Author: Alex Palmer
Reading time: 18 minutes
Synopsis
The Atlas of Christmas (2020) looks at how Christmas is celebrated around the world. It shows customs that are cozy and kind, but also strange and surprising. The book takes you on a trip through each country. It shows holiday foods, customs, characters, and old stories. It explains how different cultures celebrate the same holiday in their own special ways.
What’s in it for me? Discover unusual global Christmas customs to make your own celebrations and holiday stories fresh.
What do you think of when you hear “Christmas”? Maybe a decorated tree, Christmas songs playing, a big roast dinner, and many presents under shiny lights. Now, think bigger. Imagine people celebrating the same holiday with fire-jumping devils, saunas at midnight, fast-food chicken, or a horse skull knocking at a door. Around the world, December is full of traditions. Some might seem very strange to you. But for the people who do them, they feel normal and special, just like your own customs.
In this Blink, you will learn how different countries start the holiday season in public places. You will see how they add their own strange and special ways to the holiday. You will find out which saints and strange creatures bring the gifts. And you will see what food, sweets, and drinks people eat.
Let’s start with the public customs that show Christmas has really arrived.
Blink 1 – Public rituals that start the Christmas season
Across the world, Christmas truly begins when people leave their homes. They join in shared customs that fill streets and squares. These events show old stories again. They mark important dates in the year. And they connect religious beliefs to local history. This happens through parades, big fires, markets, and public news.
In Mexico, the nightly celebrations of Las Posadas change the story of Mary and Joseph looking for shelter. It becomes a usual neighborhood event. Each evening, a small parade moves from house to house. People wear costumes, children carry candles, and musicians play old songs. Most doors stay closed until the group reaches the chosen home for that night. Then everyone is welcomed in for prayers. After that, they eat tamales, sweet bread, and break a piñata. This happens over nine nights. It slowly makes people excited. And it keeps the story fresh in people’s minds well before Christmas Day.
Later in the season, Epiphany on January 6 continues the holiday in Spain and much of Latin America. People think more about the three Wise Men. They appear in parades and bring gifts. Many children look forward to these gifts even more than those on December 25. Kids write letters and leave out their shoes. They often wake up to small gifts hidden inside. Bakeries sell special cakes with a hidden token. The person who finds it is treated like a king or queen for the day. Together, Las Posadas and Epiphany make the Christmas story last for several weeks. Each celebration shows a different part of the story.
Other ceremonies are not so much about Bible stories. They are more about creating a holiday feeling. German Christmas markets make town squares places for people to meet. They have wooden shops, scenes of Jesus’ birth, warm spiced wine, and toys. These draw people out on cold evenings. In Sweden, Saint Lucia parades, with people dressed in white, bring light into some of the darkest days of the year. In Guatemala, the “Burning of the Devil” uses large fires to get rid of bad things before major feast days. Finland’s Declaration of Christmas Peace is an official event. Leaders publicly ask people to be calm and good.
Taken together, these customs show how communities let everyone know that the holiday season has truly begun. This makes way for the more unusual local customs you’ll hear about in the next section.
Blink 2 – Christmas as a way for local people to show their unique customs
When you move away from official church services and big public events, Christmas becomes part of daily life. The holiday affects hobbies, local games, and old stories. People from other places might not even know these are part of Christmas. It shows up in what people buy, where they meet, and how they like to test their limits or have fun with each other at the end of the year.
In Iceland, the usual present is not a small machine, but a pile of new books. The season truly starts when a national list of new books arrives in every home. This makes many people order books for Christmas Eve. Families may choose one book for each person or put out a shared pile of books and let everyone pick. The result is a yearly “book flood.” It keeps a small language alive and strong. It also helps a very big book publishing industry. And it makes a winter night a celebration of stories.
Farther south and west, Christmas becomes a test of how long you can last. On the Irish coast, thousands of people in Santa hats run quickly into very cold seas on Christmas morning. This is often to raise money for good causes, while rescuers watch them. In Finland, the same season makes people go into very hot places instead of cold ones. Families clean their saunas. Then, on Christmas Eve, they get hot, gently hit each other with birch branches, and later take candles to cemeteries where small lights shine on the snow.
