There are many different Christmas traditions all over the world. Every country has a different symbol of Christmas, or even a different style of decorating Christmas trees. That’s why Christmas is so special. I would like to present you the most interesting facts for me.
In Spain, the equivalent of Polish „Opłatek” is a nougat. Did you know that the carol "Silent Night", popular in Poland, comes from Austria? It is fascinating that a Gnome brings gifts and funny poems for children in Sweden. He is a symbol of kindness and cordiality. I would need to get used to this if I moved to this country.
About desserts, you need to know that „Cukrovi” are cookies from the Czech Republic, similar to Polish gingerbreads and „Risalamande "is a rice pudding with a warm cherry sauce served for Christmas in Denmark. You have to be careful while eating them, because one of them has a hidden almond. The lucky person who finds it in their dessert, is rewarded with marzipan sweets. For me, this should be a tradition also in Poland. French "Buche de Noel”, well known at our school, is a roulade from sponge cake and chocolate cream. It is decorated so that it looks like a tree trunk. Norwegian „lutfisk" is a fish dish, usually made of dried cod.
According to the tradition in Hungary, the Christmas Eve table should be sprinkled with lentils. That’s one of the most interesting traditions for me. Santa Claus in the United States leaves gifts for children in socks hung by the fireplace. The next fact is that in Mexico, the shepherdess is called the "Mass of the Rooster", because according to the legend the rooster crowed only once at night - at the birth of Jesus. During Christmas, Norwegians hide brooms and mops to be safe from evils. In Ukraine, the Christmas tree is decorated so that the decorations look like a spider's web which symbolizes happiness. In the capital of Venezuela - Caracas - people reach the Midnight Mass skating. It seems to look funny. The apple is the symbol of Christmas in China, so everyone gives apples to each other.
Jakub S.
While preparing this article I really understood that different countries have many different ways of spending Christmas time. It’s amazing! I hope it was interesting for you.
