How did you celebrate Christmas this year? Maybe it’s your whole family gathered by the dinner table with a decorated tree next to you or you racing out of the bedroom on Christmas morning to see what Santa Claus left you. But have you ever wondered where your favourite traditions came from? Let’s take a look at some of the traditions in other countries because they are indeed quite different from how Christmas is celebrated in Hong Kong.

 

1. JAPAN

 

Children in Japan receive their Christmas presents on their pillow but not under the Christmas tree on Christmas night . Also, their traditional Christmas meal is fried chicken. You can always see Japanese buying food from fast food shops like KFC at Christmas.

 

2. Holland

Do you know that boxing day for Children in Holland is 5^th of December but not 26^th? They believe that children will receive presents from Sinterklaas . Also, if they leave carrots for Sinterklaas’s horse, he’ll leave the kids sweets in return.

 

3. Ukraine

In the Ukraine, it’s traditional to hang spider web-shaped decorations on the christmas tree. This is because people in the past didn’t have enough money to decorate their trees but when they woke up on Christmas day, the tree was covered in webs that glistened gold and silver in the morning light.

 

4. Norway

People in Norway hide all the brooms in the house on Christmas Eve to prevent witches from stealing them for a midnight ride. It’s also a Christmas Eve tradition to leave a bowl of porridge in the barn for the gnome who protects the farm.

 

5. Germany

In Germany, it is traditional for children to stick their Christmas lists on their windows overnight so that Santa Claus can see what they want and deliver gifts at Christmas. It’s also a tradition to leave a shoe or boot outside the front door on 5^th of December but the reason for doing so is unknown.