Elsewhere, the holiday becomes very dramatic and strange. In Brazil’s northeast, people put on a play called Bumba Meu Boi. It is a fun play about a bull that dies and comes back to life. It has a pregnant character who plays tricks, dancing people dressed as animals, and jokes about important local people. In Welsh villages, a group takes a horse skull, decorated, from house to house. They say funny, rhyming bad things to people in the houses. Then they are let in for food, drink, and a little scare. These scenes make us think differently about what Christmas can be. They show how communities change the holiday to fit their own jokes and past.
In the next section, you’ll meet the saints, spirits, and gift givers who give gifts at this busy time of year.
Blink 3 – Christmas gift givers around the world
If you grew up with Santa Claus, it can be surprising to learn how many other figures give Christmas presents in other places. Around the world, bishops, babies, giants, witches, and even a cold spirit give gifts. Each one is different because of local history and beliefs. When you look at them all, the main idea – giving gifts for good behavior during the darkest time of the year – looks very different in each place.
A good place to start is with Saint Nicholas, who lived long ago in the fourth century. He was a bishop from Myra, now in Turkey. He was known for being kind and giving. People celebrate him on December 6. Over time, parents secretly left gifts for their children in his name. These were often put inside shoes. This custom became popular across Europe. In the Netherlands and Belgium, he is still Sinterklaas. He wears red bishop’s robes. He comes by boat and horse in early December. He is the main gift giver of the season. Elsewhere in Europe, he becomes other figures, like Father Christmas in England or Père Noël in France. They look a lot like Santa. But they still have some old parts, like hooded robes or putting gifts in shoes instead of stockings.
Other regions made new gift givers when religion or politics changed. In parts of Germany and Switzerland, presents are brought by the Christkindl. This figure began as the Christ child. Later, it became a shining angel played by a girl. She comes to markets and visits homes. In Russia and other Slavic countries, Ded Moroz, or Grandfather Frost, comes from the woods with his granddaughter Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden. In the twentieth century, they started giving gifts mainly on New Year’s Eve. But they are still strongly linked to winter and old stories.
Some of the most charming gift givers don’t look much like Santa from the West. The Basque Country celebrates Olentzero. He is a big, simple giant from mountain stories. He now spends his endless life giving out toys. Italy welcomes La Befana. She is an old woman who likes her house neat. She rides a broomstick on Epiphany. She is still looking for the Christ child and leaves gifts – or coal – for children. Taken together, these characters show how each culture picks a different face to show kindness and teach good lessons at Christmas.
In the next section, you’ll meet the more wild characters who don’t give gifts. Instead, they scare people, tell them off, and cause problems.
Blink 4 – Dark Christmas devils and people who cause trouble
Many Christmas traditions are about warmth and kindness. But many also use fear and noise to make people behave. Across Europe and beyond, devils and troublemakers appear in December. They follow the friendly gift givers. They tell everyone that bad actions have results. They make the season a bit scary. They make lessons about being kind and obedient easy to see in the streets.
The most famous scary character in this group is Krampus from Austria and Bavaria. He is a monster with horns, animal feet, a long tongue, and birch sticks for children who act badly. He follows Saint Nicholas when he visits homes. Adults dressed in big fur costumes walk through towns for Krampus Night parades. Church leaders and governments tried to stop him. But it never really worked. He is very popular again. People make special masks and arrange events for him.
Farther north in Iceland, a whole family of winter creatures makes sure people follow the rules. Thirteen Yule Lads come down from the mountains, one each day before Christmas. Each one has a special trick. They might steal food or look into windows. Their mother, Grýla, a giantess, is a big part of these stories. People say she kidnaps children who don’t listen and cooks them. A big black Yule Cat helps her. It looks for children who didn’t get new clothes for Christmas. These old stories show a hard place where winter could kill. They also give parents another way to make children behave at home.
On the other side of the world, in Liberia, people welcome “Dancing Devils.” These are masked dancers who spin through the streets during the season. Drummers play music for them. A storyteller, often called Old Man Beggar, is also with them. They can be fun or scary. They ask for small gifts. They tell jokes about local government and dance with lots of energy. Together, these figures show how Christmas can turn fear and disorder into stories. These stories make social rules clearer and the holiday more special.
In the next section, you’ll leave the monsters behind. You will look at how Christmas tastes in main meals and tasty dishes around the world.
Blink 5 – Christmas feasts around the world
To see how much Christmas is a part of local culture, it helps to look at what people eat. Main dishes not only feed people. They also hold memories, religious rules, and family stories. Around the world, the “proper” Christmas meal can mean a meal with no meat, a whole animal cooked since morning, or fast food ordered weeks early.
