By Koa Davidson

The holiday season is fast approaching. Many associate Christmas trees strung up with lights, stockings hanging on the chimney, and elves sitting atop the shelf. But with Christmas being as widespread a celebration as it is, it is bound to have distinct traditions in various parts of the world.  

If one were to visit Winston-Salem, North Carolina in the days leading up to Christmas they would be met with the sight of tons and tons of Moravian stars hanging on the roofs of bridges, off streetlights, and in the doorways of households. Moravian stars are a stellate ornament traditionally having 25 protruding, sharpened points. They are commonly a children’s craft made from paper, though it is not unheard of for them to be made from glass and contain lightbulbs inside to give a luminous effect. Their namesake is from that of the Moravian Brethren, a Christian church which formed in the Moravia region of Czechia in the 16th century. They formed from the earlier Hussite movement which sought to reform Christianity in defiance of the Catholic Church a whole century before Luther did so in Germany.  In 1622, the Order of the Jesuits began a harsh crackdown of all non-Catholics in the nation, forcing the church underground for nearly 130 years.  

Due to their persecution, they felt the need to carry out church practices outside of Czechia and moved to what is now modern Germany. They felt a need to attempt to proselytize to those who were not yet converted without fear of Catholic oppression, leading them to set up missions in the newly established colony of North Carolina. They established the town of Salem (which would later be renamed to Winston-Salem) as a haven for them to practice their faith freely.

The star originally had no connection with Christmas, originating in a Moravian all-boys school as a geometry assignment. Exactly how they became associated with the advent season is unknown, they began to be manufactured as Christmas ornaments in 1897. The star now symbolizes the star the three wise men followed to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Christ. According to the church: the star reminds us of God, who caused the light to shine out of darkness and of the light which is the life of humanity. It reminds us of the promise of Abraham that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars; we are reminded of the star that pointed to the “great and heavenly light from Bethlehem’s manger shining bright.” 

If one finds themselves in Northwestern Spain during the holiday season do not be shocked at the lack of Santa Claus imagery- for instead- they have ‘Tió de Nadal’, literally meaning Christmas log, Tiós are 12-inch logs of wood erected on four legs with a face painted on one of its ends. Beginning on Dec. 8th and ending on the 24^th, children are to take pieces of their dinner and leave it under Tio for him to eat. On Christmas Day, children are to enter a separate room from their parents (so that they can leave out gifts away from the eyes of their children) and are to beat the log with sticks in hopes it ‘defecates’ presents while singing a song titled Caga tio.  

A homecooked turkey or ham are staples of many dinner tables come Christmas in America but in Japan -where Christmas is viewed as an exotic western celebration- one supper remains supreme, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). The fast-food chain decks out their restaurants in all sorts of Christmas iconography, with the Colonel’s white suit being replaced with the red attire of Santa. They sell a special ‘Christmas Dinner’ deal, comprised of a salad, a chocolate cake and eight-pieces of fried chicken. 

Japan had an interest for all things American brought on by exposure to it caused by the US occupation following World War 2. This led to things like baseball, professional wrestling and of course fast food and Christmas becoming all the rage in the country in the following decades. Japanese KFC executives took note of the practice of American businessmen eating large amounts of fast food in lieu of a traditional feast when on business trips to Japan. In 1974 KFC Japan began to market the- at the time, new- brand as being synonymous with the celebration of the holiday. The campaign worked and led to KFC becoming the second largest American fast-food chain in Japan, eclipsed only by McDonald’s. December 24th is reliably KFC’s busiest day in the nation with meals being placed months in advance for the holiday. 

Christmas traditions can teach us a lot about what culture’s value and appreciate it is important to learn about and respect different cultures to gain a well-rounded understanding of the world as a whole. 

Graphic by Ryder Navarra