Here are some fun Christmas Traditions Around the World You Will Love. These are great ways to add some education into your homeschool classroom while having fun around the holidays. Learning about different cultures, their traditions and ways to change your own holiday celebrations will give your kids something fun to do in your own holiday celebrations.
Christmas Traditions Around The World You Will Love
Celebrate Little Yule With Sweden. Sweden and other Scandinavian countries celebrate what is called St. Lucia or Little Yule. This celebrations begins on December 13th and is considered the beginning of the Christmas season. It often includes the oldest daughter waking her family wearing a white gown, red sash and a crown with nine candles. St. Lucia was considered the saint of light, so light is a big part of the celebration of St. Lucia or Little Yule.
Norway brought us the classic Yule Log. Everyone has seen the Yule Log on a holiday dessert buffet, but do you know where it began? Norway stakes its claim as the birthplace of the Yule Log. This was used as part of a celebration of the return of the sun at winter solstice. Because the word, “yule” is based on the Norse word for wheel, it was used to reference the sun. The Norse at that time believed that the sun was a giant wheel of fire that rolled back and forth toward and away from Earth.
England began many classic holiday traditions. England during the Victorian Era was where the classic kissing under the mistletoe tradition began. Hanging mistletoe in entryways was one way for the otherwise stuffy Victorians to slip a quick kiss in without it being a scandal. The tradition of sending out Christmas cards to friends and family also began in England in the late 1830’s. Things like caroling and even the classic hanging of stockings on a mantle are also amazing holiday traditions that come from England and are still celebrated their today.
Australia heads to the beach. Because Christmas falls during hot summer days in Australia, it is much more common to see an Aussie family celebrating with a day at the beach, some food grilled on the barbecue and fun in the sun.
Germans celebrate Advent for four weeks. We already may be familiar with the Advent calender, but Germans really love this tradition. Classic German Advent wreaths are made of fir or pine branches with 4 candles. Every Sunday for the four Sunday’s prior to Christmas, Germans light a candle on the wreath, sing Christmas songs and enjoy holiday cookies. A bit different than our own Advent calendar, but a great tradition.
Some of these fun traditions I shared in my classroom when I used to teach and my students absolutely loved them! Not only that, but they were memorable enough that parents used to comment about all the amazing history their children were learning in class that they normally wouldn’t.
These Christmas traditions around the world you will love including in your own family traditions. So many of the things we already enjoy and celebrate are also popular with other countries during the holiday period. From celebrating with great food, family celebrations, and gifts to simply pausing to appreciate the things you have in your life worth being thankful for these ideas are great to include in your family.
What family tradition do you all share with your children every year?
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