Northern Lights Gazette

Christmas traditions are always fun to participate in.

Perhaps you always go on a drive to see the Christmas lights, bake cookies as a family or perhaps set up an advent calendar. These are all fantastic traditions, but there are so many throughout the world that many people here in the United States are not aware of. Traditions unheard of by many Americans will be listed here, so let’s begin.

The first tradition that will be looked at today originated in Italy. In Italy, the Christmas celebration goes beyond just December. On the night of January 5th, they say that some children are visited by La Befana, a good, magical old lady that delivers sweets to those who are good. Similar to Santa, she also has something for naughty kids as well. For those who are naughty, coal and garlic are what they will receive. This day is called Epiphany Eve. One last piece of their culture is their holiday greeting. In Italy, they would say “Boun Natale.”

The second of these holiday traditions is known as Las Posadas. It takes place between the 16th and the 24th of December and celebrates the journey of Joseph and Mary. It is thought to have originated in Mexico, though it has begun to spread to Latin America and some of the Southern United States. The way this tradition would work is that, on each night of Las Posadas, a child dressed as an angel leads people through the streets. They visit homes and ask for a place for Joseph and Mary to stay while also singing carols. The holiday greeting for Mexico is ‘ifeliz Navidad.’

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The final holiday tradition to explore is located in Sweden. Well, not just in Sweden, but many other Scandinavian countries as well. The first part of this tradition is that it starts on the 13th of December. Not only does it mark the beginning of the Christmas season for them, but it is also known as St. Lucia Day. This day is meant to be a day of light and hope in the darkest time of the year. It was the day St. Lucy, an early Christian martyr, was killed by Romans. They celebrate it with a procession, led by a designated St. Lucy and followed by young girls dressed in white and young boys in a white pajama like costume. The tradition continues into homes as the eldest daughter of the family gets all dressed in a white dress and red sash to serve her family coffee and gingerbread. This festival combines both pagan and christian tradition into it. In Sweden, the holiday greeting is ‘God Jul.”

These are only three of the many holiday traditions that take place in other countries. If you are curious to find out more, you can do more research yourself and learn more about the wondrous traditions practiced all over the world. We hope you enjoyed this insight into the rest of the world and we wish you a merry Christmas season.