Christmas is close at hand. With family gatherings, Christmas decorations, airborne reindeer and lastly – yet just as important – unopened presents; it’s a time filled with mystery and magic.

I remember when I was a child going to bed on Christmas Eve, eagerly anticipating the next morning to arrive. Too excited to sleep, the exhilaration always got the best of me. I would swaddle in the sheets while I wondered if Santa would bring me gifts or coal. Somehow, with a stroke of luck, the next day turned out to be successful. I was happy.

Now that I know the truth about Santa, his elves and his reindeer, it just doesn’t feel the same. Nevertheless, this isn’t a bad thing. Yes, I miss the days of not knowing, however I value the understanding I have of today. Being older, Christmas is more than just presents and Santa. It’s about warmth, family, tradition, laughter, and much more.

Which is why today, I want to share with you a few of the many weird and wonderful Christmas traditions around the world…

KFC, Japan

Millions of families in Japan celebrate a Kentucky Fried Christmas; an estimated 3.6 million families, in fact. The “Kentucky Christmas package” comes with a whole roasted chicken and a plethora of sides for 5,800 yen (£34).

The tradition supposedly came to life in December 1974 when the first manager of KFC in Japan, Takeshi Okawara, had a dream after overhearing a group of ex-pats longing for their traditional turkey dinner. This dream held the key to Japan’s KFC Christmas coup leading to campaigns, slogans and ‘party barrels’ swooning the nation.

“Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii!” (Kentucky for Christmas!)

Kutya, Ukraine

In Ukraine, Christmas day is celebrated on 7 January by walking through towns and singing Christmas carols while dressed in traditional garments.

Kutya is one of their national dishes made up of wheat grains, poppy seeds, honey, walnuts, and raisins. This dish is a mark of “unity of generations: past ones and coming ones”, while it also symbolises life over death. The annual custom is to throw the desert up on the roof, and if it sticks, there will be a good harvest in the coming year. Very interesting. 

Giant lantern festival, Philippines

Held in San Fernando, the Ligligan Parul, or giant lantern festival, is a sight to behold.

Villages from this region come together to compete and show off their beautiful patterns of up to 10,000 lightbulbs, carefully positioned to illuminate the night sky. With respect to this, the Giant Lantern Festival has made San Fernando the “Christmas capital of the Philippines”.

With all these Christmas customs, I’m sure we can all agree, they bring a sense of unity to the communities that maintain them. Having people come together to preserve a tradition is truly something to cherish.