Stuffed turkeys, festive merry-go-rounds, surfing Santas… every continent and every country has its own unique Christmas customs. So how do Filipinos, Ethiopians, Japanese and other peoples of the world celebrate Christmas?

Philippines: Celebrations lasting… 130 days

Strictly Catholic Filipinos celebrate Christmas for almost 130 days – longer than any other country. “Pasko”, as the holiday is called in the Philippines, lasts from September 1st to January 6th, and throughout the holidays department stores are filled with Christmas trees and bright decorations.

During the last nine days before December 25, Filipinos flock to churches at midnight or around 04:00 in the morning to witness the so-called “Misa de Gallo”, a custom that has remained in the country since period of Spanish rule.The legend says that anyone who manages to attend the services of all nine days will be able to perform each of them wish.

Mexico: “Las Posadas” in honor of Joseph and Mary

In Mexico the celebration of “Las Posadas” (“At the Inns”) takes place on the other hand in honor of the adventure experienced by Joseph and Mary looking for a manger to give birth to Jesus. Singing and holding candles, Mexicans go from door to door looking for someone to host them. The hosts, according to custom, initially refuse to welcome the Holy Family, but eventually open their door. and welcome them into their home.

The celebration of “Las Posadas” dates back to the time of the Augustinian monks who converted the locals by giving a Christian meaning to the ceremonies of the Aztecs – who also celebrated a god of their own in the same period of December.

How do Ethiopians and Australians celebrate?

In Ethiopia, Christmas is not celebrated with stuffed turkeys, gingerbread and kourabies or fluffy cakes and cookies. On the contrary: Ethiopians celebrate by fasting – indeed “Tsome Nebiyat”, as this fasting period is called, lasts 43 days. Those who decide to strictly observe the religious fast must eat only one meal a day, which should not it has meat, dairy and eggs, and no alcohol.

In Oceania, on the contrary, and specifically in Australia, people tend to eat their fill, as is also the case in Europe. But the main difference in Australia is that Christmas falls… in the middle of summer! So Australians celebrate by surfing, swimming in the sea or gathering at barbecues and drinking cold beers. Anyone who happens to be in Australia at Christmas might be lucky enough to even see Santas riding the waves with a surfboard.

From KFC mania to lottery mania

In Japan, very few people know the Christian background behind the celebration of Christmas. That is why Christmas in Japan is first and foremost a celebration of consumption and enjoyment, during which there is now a tradition of millions of Japanese queuing outside KFCs – and if anyone wants to eat the Christmas dishes of the famous fast food chain on those days, it is possible that he will need to pre-order them.

Returning to the customs of Europe, one of the standouts is Spain’s Christmas lottery, also known as “El Gordo”. Millions of Spaniards watch the lottery live, hoping to get a share of the winnings, which this year reached 2.7 billion. In fact, lottery tickets are not only sold in Spain, but also online to citizens of other countries Gordo” has been organized every year since 1812, making it one of the oldest lotteries in history.

Nisse wants his grøt and the Italians their panettone

On Christmas night, small children in Norway make a dish of “grøt”, something like flour dough, for Nisse, the good Christmas elf, who looks after the animals and who can make people suffer if he doesn’t find the his grøt, when he visits them Today, of course, Nisse has received several elements of Santa Claus, he wears a red hat and he is the one who brings the children their gifts.

Italians again prefer panettone, the typical Christmas “sweet bread” that can be found in all Italian supermarkets – and which is perhaps more like a soft cake. Panettone originates from Milan and, although there are many versions, it usually contains candied orange, lemon and lemon zest, as well as dried raisins, ingredients that bind to an acidic yeast-like dough. This sweet is ideal to accompany a hot afternoon drink and is one of the most popular – culinary – traditions in Italy, where literally tens of millions of panettone are sold every year.

Edited by: Giorgos Passas