In parts of Eastern and Central Europe, on Christmas Eve, the main meal has twelve dishes and no meat. Families in Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia sit down only after the first star appears. Then they eat soups, fish, grains, and vegetable dishes like beet soup, sweetened wheat, and herring or carp. The twelve dishes remind people of Jesus’s apostles or the twelve months. Many homes still put an extra plate for a visitor or a family member who has died. Sometimes, they put straw under the tablecloth. This quietly reminds them of the stable where Jesus was born.
In Spanish-speaking countries and the Philippines, on Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena, people often eat lechón. This is a whole roasted pig. The way it’s cooked is different in each place. For example, Cubans use special boxes. In Puerto Rico, the pork is seasoned. Manila and Cebu have their own ways to roast it. But in every case, the slow cooking brings neighbors and family together, long before they actually eat. Venezuelan families add hallacas. These are corn dough filled with meat, olives, raisins, and small green capers. These are wrapped in plantain leaves. People might spend a whole weekend spreading the dough, putting in the stew, and tying the packages. This makes the cooking a big social event. It shows Spanish, African, and Caribbean cultures.
Elsewhere, fish dishes or favorite everyday foods are most important. In Southern Italy, families mainly eat eel and other fish for a long Christmas Eve dinner. West African families gather to eat bright red jollof rice. It is cooked in big pots. People often argue about whose recipe is the best. In Japan, many households now celebrate the day with Kentucky Fried Chicken they ordered before. This started from an ad campaign in the 1970s. It is still linked to special “Christmas Chicken” meals.
Taken together, these dishes show how Christmas feasts show religion, history, and family life all in one meal. Now in the final section, you’ll see how those same forces appear again in the sweets and holiday drinks that keep the holiday going until its last days.
Blink 6 – Christmas sweets and drinks that keep the season going
Christmas feels like it’s everywhere when you look at the sweets and drinks that appear again and again through December. Cookies, cakes, candies, and warm cups quietly show up at office parties, family visits, and when people wrap gifts late at night. They make small snacks and drinks into usual customs. These treats hold wishes for good luck and peace. They keep memories alive. And they often make the season last longer than the main meal.
In Spain and many Spanish-speaking countries, the roscón de reyes, a ring-shaped sweet bread, is eaten around January 6 to celebrate Epiphany. A small figure or charm is hidden inside. The person who finds it will have good luck. They also have special religious duties later, like taking the small figure to church. Related cakes in France and other parts of Europe use beans or small items to name a “king” or “queen” for the day. So, a simple dessert becomes a fun reason to change who is in charge for a short time and talk about the next year.
Elsewhere, a wafer or a piece of fruit can be as important as a plate full of fancy dessert. In Polish homes, people share a thin oplatek wafer before the Christmas Eve meal. Each person breaks off a piece and gives it to another, sharing good wishes. Sending wafers by post helps family members who live far away feel part of the celebration. In parts of China, people give decorated apples as gifts. This is because the word for apple sounds like the words for “peaceful night.” This makes a small gift a promise of calm and safety.
Other traditions are about having lots of food and sharing it. In Indian Christian communities, families prepare kuswar. These are many homemade sweets. They can include fried dough shapes covered in sugar. In Nigeria, chin chin fills bowls. These are crunchy, spiced dough pieces. Guests and children eat them throughout the holiday. In the cold of a European December, warm mugs of mulled wine, cooked with spices and lemon or orange, warm hands and help people talk.
Taken together, these desserts and drinks complete the picture of Christmas. It is a season of public customs, unusual habits, and special characters. With small, repeated tastes, they gently bring stories of faith, family, and hope into daily life.
Final summary
In this Blink to The Atlas of Christmas by Alex Palmer, you’ve learned that Christmas is much more diverse than just one snowy picture or a well-known Christmas song. Around the world, communities start the season with parades, markets, and big fires. They add unusual customs like lots of books and swimming in icy water. They give the job of bringing gifts to saints, giants, witches, and cold spirits. Devils and people who cause trouble make sure no one acts too badly. Big meals, sweets, and drinks bring family history and local tastes to every table. These traditions show that there are many ways to celebrate. There is also lots of space to make your own holidays more exciting with new ideas.
Okay, that’s it for this Blink. We hope you enjoyed it. If you can, please take the time to leave us a rating – we always appreciate your feedback. See you in the next Blink.
Source: https://www.blinkist.com/https://www.blinkist.com/en/books/the-atlas-of-christmas-en