Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Surrounded by friends and family, the smell of roast turkey and cranberry sauce in the air, wrapping paper thrown all over the floor, or neatly folded depending on what family you have. These traditions make this season so unique and give it a special place in our hearts. But Christmas is celebrated all around the world, and not every tradition is the same as yours. So make sure your tray table is stowed, and your seat belt is fastened as we take a trip around the world.
Don’t miss our Christmas craft – Make A Star For Your Tree
Australia likes it hot.
Most Australian’s grow up watching movies of a white Christmas, but they have never experienced anything like it. So their day, instead of being filled with sleigh rides and open fires, they would have a swim at the beach and an open fire BBQ.
Japan finger-licking good Christmas dinner
While the traditional Christmas is turkey and ham, in Japan, Kentucky Fried Chicken rules the celebration. Colonel Sanders dresses up as Santa, and you will need to pre-order your chicken early, as it always sells out.
Venezuelans are rolling into the church.
In the week leading up to Christmas, the traditional way to go to church in Venezuela is by roller skates. This is so popular that cities close their roads to give more room for the skater to roll.
Germany’s got sole
While we are most used to leaving out a stocking for Santa to fill, they leave out their shoes on the 5th of December in Germany. If the kids have been good, it will be full of sweets; if not, it will only have an empty branch.
Ukraine doesn’t brush away from the cobwebs.
An old folktale is told in Ukraine about a poor widow who didn’t have money to decorate her tree for her children. When they went to sleep, a spider decided to help and decorated with beautifully spun spider webs. The Ukrainians celebrate this but decorating their trees with artificial spider webs.
Sweden loves Donald.
“Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul” is a video made in 1958 featuring the one and only Donald Duck. Translated “Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas”, this special first aired on Christmas eve in 1960 on Swedish television. We are not sure how but this quickly became a tradition with many families playing it on television every Christmas eve with over 40% of the entire population watching.
No matter the country or the tradition, Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This is why at Hillsong Kids Big, we have created Celebrate! A Christmas Mystery. A 3-week interactive curriculum that you can use this Christmas. Big and Christmas – now that is a good tradition.
The perfect video to watch with your preteens about this season: “Christmas is still a mystery?”
Check out our 15-day, kids Christmas reading plan on YouVersion. Through the mysteries of the messengers, the manger, and the star, we discover that Christmas is not just about gifts. It’s about the birth of Jesus, that God is with us, and Christmas is a time to worship Him.
The Hillsong Kids team from across our worldwide locations want to champion the cause of local Churches everywhere. Give your kids the best possible experience each week at Church. Join the team at our Hillsong Kids Leadership YouTube Channel.
Dec 1 2021
