Celebrating
Unique.
From family to nationality, we each have unique reasons and festivals to celebrate this holiday season. As a global team, we’ve explored some of the special traditions that are celebrated all over the world at this time of year, and we expressed each one in a piece of artwork with our own, unique style.
This holiday season, we’re celebrating unique.
Takanakuy.
The fighting festival, Andean, Peru.
Takanakuy is a Quechua term for ‘boiling blood’ and in certain places in Peru, December 25 is a time for an organized brawl in the form of the Takanakuy festival. Signifying reconciliation and new beginnings, people dress in fantastical costumes then wrestle in a ring. Folk music plays and there is a merry, festival atmosphere.
The Bear Dance.
Romania.
Organized every winter in villages and cities in Romania, The Bear Dance symbolizes the death and rebirth of time. Performed between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, this ancient ritual brings together the whole community, who gather to watch the performance.
Al Dhafra Festival.
The Bedouin Festival of Camels, UAE.
Every year, the UAE hosts the Al Dhafra Festival in Abu Dhabi. The festival is also the greatest showcase of Bedouin lifestyle in the world. Nearly 25,000 camels take part in the races and camel beauty pageant every year.
Gebraaide Ruspes.
Festive fried caterpillars, South Africa.
Instead of passing around the mince pies, South Africans enjoy traditional Christmas caterpillars from the Emperor moth, which are deep-fried and served on Christmas Day. These crunchy snacks are said to be quite nutritious and have a flavor reminiscent of tea.
Genna.
Ethiopia.
A vicious ball and stick game that’s like field hockey with more brutality, Genna is the exciting and competitive way that Ethiopians like to ring in the season. Wood and leather balls that can knock out players are used on a field that has no regulation size. It’s also a parade where everyone attends mass carrying ornate parasols.
Krampus.
Krampus Run, Austria.
In Austria, Krampus comes and visits children but, unlike Santa, his visit is not welcome: Krampus seeks out only naughty children to punish them, and if he finds a particularly naughty one, he takes that child away with him in his sack. But the celebration comes when people dress up as witches and devils and take to the streets, carrying torches and causing mayhem, for the annual Krampus Run, which is designed to scare the “devil” out of people!
Las Patinatas.
Christmas roller-skating, Venezuela.
Every year between 16 and 24 December in Caracas, Venezuela, roads are closed to traffic to let people “barrel down the streets” on roller skates to get to the early morning Christmas mass.
Noche de Rábanos.
Night of the radishes, Oaxaca, Mexico.
The Night of the Radishes is an annual event held on December 23 in Oaxaca, Mexico, dedicated to the carving of oversized radishes to create scenes that
compete for prizes in various categories. The event
has its origins in the colonial period when radishes
were introduced by the Spanish.
Dongzhi Festival.
China.
Dongzhi festival is a Chinese celebration that marks the arrival of the Winter Solstice. Families come together during this festival to enjoy a plentiful meal, often including dumplings. This tradition is rooted in an ancient legend where a compassionate physician fed dumplings to the homeless to protect their ears from frostbite. As a result, some dumplings served during the festival are shaped like ears.
Gravy Day.
Australia.
December 21 unofficially marks ‘Gravy Day’ in Australia, thanks to singer Paul Kelly. His song, How to Make Gravy, about an imprisoned man who regrets missing Christmas Day with his children and extended family, has become an Aussie yuletide anthem since its release in 1996.
Throwing buckets
of water.
of water.
Cuba.
At midnight on New Year’s Eve, Cuban families throw a bucket of water out of the door. As with other holiday cleaning traditions, the idea is to wash away all bad things as the new year approaches. It’s also a tradition that is thought to bring good luck – unless you’re innocently walking by the house when the ritual takes place.
Happy Holidays
from Just Global.
Maybe you’re leaping into The Bear Dance in Romania or testing your carving skills at the Night of the Radishes in Oaxaca, Mexico. Even if you’re just planning on tucking into a festive roast dinner, join us this year in ‘celebrating unique’.
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