Dec 22 2008
Unique Christmas Traditions from Around the World
Our visit to Iceland two years ago was a wonderful trip. Since we were traveling in November, a big topic for our tour guide was describing some Icelandic Christmas traditions including the 13 “Yuletide Lads” (basically elves), each with their own personality, who deliver gifts to childrens’ waiting shoes and play pranks throughout the town for 26 days!
And although it’s somewhat conventional, I do find it interesting to learn about how other cultures celebrate Christmas (or their version of a winter holiday) whether it’s the Buddhist monk Hotei-osho with eyes in the back of his head bringing gifts to the Christian children in Japan or the chicken, oranges, nuts and pastries served at Christmas dinner in Syria.
There are a few websites that focus on sharing these stories:
