The holiday season is here once again! Christmas trees are going up, carols are being sung and mistletoe is being planted for unsuspecting victims. These classic traditions are what make the holiday season so special. It is something to look forward to year-round and the joy of performing the task makes one’s heart swell. My family has a holiday tradition that we follow through with almost every year. After Thanksgiving dinner is finished and everyone has a pumpkin or cherry pie in their hands, we all sit down at the television and watch the same Christmas movie, called “The Bishops Wife”. Then the next day we get up and set out all the Christmas decorations for the new season. Many people have their own traditions, but the United States is not the only one that has them, especially around the holidays. After doing a little bit of research I realized that families around the world celebrate with their own traditions around Christmas time.
For instance, in Sweden on the first day of Advent, people build a yule goat. This goat is made entirely of straw and stands 42 feet high and at a width of 23 feet. This tradition started when someone decided to build a larger size of the traditional Swedish yule goat. He stays up till the new year and remains a traditional Swedish Christmas symbol.
In Iceland, they have a similar tradition to the American 12 days of Christmas. However, instead of 12, they use the number 13, and all throughout the Christmas season, the children are visited by 13 yule lads. Each night before bed they must place their shoes by the window. When they wake up if the children have been good their shoes will be full of candy if not, they will be full of rotten potatoes.
In El Salvador, they, much like the fourth of July here set off fireworks to celebrate. Small children can run around with firecrackers and a large tree is set up in the middle of their square.
And in Ukraine, 49 percent of the population dresses up in traditional garments. Then they all form a group and walk through the streets of town singing Christmas carols. Can you imagine how fun it would be if half of the population of your hometown congregated and went through the city singing Christmas carols together with hot chocolate! Talk about keeping hope alive!
Regardless of what is listed here or not, every country in the world is special and has wonderful traditions. Most of the time many can get caught up in the lights and show of Christmas. However, that is not what this holiday is truly about. Yes, the world celebrates with trees and gifts and steaming hot cocoa, but many seem to forget the most important part of this season. There is a quote in the Christmas movie mentioned above that caught my attention this year more than others. The quote is, “Tonight I want to talk about an empty stocking.” The stocking that the character is referring to is the stocking of Jesus Christ. He came to this world to take on human form and save us all. So, as you all go home this holiday season, do your own traditions, and spend time with your loved ones remember that He came so that we may have this life that is so precious to us. For it is just as precious to Him.
Merry Christmas!
Facts received from the Country Living website