Christmas is a time that’s laden with traditions, and one of the joys of travelling at this time of year is discovering the different ways in which people around the world navigate Noel. With a multicultural team at The Natural Adventure, we are marking the sparkly season by sharing some of the traditions we adhere to and love in our home countries, be it Bulgaria or Lithuania, Italy or Ireland. So, even if you aren’t travelling this Christmas, join us on a magical reindeer ride to discover Christmas traditions in some of our team members’ favourite places in the world – home. And, as Dorothy famously says in the Wizard of Oz, a traditional Christmas movie in many households, there’s no place like home.
Christmas traditions in Austria – Victoria Gibbs, Adventure Sales Specialist
My mum is Austrian and baking cookies has always been a big deal in the run up to Christmas for her traditionally. Generally the women in the family (the more generations the better!) all get together to have a big day of baking, listen to music and, if there is glühwein featured, the cookies will likely taste even better! We also have an advent wreath, which sits on the main table, and is usually home made with holly and pine branches, with four large candles. Every Sunday during Advent, one of them gets lit.
Christmas tree decorations are rustic and beautiful in Austria, with gold and silver the main colours and, wherever you go in the country, you’ll find intricate decorations made out of fine thread and straw, such as stars, angels and tiny wreaths. The traditional Christmas dinner is fried carp, something I have never been able to get on board with, I’m afraid.
Christmas traditions in Scotland – Grace Brammer, Destination Manager, UK and Ireland
It’s New Year or Hogmanay that’s the really big celebration in Scotland. There’s a tradition called the Loony Dook, where people dive into the freezing cold waters of the Firth of Forth at South Queensferry, often in fancy dress. They do this all around Scotland on New Year’s Day but the Loony Dook one is iconic (and on our Fife Coastal Path holidays too).
We also have the tradition of ‘first footing’ in Scotland whereby good luck comes in the form of a tall, dark-haired man … apparently! So, soon after the bells at midnight, someone (usually from your own party) rings or knocks on the door and walks inside your house – usually carrying a lump of coal to bring good health and fortune for the year ahead. Traditionally it was said that women and redheads brought bad luck if they walked inside your home first…but we’ve moved on from those days thankfully. Last but not least, we can’t forget the Scottish traditional song of Auld Lang Syne, sung at the stroke of midnight to say farewell to the year before and hello to the one ahead.
Christmas traditions in Lithuania – Neringa Rackauskaite, Marketing Director
In Lithuania, the most important part of the Christmas holidays is Christmas Eve or kūčios as we call it. We celebrate it with our families, it’s a calm and spiritual evening that involves a lot of traditions and rituals that are both Pagan and Christian. In one evening you do Pagan spells, follow different superstitions and at the same time go to church. Preparation for Christmas Eve dinner starts in the morning with cooking, thoroughly cleaning the home, bathing, finishing important tasks and making up with everyone you had disagreements with over the year. It’s important for us to celebrate Christmas Eve with total serenity and peace at heart.
Christmas Eve celebrations start in the evening, traditionally after the Evening Star (Venus) appears in the sky. We celebrate it with a very special dinner with twelve dishes, including different dishes of fish (especially herring), vegetables and pasties but never meat. Two specialities are kisielius, a starchy cranberry drink and kūčiukai, a type of biscuit that you eat with poppy seeds milk. When setting a table, we always put an extra plate for all our loved ones who can no longer celebrate with us. And when the dinner is over, we leave the leftovers overnight for the spirits to come and eat their share. Later in the evening, religious families go to an evening mass. However, in my family we normally exchange gifts and go for a cosy evening stroll in Vilnius Old Town.
