CHINA
A recent tradition in China has seen apples wrapped extravagantly and adorned in pretty paper and twirling ribbons and gifted on Christmas Eve. Why, you say? Christmas Eve is called 'Pin An Ye' in China and the word for apple is 'Ping Guo'. The close translation has seen the birth of a new practice for Chinese citizens.
GERMAN
Germans are famed for receiving and opening their presents the day before Christmas Day. Nikolaus (our version of cheery, chunky Santa) and a companion who will punish children if they have been bad deliver these gifts. The identity of his evil elf changes across the country: in some regions he is called Krampus, a big horned monster clothed in rags.
NETHERLANDS
Good children receive presents from Sinterklaas, but bad children get put in a sack and taken to Spain for a year to teach them how to behave! Every year the mythical figure that is Sinterklass arrives in Holland via boat on December 5th so children wake to chocolate and presents on December 6th.
UKRAINE
Ukrainian Christmas symbols include garlic, goats and even spiders. Traditional folk stories claim that once upon a time a poor family had nothing to decorate their tree with so a spider visited that night and spun webs between its branches that shimmered and sparkled on Christmas morning - and thus tinsel was born. Now this metallic garland and baubles with cobwebs adorn Ukrainian trees.
POLAND
The day before Christmas is spent fasting in preparation for the big day. Come Christmas Lunch the Polish table consists of 12 dishes, providing good luck for the next 12months and representing Jesus' 12 disciples. The meal is often free of meat to remember the animals in the barn at Jesus' birth and some even say animals gain the power of speech at Christmas time.
SPAIN
Spaniards celebrate Christmas on December 25, and on January 6 they have a second festival called Epiphany. The festival celebrates the three wise men that brought presents to Jesus' manger and while children receive some presents on Christmas Day most are received at this second celebration. Children write letters to The Three Wise Men on Boxing Day asking for presents that they have not yet received and leave shoes to be filled bv the kings on the eve of January 5.
ICELAND
One Father Christmas wasn't enough for lceland, so they have '13. An unlucky number for some, this country has different names, identities and personalities for the chaps who
Thanks to North Quarter magazine in Brighton for the contribution.