With the holiday season upon us, thousands of families we’ve helped relocate to all corners of the globe will be spending their first holiday season in a new country. They will experience new and unique traditions in their host countries while bringing their own family favorites from home.
These are the stories of Graebel employees around the world along with other traditional celebrations we’ve come to know and love.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Holiday Traditions
From Around the World
Beverly King
Director, Client Development & Consulting EMEA
Every year we make our Christmas pudding (using an old family recipe) and each of us at home has a turn stirring the mixture before it is cooked. We each make a wish as we stir it (and also usually take a photo for the memory!)
This special date, known as Stir Up Sunday, falls on Sunday November 24 this year - the last Sunday before Advent. The pudding is cooked far in advance of Christmas Day to allow the traditional fruits and other contents to mature together over a few weeks.
Once ready to consume, you cover it with brandy and set it alight! Then it's time to eat it (after allowing for the flames to go out of course!) together with some brandy cream.
I have my mother in law to thank for this wonderful tradition. She gave me the old family recipe in the form of a handwritten note – kept in a recipe folder with all my other precious family recipes. I am careful not to damage the paper with any spillage (or flames for that matter!)
from
Denver
Costa Rica
United Kingdom
Ukraine
India
China
The ultimate guide to Stir-up Sunday 2019
Japan
Red Envelope Delivers Good Fortune - China
Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year, is the most important holiday in China and to people with Chinese heritage around the world. Around 20% of the world population celebrates Lunar New Year.
It is often also referred to as the Spring Festival in China and is set according to the lunar calendar. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February and in 2020 the first day of Chinese New Year will be on Saturday, 25 January, starting the Year of the Rat.
On New Year’s Eve, most fireworks are set off in the world that night and are supposed to scare off monsters and bad luck for the new year.
The Chinese New Year celebration generally lasts 15 days and causes the largest human migration in the world. Married couples and the elderly give red envelopes that contain money, to children. It is a custom for children to wish their elders a year of happiness, healing and good fortune before accepting the red envelope.
The red envelope itself symbolizes good luck and fortune for the children.
Wikipedia: Chinese New Year
MengZiang Chy
Director, Business Development
Wish Upon a Pudding - United Kingdom
Diwali: The Triumph of Good Over Evil - India
Nowzad Wadia
Manager, Account Management, India
Diwali, the Hindu "Festival of Lights", is a
five-day celebration that falls between
mid-October and mid-November. It symbolizes the spiritual victory of good over evil.
Celebrants mark the occassion by lighting their homes with diyas - small oil lamps that signify goodness and purity - to rid them of darkness and vices.
The festival culminates with additional acts such as offering worship, lighting fireworks and partaking in family feasts where gifts are also shared.
The significance of diyas at Diwali
The significance of diyas at Diwali
Wikipedia: Chinese New Year
The ultimate guide to Stir-up Sunday 2019
Decorating with Spider Webs - Ukraine
In many countries, the spider is synonymous with Halloween, but not so in Ukraine!
Eastern European folklore tells the story of a poor family who grew a Christmas tree from a pinecone that had fallen to the earth floor of their hut and taken root. The children cared for the tree and were excited to decorate it come Christmas Eve, but the family could not afford to do so. They went to sleep disappointed but when they woke up Christmas morning, they found the tree covered in cobwebs spun by the "Christmas Spider".
Today, Ukrainian families dress up their trees with spider webs and spider ornaments to welcome good luck in the coming year.
Blending Traditions - Denver, USA
When our family relocated to Phoenix, we wanted to make sure our children's first holiday there was one to remember, even if it was only us after we moved away from the rest of our family in Chicago. So we created a new tradition!
We decided to make Christmas Eve a bigger thing than we used to by mixing some of my culture (I am a Mexican-American) with my husband's holiday traditions. For dinner, we made a Mexican fiesta, carne asada, chicken and ground beef tacos, with rice, beans and tortillas. Then we played board games and watched the classic movie, It’s A Wonderful Life.
We eventually went back home to Illinois, but to this day, with our adult children, we continue this tradition every year and have recently added in wearing ugly sweaters!
Bull Fights and Tamales - Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, the first sign that the precious holiday season is coming is the cooler winds and crisper air!
The real celebrations begin with a number of colorful and vibrant festivals, parades and rodeos, while we enjoy tranditional tamales.
Ericka Campos
Manager, LATAM
Liz Thompson
Digital Marketing Manager
Tamales with coffee or agua dulce but it has to be with our traditional, and well known, Salsa Lizano sauce!
Costa Ricans celebrate the holiday season and mark the end of the year in style with Fiestas de Zapote. The week long celebration that is part carnival, part parade, and part bullfighting!
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Kentucky Fried Christmas - Japan
In Japan, Christmas is acknowledged in a few different ways. For some, it is considered a romantic holiday - much like Valentine's Day in many western countries. For others, it is acknowledged but not really celebrated.
But for millions of Japanese families, eating KFC on December 25 is a longheld tradition!
In fact, it has become so popular, that you can't simply walk in and order your favorite bucket but instead must order ahead - sometimes months in advance.
But how did this unique tradition start? KFC credits Takeshi Okawara, the manager of the first KFC in the country, who in 1970 created a dinner package for foreigners who wanted something that resembled a traditional holiday meal.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Night of the Radishes - Mexico
Over 120 years ago, in an effort to attract more buyers, market sellers in Oaxaca, Mexico began carving radishes into various shapes.
