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Decorating for the holidays is a big part of many people’s Christmas traditions. While certain items like Christmas trees, lights, and wreathes are pretty standard decorative fodder, there are other unique decorations that people use to make their homes more festive. People from other parts of the globe definitely like to think a bit outside the box when it comes to their Christmas decorations. Here are some interesting examples of holiday décor that have a more regional flare.
Before the days where you could simply buy your tree ornaments in bulk, people used many natural items to decorate their Christmas tree. We’re talking about things like fruit, nuts, and pine cones. In France, one of the most common fruits to use for the tree was a red apple. This is said to have been because of its close association with the Garden of Eden and the story of Adam and Eve. Though a drought caused the tradition to wane for a few years in the 1800’s, it has remained a popular decoration.
These Christmas decorations are made from individual pieces of straw. Each piece is folded and angled in order to create a beautiful completed piece that is made up of geometric patterns and shapes. Originally, these decorations would be hung above the dining table at Christmas and would remain up until the middle of summer. It was thought that the himmeli would bring good luck and a good harvest. Today, they’re are seen as a way to honor heritage.
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With its rich nautical history, it really shouldn’t be too surprising that “Christmas ships” are vastly popular in Greece. When sailors returned home after long periods at sea, it was traditional for their wives to give them a “karavaki” or “little boat”. These small decorative ships would then go on to be synonymous with the Christmas season as Greeks celebrate the patron saint of sailors in December, who just so happens to be Agios Nikolas (Saint Nicholas). During the holiday season in Greece, you’ll find lit-up Christmas boats in many public spaces where you might see a Christmas tree in other countries.
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While we might generally associate spiders and spiderwebs with Halloween more than Christmas decorations, the Ukraine begs to differ. There is a very popular holiday story in the Ukraine that speaks about a poor window and her children. Too poor to afford decorations for their tree, a spider living inside it takes pity on them and decorates the tree with her webbing. When the family sees the tree on Christmas morning, all the webs turn to gold in the sunlight, and the family is no longer destitute. Ukrainian families consider spider and spiderweb decorations to be good luck.
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