Around the world we find so many holiday traditions. No matter where you live, what you believe, or what traditions you follow, every holiday has a special meaning with lessons to be learned. Not only they bring joy, but they’re also a reminder to slow down your pace, be present and appreciate the beauty of life, while being surrounded by your loved ones.
As we all are familiar with the origins and the celebration of the most popular holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day or Easter, the world has a lot more to offer.
Japan:
Toji:
The Japanese Winter Solstice traditions (Toji) is the day of the year when the night is the longest and this year it falls on December 21st with a sunrise from 6:48am and a sunset at 4:32pm.
As the days are getting colder and the people look for ways to rejuvenate the body and to protect it against sickness, the Japanese developed traditions as the Yuzu Bath.
It is said that the custom of taking a bath with yuzu, a Japanese citrus fruit, started during the Edo period (1603 – 1868) and there are many reasons why both eating and taking a yuzu bath is a good thing: it has a lot of vitamin C which is essential against the colds, gives a nice fragrance to the skin, and also, because of the sharp smell of citrus, it is believed to keep the demons and bad luck at bay.
KFC Christmas Dinner:
Starting with 1974, every Christmas season, an estimated 3.6 million Japanese families treat themselves to Kentucky Fried Chicken, in what has become a nationwide tradition called Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii, or “Kentucky for Christmas”.
The American fast food chain is so popular in Japan at Christmas, that KFC suggests that customers place their holiday order two months in advance.
China:
The Lunar New Year:
Also known as the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, most commonly associated with China, the Lunar New Year marks the start of a new lunar cycle, as one of the most important holidays in Asia. From mouth-watering treats to impressive pyrotechnics, the holiday is celebrated widely throughout the countries.
The tradition is so important that LNY travel is indicated as the “world’s largest human migration”. In 2019, three billion trips were projected to be made during the holiday season.
Associated with the wealth and good fortune, red decorations are very popular and, in the parts of China where the holiday is called Spring Festival, floral arrangements and fruit trees also decorate homes and streets – peach and apricot blossoms hold a special significance.
In other places, the birds join these decorations, too –the cranes symbolize longevity while magpies represent good fortune.
Also for this occasion, the houses hold their windows scrubbed, the floors are being swept and furniture dusted to wash away the bad luck of the past year.
The firecrackers are widely spread for LNY, too, being made from strings of rolled red paper containing gunpowder that, when set off, leave shreds of scarlet paper in their wake. The belief is that their loud noise serves to scare, once again, the monster Nian, who the legend says, on the new year, rose from the sea for a human feast.
USA:
The Christmas Pickle
The Christmas Pickle is a lesser-known Christmas tradition in the U.S.A.
In the tradition, an ornamental pickle is placed on the Christmas tree as one of the decorations, and on Christmas morning, the first person to find the pickle on the tree would receive an extra present from Santa Claus or it is said to have a year of good fortune.
If you take part in the Christmas pickle tradition, odds are you live in the American Midwest, and you’re likely of German descent. As the story goes, the German diaspora living in the U.S. allegedly brought the custom of the Christmas pickle with them.
It is also suggested that the origin of the Christmas pickle may have been developed for marketing purposes in the 1890s to coincide with the importation of glass Christmas tree decorations from Germany. Woolworths company was the first company to import these types of decorations into the United States.
Bahamas:
Jankanoo:
Junkanoo is a street parade and a live tradition with music, dance, and costumes of mixed African origin in many islands across the English speaking Caribbean, every Boxing Day (26th of December) and New Year’s Day (1st of January).
The most popular belief, is that it evolved from the days of slavery: the loyalists who migrated to The Bahamas in the late 18th century brought their African slaves with them who were given three days off during the Christmas season. These days were used to celebrate by singing and dancing in colourful masks, traveling from house to house, often on stilts.
After the slavery was abolished, the Junkanoo festival nearly vanished, but its revival in The Bahamas now provides entertainment for thousands of people each year.
As the parade happens through the streets of downtown Nassau in the early hours of the morning, between 2am to 10am, the energy of the dancers, sometimes in groups of 1,000 participants, and the beat of the music motivates the vast crowds of spectators to start dancing and even climbing the trees to watch it closely.
At the end of the famous Junkanoo procession, some judges award cash prizes for the best music, costume, and overall group presentation.
Mexico:
Las Posadas:
Las Posadas or “The Lodge/Inns”, is a religious festival celebrated in Latin America, Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Spain and some parts of the U.S.A, between the 16th and 24th of December. It is believed to have originated in Mexico via Spanish missionaries, and commemorates the journey of Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
The celebration has been a Mexican tradition for over 400 years, starting in 1586, nowadays involving lots of singing and children dressed as angels.
