Not your average Christmas celebration

Ah, Christmas! A time of food hoarding, family arguments and bad TV. If you ever thought that some of the Christmas traditions we have here in the UK were peculiar, take a look at three of the most bizarre Christmas customs from around the world.

Alternative Christmas dinner

There's nothing better than settling down to turkey with all the trimmings on Christmas day, right? Actually, for many people in Japan, traditional Christmas dinner is US delicacy Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). It's so popular and well marketed that, in many restaurants, diners have to make a reservation to eat at KFC on Christmas day.

It all dates back to 1974, when KFC began its 'Christmas Chicken' campaign. The whole thing started after a group of non-natives realised that it was impossible to find turkey in Japan, so they took it upon themselves to visit the popular restaurant chain instead.

On December 23rd, 24th and 25th, people queue round the block for a table, with some pre-ordering their tasty drumsticks up to two months in advance. Those who don’t plan ahead may have to wait up to two hours for their meal.

Christmas pranks

Remember a few years back, when you woke up on Christmas Eve to find the last chocolate from your advent calendar gone? You probably blamed one of your siblings at the time, but little did you know that mischievous Danish gnome, Nisse was probably to blame.
 
This roguish gnome is said to live in the lofts of old farmhouses, wearing grey woollen clothes, a red bonnet, red stockings and white clogs. In Denmark, it's a common tradition on Christmas Eve to leave rice pudding or porridge for Nisse so he doesn’t misbehave.

On top of that, children aren't allowed to see the Christmas tree until late on Christmas Eve. Parents decorate the tree in secret with homemade baubles, paper hearts and garlands of Danish flags.
One Danish tradition that I am keen to adopt is having Father Christmas personally deliver all presents. Unfortunately, one of the older, male family members usually misses out on the action, as they're out of the room at the time.

Close the roads 

In the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, it’s customary to attend early morning Christmas mass on December 24. Not too dissimilar from UK traditions, except for the fact that locals are encouraged to roller-skate there. Vehicular access to the city is blocked off in many areas before 8am to allow this unconventional commute to take place.

To top it off, the night before, children will tie one end of string to their big toe and hang the other out of the window, allowing the passing roller skaters to offer a friendly tug as they pass in the morning.

So, the next time you're forced to make small-talk with Auntie Pat before a Christmas dinner piled high with sprouts, count yourself lucky that the UK's Christmas traditions are fairly mild compared to other parts of the world. Then again, I wonder what they'd have to say about the threat of waking up to a sack of coal and the questionable lyrics to Fairytale of New York.

One Christmas tradition that is a must in the UK is a visit to the local panto. This year, we are putting on Jack and the Beanstalk the Rock 'n' Roll Panto, complete with music from the Rolling Stones, Queen and Fleetwood Mac. Tickets are selling fast, so get yours today at www.staffordgatehousetheatre.co.uk, or by calling us on 01785 619080.

Jack and the Beanstalk the Rock 'n' Roll Panto at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre