Christmas is a widely celebrated holiday; however traditions vary depending on which country you find yourself in over the festive season. Here in the UK, you expect tinsel, brussel sprouts, and of course the Christmas Tree as obligatory festive necessities.
Alternatively, if you found yourself celebrating Yuletide in certain parts of South Africa you may come across excited children tucking in to deep fried caterpillars on Christmas day as part of their tradition!
Here are some other examples of other countries with very unique and special traditions….
Get your skates on….
If you choose to be in Venezuela’s Capital around the festive period you will need to be competent on 4 wheels! The tradition in Caracas involves skating to morning Church on roller-skates! It is so recognised that the police actually close the streets to enable people to enjoy a traffic free skate.
Sweeping Gestures
In Norway, many believe that evil spirits and witches can arrive on Christmas Eve. Locals to certain areas have taken to hiding all their brooms on Christmas Eve, presumably to make sure witches do not make off with them!
“Incy Wincy Spider”
In the Ukraine it is not unusual to find a fake spider and web adorning people’s Christmas trees. This tradition reportedly originated from an elderly lady whom could not afford to decorate her tree; she woke Christmas morning to find a spider had spun a wonderful web covering her tree!
“Getting yourself in a pickle”
Many Germans will hide a pickle in the Christmas tree on the night before Christmas! The first child to find it on Christmas morning will be rewarded with a small gift. However if you want to try this tradition yourself be careful not to forget the pickle, it won’t be a pleasant find in the New Year!
“I do” said the shoe
Unmarried women in the Czech Republic have an interesting tradition involving a shoe; they will stand at the door and throw the shoe over their shoulder, should it land with the toe pointing at the door they will apparently get married the following year! Congratulations!
Best Wishes
Whatever traditions are important to you during the festive season, we here at Alchemy Global Talent Solutions wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to working with you in 2018!
Written By Chris Evans – Manager at Alchemy Global Talent Solutions