While Christmas for many people within the United States involves evergreen trees, presents or any variety of traditions that have gained popularity over the years, the U.S. is not the only country that celebrates Christmas. Many other countries and cultures have their own ways of experiencing Christmas or the overall holiday season.
Greenland, for instance, has a large focus on lights in their holiday traditions. Starting in 1733, the people of Greenland began creating paper stars, a tradition brought up by the “Herrnhutters”. These were then lit so that a warm glow might grace the home they lived in. Lights are also used in events such as Lucia’s parade, where children dressed in white robes carry lit candles in a procession in honor and celebration of “Santa Lucia.”
While some of these traditions may seem familiar to others around the globe, Greenland does go out of its way to have something many other countries do not have for part of their dinner: whale. The main course of meat in Greenland dinners, while not always including whale, can also include reindeer, lamb, oxen or hare. From there, they end their dinner with “Risalamande,” a dessert like rice pudding.
Greenland is not the only country that has differences in the food they consume over the holidays. Ukrainians, for example, often have twelve dishes in honor of the twelve apostles. Some of these dishes always have the possibility of including an ingredient known as “Kutya,” which is a porridge made from wheat, barley, sometimes rice, and has toppings like honey, dried fruits or nuts. This dish was served more often in the past, but now, it is often made and kept on the windowsill to honor deceased ancestors. Part of its purpose is to symbolize life’s victory over death and the unity between multiple generations.
Ukraine has a care for not only their food, but of their ancestors, as shown in the symbolism behind their dishes. This care for their ancestors, though, carries on in the decorations they have in their home. “Didukhs,” made from a sheaf of wheat, began much earlier in the world as a representation of ancestors and a good harvest. While most people do not only have a “didukh,” but also a tree, it is still a tradition and decoration some Ukrainians have in their homes.
Moving farther west into Wales, the regard for ancestors or people from the past can still be seen. In order to honor a man named “Guto Nyth Brân,” one of the fastest runners Wales had seen, many people in Wales participate in an event called “Nos Galen Road Races.” This event occurs from midday on New Year’s Eve to midnight so they may welcome the new year.
Before the new year starts, Wales has something called “Mari Lwyd,” a custom in Wales where a person, dressed in a cloak, holds up a pole with a horse’s skull on the end of it. A “Mari Lywd” is oftentimes seen roaming during the holiday season, especially during something called wassailing. Wassailing is an event like caroling where people go to houses or pubs, knock on doors and sometimes sing. During wassailing, people can meet “Mari Lwyd,” who would do “pwnco,” a fun rhyming tradition, sometimes in exchange for food.
Some of these traditions—whether it includes eating whale as a main course, having a sheaf of wheat in the middle of your living room or opening the door to a colorful horse skull—may seem unorthodox to American society. However, these traditions highlight these cultures’ pasts, what they value and how they celebrate. Regardless of where they are in the world, holidays are a time in which people are brought together through not only the remembrance of the past but a constant celebration of the present.
