families around the world have their own unique cultural and personal traditions.
Recently, we asked non-Americans to tell us about their favorite holiday traditions. Here are some of their answers:
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
1. "In India, we go to midnight Mass, take a long drive on the highway after, and have some wine and cake when we come back at around 2 a.m."
2. "There has to be more representation of the Southern Hemisphere's Christmas. In Argentina, since it's summer, it's usually REALLY hot, and we eat things like vitel toné, fruit salads, barbecues, and ice cream. However, we still stick to some European traditions of eating high-calorie food (nougat, sweetbread)."
3. "In Germany, we basically eat a lot here (just like everybody else). Many people go to church on Christmas Eve. We have coffee and stollen, then open our presents in the afternoon after singing some songs together and enjoy a nice dinner. What we eat on Christmas Eve is different in every region."
4. "In my region of Germany, we get our presents from the Christkind."
5. "In Jamaica, many families go to midnight Mass, which actually starts at midnight on Christmas Day (I know this is the case for many churches in the States, but many others start it as early as 8 p.m.). Christmas Day for my family is spent opening gifts and visiting tons of relatives. A traditional breakfast of ackee and saltfish, fried dumpling, breadfruit, etc., is had during brunch hours, and dinner's main course often consists of curry goat (it's very popular during Christmastime)."
6. "I'm British. When I was growing up, my parents would always sign the gifts in our stockings from Frosty the Snowman, Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the Sugar Plum Fairy. They’d use different handwriting and use our stationery, so we thought they’d touched our belongings."
7. "In England, we also celebrate Boxing Day on Dec. 26."
8. "In Israel, we celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas together. There are huge Christmas trees, menorahs, and the Muslim crescent and star in the major cities like Haifa and Jaffa. Most Jewish families don’t put Christmas trees in their homes, but we sure enjoy the Christmas festivities and all the lights in the houses that do celebrate Christmas. And of course, we light the menorah and put it on our window so whoever passes by our house can see the light."
9. "I'm from the Philippines. For the nine days before Christmas, we go to Mass every day around 3–5 a.m. We were always taught not to believe in Santa Claus, as Christmas is about Jesus."
10. "In Australia, Christmas is mainly just spent near a body of water because it’s the middle of summer, but that doesn’t stop us from cooking roast meat and veggies."
11. "Of course everyone has a different way of celebrating, but in Australia, it’s almost a guarantee that it’s going to be a scorcher on Christmas. Traditions usually include backyard cricket, sitting in the pool, and having a barbecue."
12. "In Denmark, we celebrate Christmas Eve on Dec. 24. We eat roast duck and pork with potatoes, gravy, and 'pickled' red cabbage. For dessert, we eat rice pudding. Whoever gets the almond hidden in the pudding wins a present."
13. "In the Netherlands, we usually celebrate Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas) in early December. He's the one who gets us gifts instead of Santa."
14. "In Italy, we usually have dinner on Christmas Eve, then lunch on Christmas. We also celebrate Santo Stefano, which is the day after Christmas. Often, these lunches can start at 1 p.m. and end at 4 p.m. (If you’re lucky, or it can lengthen until dinnertime.)"
15. And finally: "Being Canadian, we just watch movies and eat junk all day on Christmas."
