Fun Christmas traditions from around the world

Roller skates on a wooden pier

Here at Advent of Change we are humbled by the amazing reaction to our charitable twist on the advent calendar concept. And recently, we’ve been thinking about popular festive traditions and how they have changed over time. Did you know, for example, that the tradition of the advent calendar dates right back to the mid-19th century in Germany, when chalk marks on doors were used to count down to Christmas?
Countries from around the world each have their own fun and quirky festive traditions – and we don’t just mean inviting a man in a red suit down our chimneys to eat our food…! These weird and wonderful acts are often born from myths, stories and superstitions, and are proudly upheld to this day.

 

From roller skates to radish carving, we take a look at different Christmas traditions from around the world…

 

  1. Get your skates on!

In the capital of Venezuela, Caracas, revellers make their way to early-morning church services on roller skates. This rolling congregation can be seen throughout the festive period, and the roads are even closed off specially. Does this make you want to go rollerskating?