With the help of my fellow bloggers, I have compiled 19 unique and special traditions of holidays around the world for kids and families. I hope you share them with your kids!
Christmas is widely celebrated in Australia. These days a cold seafood lunch is more popular, as well as cold ham and perhaps a pavlova. In Sydney, the Sydney Fish Market traditionally opens for an incredible 36 hours straight, right through from 5am on the 23rd December to 5pm on Christmas Eve.
The Brazilians have a few special NYE traditions. Everybody wears white! You must also wear a deliberately selected color of underwear! The color of your underwear is said to bring you something specific for the year ahead. The last tradition is to jump seven waves at midnight. With each wave you jump, you’re supposed to make a wish!
Despite their popularity around Latin America, in Costa Rica, Tamales are a holiday treat. These banana leaf wrapped goodies are typically made with the family during the Christmas season. Families will gather and make Tamales and then share them amongst themselves and with friends throughout December. Unwrapping them is like unwrapping a present. But this time, it is a steaming hot tamale.
The biggest festive day of the whole Christmas period is December 24th. People are not supposed to eat anything all day until the time of the Christmas dinner. Christmas cookies and a special Christmas sweetbread called vánočka are an exception. Children are made to believe that if they indeed manage to not eat, a golden pig will appear. Often, they spend the day looking out the window, waiting for the golden pig to make its appearance.
Winter holidays in France and more specifically Christmas is all about family reunion around delicious food crowned with Christmas gifts. When coming back from midnight mass, 13 sweets are served at once as a gift and dessert. As per the tradition, everyone should eat at least one piece of each sweet. Nowadays, there is no need to go to the mass or even be religious to savor these typical delights.