Italian
If you or your family are Italian, you know how important fish is to Christmas celebrations. Christmas Eve is known as the Feast of the 7 Fishes to Italian-Americans. Christmas Eve is known as a fasting day for Italians where you should eat on a pescatarian diet in preparation for the Christmas Day meal. It is common for Italian families to have 7 different types of seafood at their Christmas Eve dinner in commemoration of the Feast of the 7 Fishes. This comes from the Roman Catholic tradition to refrain from eating meat on Christmas Eve in honor of the birth of baby Jesus.
Japanese
The most popular Christmas dinner tradition in Japan is fried chicken! The American fast-food chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken has been a staple in Japanese Christmas Dinners since the 1970s. Only about 1% of the Japanese are Christian, but the fried chicken on Christmas tradition became country-wide following a Kentucky Fried Chicken campaign that became extremely popular and well-known. This campaign started in the 1970s leading to this new Japanese holiday tradition.
Mexican
A common Christmas dish in Mexico is called Ensalada de Noche Buena or Mexican Christmas Salad. Noche Buena refers to Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, family and friends will get together to celebrate after Christmas Eve mass. Since Ensalada de Noche Buena is made with red beets and green apples, this dish even looks festive! This dish is customized to the references and “in-season” fruits and vegetables so every Ensalada de Noche Buena you try could taste different!
German
A typical German Christmas dinner is usually starred by duck or goose! This tradition is based on the legend of Queen Elizabeth I. In 1588, when Queen Elizabeth I found out the British defeated the Spanish Armada, she was eating goose. It is said that she ordered all of England to also eat goose at Christmas to honor this defeat. This then turned into the tradition of eating goose on Christmas that eventually found its way to Germany where it still lives.
While not all of these cultures have a large percentage of Christians, Christmas traditions are still commonplace because who doesn’t love an excuse to hang out with family and eat great food? Holidays are about spending time with the people you love no matter how you celebrate.
If you are interested in making any of these delicious dishes for your Christmas dinner, look up local seasonings, rubs, and mixes vendors so you can support small businesses while embracing tradition!