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Every family has their own winter holiday traditions. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, the New Year, or any other holiday, there are a lot of customs and interesting trivia surrounding each one. So, if you are looking for new traditions to make your own or if you want to impress your family and friends check out these eight fun facts about winter holidays around the world.
Yule Book Flood
This Icelandic holiday called the Jolabokaflod is a Christmas eve tradition of gifting books. It’s a perfect way to nourish Iceland’s love of books, according to the Nordic Lighthouse blog. This country of 270,000 people publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world.
The Shortest Day of the Year
The winter solstice, which marks the official beginning of winter, is the shortest day of the year. It is actually nine hours shorter than the longest day of the year. In 2025 the winter solstice occurs on December 21.
KFC is a Christmas Tradition in Japan
Christmas is a secular holiday in Japan but it has a unique tradition; eating KFC, reported CNN Travel. But why KFC? The company that was already popular in Japan launched its “Kentucky for Christmas” marketing campaign in 1974 and the party buckets soon followed. The tradition is still going strong.
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The Number Seven in Kwanza
The number seven has great significance during Kwanza. This holiday that celebrates African American history and culture lasts seven days, according to the Reader’s Digest, and incorporates seven symbols, has seven principals and includes lighting seven candles.
Hogmanay
This Scottish New Year’s tradition is a mixture of Norse and Gaelic customs and is celebrated on December 31 with torchlight processions and fireworks over Edinburgh Castle, according to the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County. Another part of the holiday is the singing of “Auld Lang Syne” at the stroke of midnight which has now become a worldwide tradition.
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Christmas Cards
More than 1.3 billion Christmas cards are sent every year in the US. Some are homemade and some are sold in the Greeting Card aisle. Christmas is the largest card-selling holiday second only to Valentine’s Day. It’s not too late to mail some holiday cards.
Eating Sufganiyot
During Hanukkah, it is traditional to eat foods fried in oil, explained My Jewish Learning. In most of the world, people eat latkes or potato pancakes, but Israel has a sweet take on the holiday by eating sufganiyot or donuts. The classic donuts are filled with jelly but today, bakeries have a huge selection of donuts with an assortment of fillings and toppings.
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Santa Claus Has Many Names
There are many names for Santa Claus including St. Nick, Kris Kringle, and Father Christmas. But one of the most unusual is Kanakaloka in Hawaii, according to Good Housekeeping. This unique version does not wear the traditional red suit, instead, he wears flowery Hawaiian clothing.
Yule Goat
For hundreds of years Scandinavians celebrated festivals known as Yule, reported CBC. One of these traditions from Sweden is the Yule goat. It was believed that elves rode the Yule goat door to door to deliver gifts to children. Today, people decorate their trees with small goats fashioned from straw and the town of Gävle started making a giant Yule goat in the town square. Unfortunitely, the giant goat is always set on fire, maybe not this year.
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