Advent calendars
The use of advent calendars to count down the days until Christmas is a popular tradition across Europe. Originating in Germany in the nineteenth century, 24 chalk lines were marked on a door with one rubbed off each day, starting on the first day of December.
Garhard Lang later came up with the idea of cardboard advent calendars with small doors, creating the popular tradition we know today. The first chocolate advent calendar was released in the UK in 1971 by Cadbury, and an estimated 16 million advent calendars continue to be sold in the UK each year.
Shoes by the fire
In countries across Europe, including the Netherlands, France, and Iceland, children leave their shoes out for Father Christmas to fill with treats and small gifts on Christmas Eve. In Iceland, children on the ‘naughty list’ are thought to receive rotten potatoes instead!
Giant Lantern Festival
‘Ligligan Parul’, or the Giant Lantern Festival, is a Christmas celebration held in Pampanga, Philippines every year, starting in mid-December. The festival displays brightly coloured lanterns, showcasing the talent of local artists. The lanterns contain up to 10,000 light bulbs, all programmed to flash and dance to choreographed music.
Local neighbourhoods compete to deliver the most vibrant display, creating a sense of community and togetherness, and attracting thousands of tourists each year.
What is your Christmas tradition?
We’d love to hear about your Christmas traditions! Share your festive stories with us by tagging us @orbithelp on Facebook. And for all things festive, don’t forget to visit our Festive Fun page, where you'll find Christmas recipes, family-friendly films, quizzes, puzzles for the kids, and much more to help get you into the holiday spirit.
Did you know?
Whilst some consider turkey to be the most traditional Christmas Day feast, families in Japan gather together every year to share a bucket of fried chicken from KFC!
This tradition began in 1974, when manager of the first KFC in Japan, Takeshi Okawara, overheard a conversation about turkey being difficult to find during the holiday season. The KFC Christmas Party Barrel was then created, with the slogan ‘Kentucky for Christmas!’
