How Christmas is Celebrated Around the World?

Christmas is a time for fun traditions for people around the world. Everywhere you go, there are different ways of celebrating the holidays. Being a part of a global religion, you can find many different ways of celebrating based on where you are. It is interesting to see how history, the local climate, and clever thinking play a part in people’s traditions. Here is how Christmas is celebrated around the world.

Brazil

Many parts of the world think of Christmas as a time of cold, snow, and winter. However, Christmas happens at the same time for everyone, which means that many places celebrate Christmas when it is burning hot outside.

In Brazil, people like to celebrate at the beach since Christmas falls in the middle of summer. An interesting tradition is the 13th salary, where workers receive a double paycheck around Christmas time. It is said that the government promotes the tradition as a way of growing the economy. However, it could just be a fun tradition to end the year.

Sweden

Perhaps one of the funniest traditions on this list comes from Sweden. Goats have been associated with Christmas for centuries. However, creators in Sweden began building a giant Christmas goat in the 1960s. It weighs more than 3 tons and is reconstructed every year in the same spot. You can even watch the construction process as it takes a few weeks to build.

Japan

Christmas has been very commercialized over the years, but no more so than in Japan. The 1970s saw a strong growth in advertising around the world. KFC created a big marketing push in Japan during Christmas to increase store traffic. Now, many families go to KFC for their Christmas meal instead of cooking at home.

Austria

While Christmas is a time to celebrate, Austria sees it as a time for judgement. Children receive presents based on whether they were good or bad, and bad children are visited by Krampus. Krampus is a demon-like creature that serves as the foil for St. Nicholas. He visits the bad children and brings things like coal or other presents to reflect on their misdeeds.

Traditions from around the world can be fun to try, especially when you first move to a new place. This Christmas, take a trip to a place where you have never been and give the local traditions a try. You may find that it is something that you want to do every year.