Leo Schroeder, Staff writer
Other Countries and Their Adopted Holidays
With the holiday season coming into full swing, we are starting to see many different festivities come into bloom, some of the most popular being Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years. With only a few customs that we know off of the top of our heads’, there may be curiosity towards other unique traditions celebrated around the world that we don’t know about. Holiday traditions around the world have been influenced by the United States, and even if we may inquire, that our “American” traditions evolved from other countries.
The Philippines is is one key example of American influence. Being a predominantly Christian country due to its colonization by Spain, and later the United States after the Spanish-American war. During the World War I and II, as well as the Cold war, the U.S. used areas in the Philippines as military vantage points. This resulted in the Americanization of traditions in the Philippines. Filipino Christmas was never the same again after the Spanish-American war. According to sites such as Tagaloglang.com and Filipiknow.net, dedicated to informing people about worldly traditions, Christmas festivities in the Philippines now start in September and continue well through the end of December. Throughout these celebrations, Filipino traditions include going to Christmas Eve mass and drinking hot chocolate, similar to American festivities during the holiday season. The imperialist influence of America not only spread their ideal forms of government, but even further beyond to holiday festivities.
Along with the Philippines, South Korea was also heavily influenced by America. What some consider the most Christian country in Eastern Asia, most Koreans go to Christmas mass and celebrate holidays with gift giving and tree decorating. Much like the Philippines, South Korea was the unsuspecting host of American soldiers during war time. Like any human being would do, American soldiers had brought their holiday traditions along with them to the war.
American holiday traditions aren’t completely original either. A lot of the traditions such as Christmas tree lightings and gift giving come from Scandinavian countries. Ever wonder about the wreaths or bundles of red berries used as decoration for the holidays? Well, it all started as a small custom in Norway and Sweden. The red berries signify life and fertility. How about the Christmas tree that is a hallmark of the winter holidays? That too comes from Western Europe. Tannenbaum is the German word for “fir tree” and is acquainted with the lighting and decorating of them. The decorating of the fir tree can be dated back to the 1500’s. This just goes to show us that an “American Christmas” isn’t so American after all.
America has heavily influenced many countries’ ways of celebrating Christmas. Whether it is because of wartime association or Hallmark marketing, America’s impact on the world remains ever present. All around the world, people are moving, spreading, and fusing their traditions to create a truly unique holiday experience. This holiday season, take a minute to look around and notice all of the different countries’ traditions that have come together to make a one of a kind holiday experience for you.
