Do you have Christmas Traditions? Do you have traditions that came from other cultures and still exist in your family? My mom is from Mexico, and I am bringing some traditions I grew up with to my boys. Hubs family is from Michigan, and they have lots of traditions for Christmas Day. Read on to learn more about traditions around the world and from some of our readers!
Christmas In Mexico
From Posadas, to the most elaborate dinner on Christmas Eve, Mexico is full of traditions for Christmas. Growing up I LOVED these traditions. My favorite is the tradition of Baby Jesus bring gifts along with the Three Kings on Epiphany on January 6th! I keep this tradition alive with my boys. Helps spread out the Christmas season just a little longer.
Christmas in Germany
Germany is another place where I am connected with their customs. Spending a year abroad in Germany and having a childhood best friend who is German, we started integrating some traditions. Hubs is also from German descent a little, so I am continuing that legacy. My favorite custom in Germany is Sankt Nikolaus. This happens in early December on his feast day, December 6th. The tradition comes from St. Nicholas coming to everyone’s house and checking if the children are behaving. If they are they get a small gift and if they aren’t then his companion Krampus could take the children away or give them a switch. So children would pick up toys, polish shoes, and prepare a verse. Today the tradition is still alive, little kids put their polished shoes or socks outside the door or window on December 5th, and at night St. Nicholas fills them with little gifts.
View the two videos below to learn more about German traditions.
Christmas In Ghana
Did you know that traditional food in Ghana for Christmas includes stew or okra soup, porridge and meats, rice and a yam paste called ‘fufu’? Ghanaian’s celebrate Christmas for several weeks, spanning from the 20th of December to the first week of January.
Pre-Christmas Date Tradition
Our Christmas tradition is a pre-Christmas date! We are blessed to have a lot of family nearby, which means our presence on Christmas Day tends to be in high demand (especially now that we have kids!). To make sure that we still get time as just our immediate family to celebrate, we began the tradition of a Christmas Date. Though it may look different this year (we are needing to be a little more creatively frugal this Christmas), our Christmas Date usually consists of a brunch at a unique café, followed by a trip to a bookstore where we each pick out a new book. From there we usually drop the kids off at the grandparents’ house and my husband and I go see a movie and get dinner out afterward. It’s been a great tradition, and we love the time it gives us for just our family!
Mama Shark
Christmas Brunch Tradition
Every year we do Christmas brunch at our house, and we just started doing white elephant the last couple of years and it makes the gift giving for adults so much more fun.
A Peach in the Queen City
Christmas in Brazil
Learn about Brazilian Christmas traditions. Did you know that every year, Rio de Janeiro lights up the largest Christmas tree that is floating? Check it out in the video.
Christmas in Australia
Discover how Aussies celebrate Christmas by reading the website below.
Christmas in Russia
Read this about Russian Christmas traditions. Carols in the Russian Orthodox Church are only sung a cappella, because according to Smithsonian Folkways, ‘only human voices are allowed to take part in the worship of the Lord.’ The video below gives the experience of a Christmas Orthodox Service.
BY TECHIE MAMMA