Christmas is one of the most joyful occasions celebrated by people worldwide. Christmas decorations are an integral part of the festive season, considering you won’t know it’s Christmas unless the doors are decorated with wreaths and twinkle lights adorn the streets in their magnificent charm.
Christmas is celebrated in almost every country, and each region has a unique tradition that makes them stand out from the rest. As a result, here are a few Christmas decorations traditions from around the world that you can take inspiration from and do something different this holiday season.
Decorating the Courtyard with Stables and Grottos – America
What better way to relay the holiday spirit than decorating your front yard with one of the most important events of Jesus’ life? You can recreate the birth of Jesus (which the festival represents) in your front yard and let the neighbors know how excited you are this holiday season.
Decorating your yard with stables and grottos and giving it an authentic look will go a long way in adding to the festivities this Christmas. You can also embellish your place with an LED fireplace flame if you wish to go for a rustic country appearance. To get your hands on the best stables, grottos, and baby Jesus figurines, visit http://holyart.co.uk.
Cobwebbed Christmas Trees – Ukraine
Christmas is incomplete without decorating a tree. However, people decorate cobwebbed trees in Ukraine to relay the festive spirit. The decoration tradition stems from folklore that features the story of a poor, down-trodden widow and her children who used to live in a tiny and shabby hut. One summer evening, a pinecone fell in their hut, and the children decided to care for it.
They hoped that the pinecone would eventually grow in time for Christmas, and they wouldn’t have to persuade their mother to spend money on a tree. Although the pinecone blossomed into a beautiful tree, their mother did not have enough money to afford decorations for it. The children were distraught looking at the bare tree. However, as the children woke up while rubbing their eyes on Christmas morning, they saw their tree covered in cobwebs.
When they opened the windows, sunlight poured in and turned the cobwebs into gold and silver. The children shrieked in excitement, and the widow was never poor again. Although cobwebs are usually associated with Halloween, the Ukrainians believe that spotting a spider or cobweb in their Christmas tree will bring prosperity and joy to their homes. Apart from this, the tradition of placing tinsel on a tree also stemmed from this tale.
Christmas Pickle – Germany
Have you traveled to Germany during the Christmas season and spotted several pickle ornaments embellishing store windows? Have you wondered what a pickle has to do with Christmas? Well, it’s a tradition in Germany to hide a pickle under the tree and challenge the family members to find it on Christmas morning. The first person to find the pickle ornament wins the game and receives a special gift. However, this tradition is long forgotten, and you won’t find a lot of Germans practicing it anymore.
El Caganer – Spain
El Caganer that literally translates to “The Pooper,” is a famous tradition in Spain that allows natives to be a little candid about the festive season. El Caganer traditionally refers to the figurine of a peasant in a red cap taking a dump. However, modern times have given the tradition a twist, and now several parody figures of politicians, actors, and influential people dominate the market during the holiday season.
Although nobody is aware of how the tradition came into being, several people believe that the figurine brings prosperity and fertility for the new year. While it may seem a far-fetched interpretation of the tradition, several Catalonians believe that it represents the mischief within us and helps restore the balance of an otherwise peaceful world. Whatever the interpretation might be, it is a harmless and fun tradition that individuals around the world can follow. Therefore, get your El Caganer figurine today and light up the festivities with some harmless fun.
Decorated Ships – Greece
Although the great country takes pride in its mythology, pristine seas, and magnificent architecture, there is a tradition that the Greeks follow every Christmas. The tradition dates back to when the country was littered with seafarers who would return to their homes in the holiday season.
To express their happiness, families of these seafarers would decorate their homes and trees with ships and hang them as ornaments. If you visit the country today around Christmas, you will see squares in major cities decorated with live-sized ships honoring the inhabitants’ age-old tradition.
Gävle Goat – Sweden
Although arson shouldn’t really be considered a tradition anywhere, things are slightly different in Sweden’s Gävle district. The city folk set fire to a 43 feet tall goat standing in the middle of the square on the first Sunday of the Christian Advent. The tradition began when a few goats mysteriously disappeared in 1966 around Christmas. Ever since then, the superstitious Gävle folk have followed the tradition no matter what the authorities say or try to stop them from committing arson.
Mango Tree – India
In warmer countries such as India, where pine, fur, and spruce are hard to find, natives decorate banana or mango trees with garlands, ornaments, and lights to mark the festive season. A few people even bring banana leaves into their homes to decorate the place and mark the onset of the festival.
Conclusion
Now that you know about the various decoration traditions around the world, try incorporating them in your festivities this Christmas and embrace cultural traditions from different ethnicities.
You might be surprised at how much you enjoy them and even make your own tradition out of them. You don’t have to follow everything to the letter. Just get along with the festive spirit and try something new this holiday season to make the most out of it.
