Christmas Cheer | Different Countries, Different Cheers
Pōhotukawa trees are blooming. Christmas trees and decorations are up. Santa parades are held far and wide. Christmas carols are heard in every mall and supermarket you step into. Christmas is most definitely here in Aotearoa New Zealand. In the spirit of Christmas cheer, we thought it will be fun to find out some of the unique traditions found in Asia, Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. So here is a selection of such traditions.
With over 80% of the population in Colombia identifying as Catholic or Protestant, Christmas is widely celebrated in this Latin American nation. Día de las Velitas, or Day of the Little Candles on the eve of December 8th is considered to be a uniquely Colombian tradition heralding in Christmas. People in Colombia light candles and paper lanterns in their homes, balconies, streets, and public areas to honour Virgin Mary and the Immaculate Conception. Staying in another predominantly Christian country in Latin America, a very uniquely Venezuelan tradition is to gather in a public area and roller-skate all night to Christmas songs before skating to church to attend mass. It is said that there are sometimes road closures to ensure the safety of people participating in Las Patinas or ‘the skating’.
When it comes to Christmas food in New Zealand, we often think of pavlovas, candy canes and mince pies. In South Africa however, it is deep fried emperor moth caterpillars that is considered a Christmas delicacy and is said to taste like tea. In Japan, although Christianity is also practised by a minority few and December 25th is not a public holiday, a different kind of deep-fried delicacy has become a Christmas tradition by many, thanks to a marketing drive in 1974. Orders for Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Christmas party buckets and boxes are said to be placed well in advance for the family to gather around for Christmas.
In very recent times, it has become common practice to gift apples during Christmas in China. It may be a simple red apple with seasonal greetings or Santa Claus stencilled on it or an extravagantly packaged box of red apples. You may wonder why apples? In Chinese culture, there is a preference for gifts that sound auspicious. In Mandarin, ping an ye is the word for Christmas Eve which can be interpreted as ‘peaceful night’ while ping guo is the word for apple and means ‘peace fruit’.
Talking about fruits, a Western Christmas feast is often synonymous with rich fruit cake. However, did you know that they have discovered a type of fruitcake in tombs from ancient Egypt? Since becoming more common during Roman times, the humble fruitcake has travelled to many parts of the world over generations resulting in a myriad of varying recipes. Although only 7% of the population of Sri Lanka is Christian, the island nation boasts one of the best versions of this rich cake. For the minority Burgher population whose ancestry traces to the Portuguese, Dutch, and/or British from the days Sri Lanka was a colony, the Sri Lankan Christmas cake along with milk wine is an essential part of the Christmas feast. It is unclear which of the three colonial powers first brought the recipe to the island’s shores, but the cake has certainly evolved from the recipes found in any of the European countries. If you want to try a moist, flavour-packed, rich Christmas cake that can be served the very next day, here is a link to the recipe.
