As Holidays are approaching, we figured it was time to look around us and see how other countries in the world celebrate Christmas. All of us are familiar with Santa Claus and gift giving as American traditions, but did you know these traditions are not the same everywhere in the world? If you did not, don’t worry, your favorite translation company is here to tell you about the most surprising ways people celebrate it outside the US.
A tradition does not appear over night; it only becomes one when a group of people decide to repeat it over the years. Just like Coca-Cola’s Santa conquered America (perhaps by investing in good marketing localization services), it eventually seduced the rest of the world by combining an international marketing approach with excellent digital marketing translation services. A translation company can come in handy for Christmas commercials and even advertising materials with the help of packaging translation services. A lot of people complain about how Christmas has become highly commercialized, as it was originally supposed to be a celebration of Jesus’ birthday in the Christian calendar.
However, we should keep in mind that not all countries are Christian, and traditions vary a lot from culture to culture. Therefore, our translation company decided to tell you more about five Christmas traditions around the world that may surprise you:
1. “La Befana” in Italy from a translation company’s perspective:
In Italy, La Befana is an old woman that is supposed to deliver gift to kids, traditionally in their stocks. She would be the equivalent of Santa, but she does not come on the 25th of December but on January 5th, Epiphany’s Eve. La Befana is an Italian name with Latin roots, but an international translator could offer academic translation ensure better understanding across language groups.
2. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in Japan had our translation company speechless:
If you thought the traditional American Christmas had become commercial, you probably did not know what Japanese people have been doing for the last 40 years. Each year, it is tradition for the Japanese to purchase KFC for the whole family instead of making a home-cooked meal. People even have to make an order months in advance due to the popular demand. It is surprising how an American fast-food chain like KFC that probably had to go through much paperwork using Japanese patent translation made up a whole tradition there.
3. Our translation company was surprised to learn that Iceland had 13 Santa Clauses
Believe it or not Icelandic children are visited by 13 lads on Christmas and not one Santa or one Befana. The 13 lads are the ones in charge of putting candy in the little shoes that children place by the window.
4. Ethiopia and their processions
One thing to be aware of is that Ethiopians still follow the Julian calendar and then celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January and not the 25th of December. On the 7th, they gather in a congregation to do a procession around the Church in which they celebrate Christmas.
5. “La Quemada del diablo” in Guatemala
It means “Burning the Devil” and it is an old Guatemalan tradition that has been around since the 16th century. Usually people collect the most old/used thing they have in their house and burn it. It is supposed to symbolize spiritual cleansing.
All these traditions come from very unexpected places around the world. You realize that almost anything can become a tradition. In a few years, you might even have something like bitcoin becoming a gift-giving tradition in some countries and next thing you know they will need a translation company to translate bitcoin.
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections LLC
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com
