Christmas Around the World
Christmas is celebrated by many countries in the world, with different countries celebrating it in a different way. The celebrations and practices can vary depending on the cultures. Let’s look at how Christmas is celebrated around the world!
- Denmark
Christmas is a huge thing in Denmark, partly due to the famous Danish culture of hygge (cosy contentment from enjoying the simple things in life). From four weeks before Christmas Day, Danes light the traditional Advent wreath which has four candles. A candle is lit every Sunday until Christmas Eve.
Since the days are short, some locals will cosy up and stay at home to bake Christmas cookies, while others will hit the local markets for some Christmas shopping. Shopping streets and stores are especially packed on Christmas Eve (it’s called Juleaften in Denmark) and the Christmas Day on 25th is usually spent on recovering from eating and drinking too much.
When visiting Denmark for Christmas, don’t miss out on places like Tivoli Gardens, The Round Tower and CopenHill!
- Finland
According to the Finnish, the northern part of Finland (known as Lapland) is where Father Christmas lives. Santa Claus will visit the children on Christmas Day to personally pass them their gifts or leave it under the Christmas tree.
Similar to the Danish, Finnish starts the Christmas celebrations from the first Sunday of December. On Christmas Eve, the traditional Christmas dinner is served and the streets are filled with the sounds of carols and local Christmas songs. The celebration continues until 13 days after the Christmas Day and this makes Christmas truly a holiday season. Don’t miss out on the Santa Claus Village in Lapland when visiting Finland for Christmas!
- South Korea
Christmas is an important national holiday in South Korea as a large population of Koreans are Christians. Many local streets and shops will be decorated with Christmas shiny decorations and there will be special Christmas services in churches too. There are usually many outdoor ice skating rinks around this time of the year.
Do consider visiting places like Lotte World, Myeongdong and local Christmas festivals for a festive Christmas in South Korea!
While looking at the Christmas celebrations in various parts of the world, Christmas is indeed the season of joy, love and happiness.
August Berg wishes you a Merry Christmas and may your holidays be filled with fun and loving moments with your loved ones!