Glittering pine timber, Santa Claus and stockings are a part of many individuals’s concepts of Christmas, however the vacation can look vastly completely different across the globe.

From Europe to Asia to the depths of Antarctica, this is how Christmas is widely known in 9 locations all over the world — and one place orbiting all over the world.

Christmas celebrations in Croatia start early, with some traditions beginning in November.

Like different Europeans, Croatians additionally rejoice St. Nicholas Day in early December, whereby kids depart their footwear out, anticipating St. Nick to depart them candies and small presents, in accordance with the Christmas useful resource web site St. Nicholas Middle.

“As a toddler I used to depart out a shoe on the window,” Stated Antonio Zdunich, who was born in Croatia. “Somebody would fill it up with presents and sweet in the course of the evening, and I might get up and be all completely happy,”

Many households in Croatia plant wheat on Dec. 13 with the idea that if it grows effectively, the following yr will likely be affluent for them, he stated.

The individuals of Sweden beautify Christmas timber and change presents, much like different elements of the world, stated Swede Patrik Kerttu.

They rejoice with Donald Duck too. Final yr, greater than 4.5 million individuals — virtually half of Sweden’s inhabitants — watched the 1958 Disney particular “From All of Us to All of You,” in accordance with the English-language European information community, The Native. The present has aired there yearly since 1959.

Widespread meals throughout this time of the yr are meatballs, ham, smoked or marinated salmon, pickled herring and a potato and anchovy casserole referred to as Jansson’s temptation, stated Kerttu.

“Christmas is a fairly essential celebration for my household as a result of it is the one time in a yr that a lot of the household collect collectively,” stated Isha Meleth, who’s Christian and from the south Indian state of Kerala. “We construct a Christmas crib [nativity scene] in entrance of the home … on Christmas Eve.”

Two widespread Christmas dishes are kheer, a sort of candy milk pudding, and kallappam, a coconut and rice pancake which is extra frequent in southern India, Meleth stated.

For many in Japan, Christmas is a secular affair, relatively than a non secular one.

Many Japanese individuals rejoice the vacation very like Valentine’s Day, with {couples} spending the day collectively, in accordance with JR Go, a Japanese rail journey firm. It is not uncommon for individuals to go on dinner dates and stroll round Christmas lights with their companions.

One of the mentioned traditions — at the least outdoors of Japan — is the tradition’s fascination with having fried hen for Christmas, usually from the U.S. quick meals chain KFC.

A 1974 vacation advertising marketing campaign referred to as “Kentucky Christmas” launched a apply that’s now celebrated by hundreds of thousands of Japanese individuals, stated Tatsuya Noguchi, a KFC Japan consultant.

Based on Noguchi, pre-orders for meals just like the “Occasion Barrel” or “Christmas Pack” start round seven weeks prematurely. The restaurant chain additionally sees its highest gross sales of the yr between Dec. 23 and 25, he stated.

“Yearly, the busiest day is Dec. 24 — which is about 5 to 10 instances busier than the annual common,” stated Noguchi.

Some 92% of the Philippines’ 110 million individuals are Christian. Christmas is an important time of the yr within the Philippines, and the nation is claimed to rejoice the vacation longer than wherever else — from September to January.

“Like many Latin cultures, my household within the Philippines celebrates Nochebuena, which is a giant celebration on the evening of Christmas Eve,” stated Siena Klinzing, who’s half-Filipino. “It entails getting along with household, having a giant feast and sharing presents.”

She stated her household stays up, very like New 12 months’s Eve, to want everybody “Merry Christmas” as quickly because the clock strikes midnight, she added.

One other essential custom is Simbang Gabi, which suggests “mass at evening,” the place individuals get up earlier than daybreak to attend mass for 9 days from Dec. 16 to 24. It’s believed that those that full all 9 days can ask for a blessing, Klinzing stated.

Although the official state faith of the UAE is Islam, Christmas is widely known in some elements of the nation.

It’s a notably massive affair within the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the place a lot of expats reside.

Malls and inns are sometimes closely embellished with Christmas timber that span a number of flooring, in accordance with Go to Dubai, the emirate’s official tourism web site.

Christmas markets, performances and particular vacation menus at eating places are additionally frequent throughout December.

Christmas in Mexico is marked by giant parades with colourful floats and costumes, candy-filled pinatas and nativity scenes. However one of many nation’s hottest customs is Las Posadas, a celebration in the course of the 9 days main as much as Christmas.

“Each evening, individuals kind a singing procession that’s meant to signify Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem,” stated Mexican meals blogger Mely Martinez.

These processions sometimes culminate at somebody’s home, the place everybody gathers for a celebration with meals corresponding to tamales, Christmas punch and candies, she stated. Different widespread Christmas meals embody pozole, candy fried dough fritters referred to as bunuelos, and a scorching chocolate drink referred to as champurrado, Martinez stated.

Christmas is a time for migration for a lot of in Kenya. Cities, together with the capital of Nairobi, expertise an exodus in December as droves of individuals journey to their hometowns and villages to reunite with their households.

Most church buildings maintain an evening vigil on Christmas Eve, the place individuals sing carols and hymns for hours, stated Shikriti Mandal, who grew up in Kenya.

Come Christmas Day, households and buddies have a feast which regularly contains barbecued goat or lamb meat referred to as nyama choma, stated Mandal.

Presently, the South Pole is dwelling to 70 everlasting analysis stations representing 29 completely different international locations, in accordance with Oceanwide Expeditions, an Arctic and Antarctic tour firm.

For the reason that common commotion of Christmas is lacking, stations discover artistic methods to rejoice amongst colleagues.

“Every of our 5 Antarctic analysis stations celebrates Christmas in their very own manner, depending on the climate,” stated Kathleen Maclean, a consultant of the British Antarctic Survey. Some might roast a turkey and eat tinned and frozen greens, whereas others sing carols, watch Christmas movies and play board video games, she stated.

Regardless of the festivities, analysis continues since “long-term monitoring knowledge nonetheless must be collected,” stated Maclean.

Such is the spirit of Christmas that people have discovered a technique to rejoice it 227 nautical miles (420 kilometers) above Earth.

Based on NASA’s web site, astronauts aboard the Worldwide Area Middle have celebrated Christmas, Hanukah and New Years for the previous 21 years and have developed a couple of traditions alongside the best way.

Celebrations on the ISS embody adorning the station, having fun with plastic pouch variations of conventional meals like turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and cookies, and filming movies of vacation greetings that are despatched again to earth.

Christmas additionally comes twice on the Area Station because it falls on Jan. 7 on the Russian Orthodox calendar, which many Russian astronauts observe.