In a few days, the Christmas holidays will be in full swing. But did you know that not everyone celebrates Christmas at the same time? Customs vary from one country to another, the same goes for New Year's Eve, follow us for a little trip around the world to discover these traditions.
Parties throughout the month of December
Although most European countries celebrate Christmas on December 24 or 25 , other holidays are celebrated across the continent throughout the month of December .
The best known is certainly Saint Nicholas , the benefactor bishop we told you about in this article . Saint Nicholas is celebrated on December 6 , particularly in Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg and the Netherlands , among others. Other countries, such as Sweden, Spain, Denmark and Finland , celebrate Saint Lucy (patron saint of Enlightenment) on December 13. Children generally receive gifts on these dates.
Saint Stephen's Day is celebrated on December 26 , and is even a public holiday in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Italy, Serbia, Russia , etc., as well as in some regions of France such as Alsace and Moselle . This holiday also echoes the famous Boxing Day celebrated in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries .
Finally, for the Orthodox , Christmas is not celebrated on December 25, but on January 7. This is explained by the adoption of the Julian calendar, like the current Gregorian calendar.
Christmas: between gastronomy and tradition
If Christmas rhymes with decoration , trees and gifts , gastronomy is not left out, the opportunity to take a little tour of traditional Christmas meals .
First, let's go to Poland , where twelve dishes are served for Christmas Eve, referring to the 12 apostles , including borscht, dried mushroom soup and fried carp . A little further north, in Sweden , the meal mainly consists of fish, potatoes, bread, cheese and pork . In Australia , December 25th falls at the beginning of summer , so people enjoy a cold dinner or a seafood barbecue . Another little anecdote, in Japan , Christmas is not a religious holiday , no special customs were associated with it until the establishment of KFC in the country, which will offer a special Christmas menu by replacing turkey with fried chicken .
As for desserts , in the United Kingdom , it is of course the Christmas Pudding that reigns supreme on the New Year's Eve table . In France, we could not miss the traditional Yule log , with buttercream or iced . Let's not forget the famous Italian pannetone , the German stollen , the Alsatian bredele or even the thirteen Provençal desserts .
The end of the year
For countries that have adopted the Gregorian calendar , the New Year is celebrated on the night of December 31 to January 1 and each country has its own tradition. In Spain , it is customary to swallow a grape every time the bell rings at midnight . In the Netherlands , people go to Scheveningen , the country's main seaside resort, to take a dip in the sea , while in Austria, people take the opportunity to dance in the street to the sound of Viennese waltzes .
Finally, as you might expect, not all cultures celebrate the New Year on the same date . The Chinese New Year is celebrated between January 20 and February 19 , while the Iranian New Year is celebrated on the day of the spring equinox . Buddhists will celebrate the New Year on Songkran , Jewish people will celebrate it on Rosh Hashanah , and Muslims will celebrate it on Ra's As-Sana (the New Year of the Hegira).
And you, how are you going to celebrate the end of year holidays? 🍾