5 unusual holiday traditions around the world

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for billions of people across the globe, and each has their own special way of celebrating the holiday season. 

Some traditions date back thousands of years, while others are thanks to a marketing campaign from Col. Sanders. 

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Here are five unconventional holiday traditions from around the world. 

Kentucky Fried Chicken – Japan 

Some 3.6 million Japanese families indulge in a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken for Christmas each year, according to Heifer International. The tradition began in 1974, when KFC debuted a "Kentucky for Christmas!" marketing campaign in Japan, spreading the notion that Westerners eat fried chicken to celebrate Christmas.

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Christmas isn’t really a religious holiday in Japan – about 1% of the population identify as Christian – but it’s still a fun tradition. KFC restaurants in Japan encourage people to place orders ahead of time.

Mummering – Ireland and Newfoundland, Canada

In Newfoundland, Canada and parts of Ireland, Christmas is a time for mummering. The tradition involves visiting neighbors’ homes dressed in disguises. The act of getting disguised is known as "mummering up," according to Fodors. 

Traditionally, the costumes worn by mummers were whatever they could piece together – money was tight in the rural areas where this is popular. 

"The idea is to look lumpy and misshapen and quite ridiculous," Fodors notes. 

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When they knock on doors, the mummers ask the question: "Any mummers allowed?"

If the answer is yes, the back-and-forth continues until the host guesses the mummer’s identity.  That’s when the costumes come off and revelry ensues. 

Also known as "jannying," mummering happens during the 12 days of Christmas, or the time between Christmas and old Christmas Day in early January, according to Fodors. 

Leaving an empty chair at the dinner table – Poland

A popular Polish Christmas tradition is leaving an empty chair with a place setting at the holiday dinner table. There are several theories as to how the tradition came to be, The Am-Pol Eagle reports. 

One possible origin dates back to the country’s Pagan roots, when they held a large feast called Obiat to celebrate the memory of dead ancestors. People at the ritual had to sweep their empty chair to "excuse the soul" that may be sitting there. And after the meal is done, they would leave the table "as is" for a few hours so the dead also got a chance to eat. 

Another idea is that its roots are Christian and dates back to the story of Joseph and Mary searching for shelter before Jesus was born. It’s a way of reminding people to never turn away people in need. 

There’s also the theory that it stems from an unsuccessful Polish uprising in 1863, when an estimated 400 people were executed for the rebellion. Thousands of others were sent to Siberia. Some say the empty plate is in memory of those who had been deported, giving hope that they may return. 

Spiderwebs – Ukraine

In the U.S., spiders are for spooky season, but in Ukraine, spiderwebs are a Christmas good luck charm and holiday decoration staple. 

According to Ukraine.com, a Ukrainian travel guide, the story goes something like this:

A widow and her children were living in a tiny, cold hut when a pine cone fell from the tree outside and took root. The children watched it sprout and excitedly talked about how they’d decorate the tree. When their mother told them they didn’t have the means to decorate, the family went to bed on Christmas Eve with a bare tree. 

Legend has it the spiders in the small house heard the children’s cries and got to work. They spun beautiful webs on the tree, webs that would turn to silver and gold when the sun shined on them. The gleeful children and their mother never wanted for anything from that moment on, or so the story goes. 

To this day, Ukrainians continue to decorate their trees with artificial spider webs to bring good luck and fortune for the next year. 

Sinterklaas – Netherlands

In the U.S., we have Santa Claus. In the Netherlands, children have Sinterklaas, a tradition that dates back to the mid-16th Century, according to The Paris Review. 

Each year, children put their shoes outside at night so Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas in English) can drop gifts in them for children who’ve been good. Children who have been bad get potatoes. 

Sinterklaas is not a Christmas character – his day of celebration is December 6 – but he does resemble the Santa Claus we know in the U.S. Each year, Sinterklaas travels to the Netherlands from Madrid, Spain, by boat, then rides a horse through the Dutch streets to present small gifts for the children. 

Sinterklaas has helpers called Zwarte Pieten (the Dutch plural for Black Pete), who travel with him on foot and help deliver gifts. The helpers’ faces are covered in black paint, which has led to protests and calls for change in recent years. 

Sinterklaas pays another visit to all the children the night before his birthday. On this day, called Pakjesavond, most of the gifts are too big for the little shoes outside, so he knocks on the front door and leaves a larger bag of gifts. The gifts come with letters addressed to the children. 

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