One of the nicest things about the holiday season is that everyone has special traditions that they excitedly return to. For many people in the U.S, those traditions are probably pretty similar: watching Christmas movies, baking tasty holiday treats with the family, and hanging stockings to be filled with gifts. While these traditions seem normal to us, they aren’t quite as typical in other countries. Depending on where you call “home," Christmas comes in all shapes and sizes. From a Winter wonderland to a sunburnt December, each pocket of the globe has their own unique twist on the festive season.
A Cobweb Christmas (Ukraine)
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Decorating the Christmas tree with personalized baubles, tinsel, and stars is the norm. But Ukrainians prefer a slightly different ornament: spider webs. Folklore goes that a poor widow and her children watched how a pine cone outside their home had started to grow and turned into a Christmas tree. Unfortunately, the family was poor and even though they had a tree, they couldn’t afford to decorate it with Christmas ornaments. And so on Christmas Eve, the spiders in their home heard the sobs of the children and decided that they would not leave the Christmas tree bare. The spiders created beautiful webs of elegant gold and silver patterns around the tree for the family to find the next morning. For this reason, spider webs are considered lucky in Ukrainian culture, and they are used to decorate the tree to bring good fortune for the New Year.
Roller Skating to Mass (Venezuela)

If there’s one method of transportation which allows you to roll up to church in style, it’s rollerblading. In the Venezuelan capitol of Caracas, thousands of citizens make their way to Mass on roller skates every year on Christmas morning. They even close off the streets from 8:00 am so the skating congregation can get to church safely. The Masses usually take place between 3 am and 5 am from Dec 16- 24. Christmas Eve is marked with a special service called Misa de Gallo (Rooster’s Mass). This tradition goes back to colonial times during Spanish rule. In 1669, Catholic priests started to hold Mass in the early mornings instead of the afternoons, so that farmers could work during the day. While it is unclear how roller skating came into the picture, it’s likely that it started as a Venezuelan alternative to sledding or ice skating, considering its tropical climate.
Radiant Radishes (Mexico)
 
On the Noche de Rabanos (Night of the Radishes), thousands of citizens turn out on December 23 to check out the newest vegetable-turned-art creations on display in Oaxaca, Mexico. The artists have only a few days to complete their masterpieces in hopes of winning the 15,000 peso grand prize. Tiny scenes depicting life in Oaxaca and surrounding areas are meticulously fashioned out of radishes of all shapes and sizes. This has been a tradition since 1897, and a Spanish monk in the 16th century was the one who brought the tradition to them. The radish was introduced to the natives by the Spaniards and incorporated into their diets. The monk encouraged the local farmers to carve interesting figures into the radishes as a sales gimmick to attract more buyers. It clearly worked, and soon people began buying the radishes as centerpieces for their Christmas dinner tables. Later, it became a competition,  and has lasted for hundreds of years, continuing to draw huge crowds.
The Yule Goat (Sweden)

​Every year, cities and towns throughout Sweden build a giant straw goat, known as The Yule Goat (Julbock), which is over 42 feet high, 23 feet wide, and weighs over 3 tons. In Sweden, and parts of the northern United States, families also adorn their homes and Christmas trees with a similar, much smaller straw goat decorated with red ribbon. Traditionally, people believed The Yule Goat to be an invisible spirit that would appear before Christmas to make sure that the holiday preparations were done correctly, delivering gifts to children. Though it’s unclear why goats are featured so heavily in Scandinavian festivities, it’s believed that the Yule Goat was invented to honor the mythical goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr. In Norse mythology, these giant goats pulled the god Thor’s chariot and would rise whole and new each morning after being killed and devoured by their master each evening (yikes).
KFC Dinner (Japan)

Over the past few decades, KFC has become synonymous with a traditional Christmas Day feast in Japan. It’s estimated that around 3.6 million families treat themselves to this  fast food on Christmas Day. This is a surprising statistic, considering the holiday has only recently become a recognized and popular time for celebration in Japanese culture. The tradition of eating KFC for Christmas began in the 1970s with a new marketing campaign called Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii (Kentucky for Christmas) and immediately took off. This was following World War II and a period when Japan was beginning to open up to international influences. As a result, a KFC test store was reportedly successfully selling bucketfuls of fried chicken to a curious and hungry audience who had never been exposed to Western fast food before. Today, families still gather around on Christmas Day for some quality time together at the dinner table, all while enjoying some delicious deep-fried chicken.
Christmas Pickles (Germany)

The pickle ornament is very special to German families. The glass pickle shaped ornament is traditionally put onto the tree last and hidden, after the rest of the tree has been decorated. On Christmas morning, the child who found the pickle first would either receive an additional Christmas present or be the one to open their gifts first. For adults, being the first to spot the pickle is thought to be good luck. 
Crimson Christmas Trees (New Zealand)

Locally known as the Pohutukawa tree, this festive beauty is native to New Zealand with gnarled roots and bright crimson flowers. Today, the Pohutukawa tree is a recognizable symbol of Christmas around New Zealand and is featured on Christmas cards, decorations, and even in the carols children sing at school. 
Beach Party (Australia)

In the Southern Hemisphere, the “winter” holidays fall during the summer. Australian temperatures can get as hot as 84 degrees Fahrenheit around Christmas time. So naturally, many Australians head to the beach. Families and friends partake in swimming, picnics, and volleyball. Often, some surfing Santas will make an appearance. A couple of Sydney beaches are known to be popular locations for travelers and tourists alike. In recent years, the wild parties thrown there have gotten so out of hand that alcohol bans have been implemented.

Stephanie Murillo