For one of our EOTO activities, we decided to take a stroll through the Christmas market at Keskustori square. As we walked around, we spent most of the time talking about how we celebrate Christmas in our home countries.
For me as a German, Christmas is mainly about spending time with family, enjoying festive food, and having drinks together.
In Germany, Christmas markets are an essential part of the holiday season and can be found in almost every town. People enjoy warm Glühwein (mulled wine), Lebkuchen (gingerbread), and all kinds of sweets, while children love decorating gingerbread houses. We usually open presents on the evening of December 24th. Another very common German tradition is having raclette on Christmas, where everyone makes small pans of food topped with melted cheese at the table.
Etty explained how different Christmas can be in the Netherlands. Although Christmas markets are becoming more popular, they aren’t as deeply rooted in tradition as in Germany. Dutch celebrations often focus more on Sinterklaas earlier in December, while Christmas itself is usually a quieter holiday centered around family dinners.
Valeria shared how Christmas is celebrated in Mexico. Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena, is the main celebration with family gatherings, gifts, and traditional dishes like tamales, ponche navideño, and roast turkey (pavo navideño). She also told us about Las Posadas, a series of celebrations during the days leading up to Christmas, and the tradition of eating twelve grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve for good luck.
It was fascinating to compare our traditions and see how the same holiday can be celebrated so differently around the world, yet still bring people together in similar ways.
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