Christmas traditions in the Basque Country – Isaac Perez, Adventure Operations Specialist
In Navarra and the Basque country, instead of getting presents from Santa, there is this character called Olentzero, a coal miner who comes from the mountains to bring presents on Christmas Eve. On New Year’s Eve, we eat twelve grapes at midnight, one for every strike of the clock. If you manage to eat them all before the last strike, you are in for a year of prosperity and good luck. Also wearing red underwear to celebrate the New Year is supposed to bring you luck! Just after New Year, on 05 January, there are parades, or cabalgatas, with the Three Wise Men centre stage, as they go on to visit the children that night and give them gifts. The next day, 06 January, it’s a tradition to eat Roscón de Reyes, the King’s Cake. Inside there’s a bean and a small toy hidden, and the person who finds the toy is crowned king or queen with the crown which comes with the cake. The person who finds the bean has to pay for the cake!
Roscón de Reyes, The King’s Cake, eaten on 06 January in Spain.
Christmas traditions in Italy – Dalila Berlingerio, Adventure Sales Specialist
I am from the beautiful town of Brindisi in southern Italy and, on 08 December, we decorate the Christmas tree and eat a special sandwich called puccia, which is basically olive bread with tuna and cheese. We also make pettole, or fried dough balls, which we only make in December. As well as the tree, we make a presepe, which is a recreation of the Nativity, and the stable is adorned with sausages and hams, as well as a market laden with fruit and vegetables. From Christmas Eve until 26 December, it’s all about food and family, opening our presents at midnight on Christmas Eve. On New Year’s Day we dip in the sea for good luck, and on 06 January on Epiphany, children wait for Befana to come, a sort of witch who leaves candies to those who behaved well during the year, and coal to those who misbehaved.
Christmas traditions in Ireland – Catherine Mack, Content Manager
In my home country of Ireland, there’s a tradition for many of us to join hundreds of people doing a Christmas Day swim, if you live near the sea. And, as a pretty small island, you’re never too far. It’s freezing, fun and fantastically festive. One of my favourite traditions falls just after Christmas, however. In the Irish language it’s called Nollaig na mBan, or Women’s Christmas, which falls 06 January. The tradition was that, as a reward for their hard work over the Christmas season, women let their hair down, and went to drink tea and finish the Christmas cake with women friends. Today it’s more about women friends or family members gathering to raise a glass or two of something stronger than tea and take an opportunity to celebrate sisterhoods.
Christmas traditions in Catalonia – Marina Ollé Hurtado, Adventure Operations Intern
In Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, we have this tradition called the Caga Tió, which translates as the ‘poo-ing’ log – yes, you read that right! We paint a face on a log, add two legs and dress it with a hat, and put it next to the Christmas tree. In the days before Christmas, children give it food (which the parents eat at night when children don’t see them). Then on Christmas Eve, children cover the Caga Tió with a blanket, grab a stick, and start to beat it while singing a traditional song that asks the Tió to poo goodies for them. Once the song finishes, the kids uncover the blanket and discover all the gifts that have magically appeared!
Christmas traditions in the Isle of Man – Chris Jones, Adventure Sales Specialist
In the Isle of Man, a self-governing British Crown dependency in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, we say Nollick Ghennal for Merry Christmas in our own language of Manx. Traditionally we decorate tractors and then do a lap of the island beeping the horns and generally making lots of noise. On 26 December, we also have a tradition to Hunt the Wren, which is known as the King of the Birds, and then people dance through the streets with the bird on a special pole. The good news is that it’s not a real bird these days!
Christmas traditions in Bulgaria – Katya Panchenkova, Destination Manager, The Balkans
Our Christmas traditions focus on Christmas Eve, which is called Badni Vecher, or Бъдни вечер, in Bulgarian. On this day we eat only vegan dishes and they have to be of an odd number. We prepare meals like stuffed peppers with rice or beans, vine leaves stuffed with rice (called sarmi), pumpkin dishes and traditional bread. The bread usually contains fortunes, which reveal what the next year holds for each member of the family. After dinner is finished we also don’t put away the dishes. They stay on the table throughout the whole night as the traditional belief is that Virgin Mary visits homes during the night and feasts on what is left.
From everyone at The Natural Adventure, we wish you a peaceful holiday season wherever you are choosing to call home this year. And when you’re ready to travel again, we have a sackful of travel treats in store. And don’t forget, you can bring some joy into the life of a loved one by offering them a gift card this Christmas too. Because travel is the gift that keeps on giving.
