Boxing Day and other Holiday Traditions Around the World
It’s the Holiday Season and of course learning about holidays in other countries is a way to increase - you know what’s coming - geocultural literacy! (If you didn’t know, read this previous post for more info.)
My family heritage is mostly English so while growing up I was introduced to many British things and traditions. Some of them, like Boxing Day, December 26, remained a mystery to me for a long time. In the meantime, I have come to accept that “Boxing Day” is a British expression which just means “the second day of Christmas”. (For more information, Wiki will give you all of the background on why it is called Boxing Day. It is related to presents in a box as opposed to the sport.)
Why do many British expressions create associations for me which have nothing to do with what is actually meant? Christmas Crackers, for example, cannot be eaten; they are wrappers with a few small gifts inside which “crack” when they are pulled apart. Moving on to British cuisine, for the longest time I envisioned “Steak and Kidney Pie” to be a steak with a kidney pie (whatever that is) as a side order.
Germany (and a few other European neighbors) celebrates a Christmas season tradition on December 6th called St. Nicholas day. This St. Nick was a bishop in Myra, Asia Minor (now Turkey) around 400 AD who was known for helping the poor. Today every child in Germany gets a chocolate St. Nick on December 6th as well as other presents.
Sweden celebrates St. Lucia (who lived about 100 years before Nicholas in Syracuse, Italy) on December 13. The festival of St. Lucia includes special cakes and the procession of a young woman wearing a crown of candles on her head.
For information about Christmas traditions in a multitude of countries, once again check Wiki.
What traditions have you encountered in other countries that surprised or amazed you? Leave a comment.
Tags: boxing_day_december_26, christmas_traditions, december_6th, holidays_in_other_countries, st_nicholas_dayRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Customs and Culture
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