Each posada ends the night at someone’s pre-selected home, where, after initially being turned away, they’re being welcomed with tamales and Christmas punch.
The party ends with the ceremonial whacking of the candy-filled “piñata", often a seven-pointed star representing the seven deadly sins that need to be smashed.
The Night of the Radishes:
Noche de Los Rábanos is an annual event held on 23rd of December in Oaxaca, Mexico, dedicated to the carving of oversized radishes.
The radish carving competition dates back to 1897 when Oaxaca City’s mayor decided to make it a part of that year’s Christmas market. Because the radishes had always been a part of the Christmas cuisine, the radish contest was seen as a fun way to promote local agriculture.
But even though there is a lot of planning involved in the contest, the entire event takes place in just a few hours, as once the radishes start to wilt and turn brown, their allure is over.
The families and groups of carvers start working together from the morning of the event to have their scenes ready for display by 5 pm.
The tourists and guests are invited to walk among the sculptures for a few hours and prizes are awarded later in the evening.
Spain:
El Caganer:
Spain’s Caganer - a male figurine with his pants rolled down, depicted in the act of defecation is a particular and highly popular feature of modern Catalan nativity scenes, believed to have appeared by the early 18th century, during the Baroque period.
The folklorist Joan Amades called it an essential piece and the most popular figure of the nativity scene.
When it comes to the figurine’s significance, one theory goes that it represents the fertilization of the earth which yields our daily food.
Also, the folklore says that farmers would be punished with a poor crop harvest and bad fortune if they didn’t expose a caganer figurine.
Today, the tradition continues with Christmas markets selling old carved caganers alongside new versions that feature faces such as nuns, historical figures, politicians, famous footballers and even presidents.
Romania:
Caroling with The Star:
One of the most beautiful part of a Romanian Christmas is the magical suite of carols that can be heard all over the country, from the most remote villages, to the classiest venues in the capital city.
Accompanied by wishes for health, prosperity, and fulfillment, the Romanian carols aren’t just simple Christmas songs, as they usually come together with rituals, special costumes as well as theatrical performances.
One of the most popular caroling tradition is “Steaua” (The Star).
The Star is made of coloured paper and decorated with tinsel, silver foil and sometimes bells, and is put on a pole, in the middle of it being placed a picture of baby Jesus. Groups of kids will take the Star with them when they go carol singing.
The custom of carrying around the star relates to the Biblical story of the Star from Bethlehem.
Mucenici or Eating “Saints”:
A delicious tradition is baking forty “Mucenici” or “Sfiti” (Saints) on the 9th of March, the tradition being connected to the tragic death of forty Christians soldiers, in ancient Armenia, thousands of years ago.
Baked in the shape of the number eight, they are made of a sweet dough, with a honey and walnuts topping, and represent the sacrifice of the soldiers, that were celebrated as saints, after Christianity became an official religion.
In the southern regions of the country it is customary to serve a different type of Mucenici, a dessert with the consistency of a soup (the soldiers died in a lake), containing small pieces of dough, boiled and seasoned with sugar, cinnamon and walnuts.
While women are in charge of baking, according to the same tradition, the men are allowed to drink 40 to 44 glasses of wine.
Italy:
La Befana:
In the Italian folklore, Befana is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy, in a similar way to St. Nicolas or Santa Claus.
She is said to visit all the children of Italy on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany, on the 5th of January to fill their socks with candy and presents if they are good, or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. In the rural Sicily, in a stocking is being placed a stick instead of coal.
Being a good housekeeper, many people say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. The sweeping significance is the sweeping away of the problems of the year.
Out of respect, the child's family typically leaves to Befana a glass of wine and a plate with food, often regional or local.
India:
Diwali, the Festival of Lights:
Diwali, also spelled Divali, one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism, lasts for five days, usually between late October and November, and symbolizes the victory of light over darkness. The name is derived from the Sanskrit term “dipavali”, meaning “row of lights”.
The most widespread custom is the lighting of “diyas”, small lamps filled with oil, on the night of the new moon, to invite the presence of Lakshmi, the goddess of beauty and fortune.
During the festival, the lamps are lit and placed along the parapets of temples and houses or set adrift on rivers.
The homes are decorated, and floors inside and out are covered with “rangoli”, designs made of coloured rice, sand and flower petals. The doors and windows of houses are kept open, with the hope that Lakshmi will bless the residents with wealth and success.
The endless feasts are another important part of the holiday. There are being served sweets like “gulab jamun” (fried balls soaked in rose-water syrup) and “barfi” (solid squares made of condensed milk and sugar, and flavoured significantly).
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The holidays and traditions we celebrate are a significant part of what binds our families and cultures together -the best times to create lifelong memories.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
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