Around the World in Festive Traditions
This country celebrates Christmas by dining on KFC, a tradition started by a 1970s marketing campaign.
Japan
This natural phenomenon, seen near the poles, is caused by charged solar particles interacting with Earth’s atmosphere.
The Aurora Borealis
(also Northern or Southern Lights acceptable)
This French holiday dessert is designed to look like a wooden log and is often decorated with meringue mushrooms.
Bûche de Noël
The town of Barrow (Utqiaġvik) in this U.S. state sees over 60 days of winter darkness — and plenty of snow.
Alaska
🚂❄️🎟️☕️✨
The Polar Express
In this country, Christmas dinner typically includes barbecues and beach parties.
Australia (also New Zealand acceptable)
This continent is technically the world’s largest desert.
Antarctica
Christmas pudding contains dried fruit, suet, spices, and often alcohol. Before serving, it is traditionally set on fire using this liquor.
Brandy
This African country has ski resorts in the Atlas Mountains, despite its desert reputation.
Morocco
🧝♂️🎄🍝🍬😃
Elf
This country lights thousands of lanterns for “Día de las Velitas,” marking the start of the holiday season.
Colombia
Snowflakes form always have this number of symmetrical sides.
Six
Glühwein or glögg is mulled wine flavored with citrus and spices. This spice is almost always included and gives it a warm, wintery aroma.
Cinnamon
This South American country touches the Andes and has ski resorts despite being mostly tropical.
Chile (Argentina acceptable)
💚🎄🏔️😠🎁
The Grinch
This Nordic country is famous for its giant Yule Goat, which is often made of straw and sometimes mysteriously burns down.
Sweden
This term describes a storm with winds over 35 mph and visibility less than ¼ mile for at least 3 hours.
Blizzard
In South Africa, many families enjoy a “braai” for Christmas. What style of cooking is a braai?
Barbecuing
This Asian country has one of the world’s snowiest cities, Aomori, thanks to cold Siberian winds over the sea.
Japan
❄️👭👸🏼🧊⛰️
Frozen
This European country’s traditional Christmas figure, Joulupukki, originally rode a goat rather than a sleigh.
Finland
Sometimes called “winter’s teeth,” these sharp structures form as dripping snowmelt freezes again in the cold.
Icicles
The Christmas cake bibingka is traditionally cooked in clay pots lined with banana leaves in this country.
Philippines
This Nordic country sits at a latitude similar to Alaska’s and is known for its cozy cafés, saunas, and snowy winters.
Finland
👻🎄3️⃣⏳
A Christmas Carol