From leaving a mince pie out for Santa on Christmas Eve to eating turkey on Christmas Day, we all have our own particular way of celebrating Christmas in Dubai.
For most of us, Christmas traditions in Dubai either include ordering a turkey to go, or booking into a super-festive, super-indulgent Christmas brunch.
The rest of you will probably be curled up watching Christmas movies, if you’re not lucky enough to be jetting off to visit family.
What about Christmas traditions around the world, though?
From Christmas apples in China to fried chicken in Japan, these are some of the Christmas traditions around the world you might want to try.
A party barrel in Japan
It might sound like a joke, but for millions of Japanese people a bucket of KFC chicken is the ultimate Christmas tradition. Ever since the Colonel’s first finger-licking franchise flung open its doors in the 1970s it has been attracting masses on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to order a fried chicken feast from the restaurant. Demand can be ten times as high as usual and orders made weeks in advance to get guaranteed delivery. If you like your festive food deep-fried, greasy and served in a cardboard bucket go Japanese at uae.kfc.me.
Something steamy in Finland
It is said to be the birthplace of Santa Claus and almost guaranteed to have snow at Christmas, so what do our friends the Fins do to celebrate? Lock themselves in a sauna and get EXTREMELY hot, of course. A Christmas Eve sauna is a common tradition in the Nordic countries and while it may be scorching on the outside it is not uncommon to slither out and then step directly into snow. There’s no shortage of spas with saunas in Dubai, click here to see some favourites. Or see Santa on his home turf in the Finland Pavilion at the Expo.
The bad cop to Santa’s good cop in Austria
If the enforced jollity of Christmas is too much for you, then there is always the “Christmas Devil” to provide some cultural balance. Austria’s Krampus celebrations tell the story of Santa’s evil counterpart who is likely to kidnap naughty children and act as the pantomime villain in a festival. People dressed as Krampus might pop up at a festive market or evening celebration, but are invariably chased away by Santa so good can triumph over evil. A few nightclubs in Dubai have hosted Krampus theme nights in recent years, so look out for his return again this year.
Work on your core in China
Christmas is increasingly celebrated as a light-hearted holiday in China and it is said to be the biggest shopping day of the year in the world’s most populous country. Giving a cellophane-wrapped “Christmas apple” is one of the most popular activities among friends. Apparently, the Mandarin word for apple is “pingguo” and that sounds similar enough to the word for Christmas Eve, “ping’an ye” for the tradition to begin. These are no ordinary apples, though, with the fancier the wrapping the better the gift. Check out Christmas Day lunches at Chinese restaurants such as Hutong and Maiden Shanghai in Dubai this year.
Pet carp in the bath in Poland
As far as Poles and certain other central Europeans are concerned you can keep your turkey at Christmas, because the traditional dish of choice is a freshwater carp. Often breaded and fried and served after a hearty soup it is common in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland where the tradition has been popular for centuries. Believe it or not, but it is common for the carp to live in the family bathtub for a few days before being served on Christmas Day.
Lighting up in the Philippines
The holiday season is predictably huge throughout the country, but it is the Giant Lantern Festival in the City of San Fernando that has been dubbed the “Christmas Capital of the Philippines”. Giant lanterns are built as communities, clubs and corporations compete to be the brightest and most colourful. Want to know how colourful? Well, rules have been introduced to limit the number of light bulbs included in any single lantern to 10,000 bulbs. There is a 10,000 light bulb limit on each lantern. That’s how bright and colourful it is.
Holiday braai in South Africa
South Africa’s weather makes it easier to appropriate a tradition from than somewhere frosty like Finland or the Arctic Circle. The climate makes the outdoor Christmas braai, or barbecue, a common way to celebrate Christmas in South Africa. Steaks, grilled meats and, well, anything you can grill over the coals is served up in generous portions. There will be no shortages of barbecues on beaches in Dubai, but you can head to somewhere like Joe’s Backyard in festival City to experience a real South African braai.
Putting the boot in in Germany
Extending holiday traditions as long as possible is all right by us, so the German tradition of St Nicholas Day sounds excellent. Children in Germany put cleaned and polished boots outside their door on the night of December 5th in the hope that they will wake to find them stuffed with sweets and toys. Similar to the tradition of stuffing a stocking with humble gifts we can get on board with any ritual that results in us being given fistfuls of candy and cookies.
Get blubbery in Greenland
Greenland seem as though it could be the perfect place to celebrate an Instagram-perfect Christmas. Guaranteed snow, the Northern lights, whale blubber for tea. Wait, what? Kiviak is a traditional winter dish eaten in Greenland at Christmas. We’re pretty sure it won’t feature on any Dubai menus, so if you have a hankering for little arctic birds wrapped in seal skin and blubber before they’re fermented underground for three months you might need to jump on a plane and head north.
A Christmas witch in Italy
Just as with Krampus in Austria and, er, Colonel Sanders in Japan Italy has a Christmas icon of its own. Up and down the country the legend of La Befana is celebrated. This Christmas Witch flies through the air in the style of Santa and delivers presents, sweets and a lump of coal to children. She will also sweep up the floor and clear away any of the problems of the year just gone. Sweets, cleaning and good cheer – this does not sound like your normal hag. All power to you Befana.
What’s happening in Dubai this Christmas?
20 festive films to watch
Christmas isn’t Christmas without Elf
Read more here.
8 dazzling Christmas tree lightings in Dubai
Christmas is about to get lit
Read more here.
8 dazzling Christmas tree lightings in Dubai
Christmas is about to get lit
Read more here.