In 1897, the Municipal President at the time delcared an official competition would be held each year on December 23. Today, it has grown to be a three-day festival that presents the most impressive display of carved vegetables in the world - with exhibits featuring Nativity scenes and other events from Mexican folklore.
The radishes - reaching up to 80 centimeters long - are grown just for this event where they remain on display through Christmas Day.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Mexico
Gift Giving With a Twist - Phoenix, USA
As we have gotten older and the kids are now young adults, we have taken on a new holiday tradition with gift giving.
We find the craziest gifts that fit each others' personalities and/or what the person dislikes or is afraid of. Not to be mean...it's to help them overcome their fears!
We have had the most hilarious holidays hearing that deep gut kind of laugh and seeing our loved ones having the best time!! It truly warms the heart.
You get to a point where you don’t need more stuff and want to avoid the stress of shopping, so why not have fun with it? The best part of this tradition is no feelings get hurt if you toss it, keep it or re-gift to another next year! It’s perfect for us.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Phoenix
The Expat Gathering - Singapore
As an Australian expat, I've spent many a holiday away from home. In the expat community, we often put on what we term an "Orphans' Christmas" for those people who are away from their family on Christmas Day.
We all get together and organize a secret santa, bring lots of food, and people just come and go through the day as it suits.
It’s a really nice way to make sure people who are far from home and away from family, can come together and support each other and still have a lovely celebration.
For friends with children we all become their adopted aunts and uncles for the day!
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Singapore
New Year's Wellie Race - Ireland
We have a local tradition on New Year’s Day, going on 40 years this year, that brings a smile to many faces. It is a charity race and parade with hundreds of people involved, where the participants wear "Wellies" - rubber rain boots that are a must-have in this part of the world!
The idea originally started back in 1978 when a group of men from Castlecomer, Ireland, decided they wanted to run off their "holiday excess" with a cross country race.
The first organized race took place in 1981 and was a huge hit with the locals, becoming an annual tradition, and consistently raising money that has been donated to a wide range of local, national, and international charities.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Ireland
China
Japan
India
Costa Rica
Ukraine
Mexico
Singapore
United
Kingdom
Ireland
Phoenix
Beverly King
Director, Client Development & Consulting EMEA
Wish Upon a Pudding - England
Every year we make our Christmas pudding (using an old family recipe) and each of us at home has a turn stirring the mixture before it is cooked. We each make a wish as we stir it (and also usually take a photo for the memory!)
This special date, known as Stir Up Sunday, falls on Sunday November 24 this year - the last Sunday before Advent. The pudding is cooked far in advance of Christmas Day to allow the traditional fruits and other contents to mature together over a few weeks.
Once ready to consume, you cover it with brandy and set it alight! Then it's time to eat it (after allowing for the flames to go out of course!) together with some brandy cream.
I have my mother in law to thank for this wonderful tradition. She gave me the old family recipe in the form of a handwritten note – kept in a recipe folder with all my other precious family recipes. I am careful not to damage the paper with any spillage (or flames for that matter!)
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
The ultimate guide to Stir-up Sunday 2019
MengZiang Chy
Director, Business Development
Red Envelope Delivers Good Fortune - China
Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year, is the most important holiday in China and to people with Chinese heritage around the world. Around 20% of the world population celebrates Lunar New Year.
It is often also referred to as the Spring Festival in China and is set according to the lunar calendar. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February and in 2020 the first day of Chinese New Year will be on Saturday, 25 January, starting the Year of the Rat.
On New Year’s Eve, most fireworks are set off in the world that night and are supposed to scare off monsters and bad luck for the new year.
The Chinese New Year celebration generally lasts 15 days and causes the largest human migration in the world. Married couples and the elderly give red envelopes that contain money, to children. It is a custom for children to wish their elders a year of happiness, healing and good fortune before accepting the red envelope.
The red envelope itself symbolizes good luck and fortune for the children.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Wikipedia: Chinese New Year
Decorating with Spider Webs - Ukraine
In many countries, the spider is synonymous with Halloween, but not so in Ukraine!
Eastern European folklore tells the story of a poor family who grew a Christmas tree from a pinecone that had fallen to the earth floor of their hut and taken root. The children cared for the tree and were excited to decorate it come Christmas Eve, but the family could not afford to do so. They went to sleep disappointed but when they woke up Christmas morning, they found the tree covered in cobwebs spun by the "Christmas Spider".
Today, Ukrainian families dress up their trees with spider webs and spider ornaments to welcome good luck in the coming year.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Liz Thompson
Digital Marketing Manager
Blending Traditions - Denver, USA
When our family relocated to Phoenix, we wanted to make sure our children's first holiday there was one to remember, even if it was only us after we moved away from the rest of our family in Chicago. So we created a new tradition!
We decided to make Christmas Eve a bigger thing than we used to by mixing some of my culture (I am a Mexican-American) with my husband's holiday traditions. For dinner, we made a Mexican fiesta, carne asada, chicken and ground beef tacos, with rice, beans and tortillas. Then we played board games and watched the classic movie, It’s A Wonderful Life.
We eventually went back home to Illinois, but to this day, with our adult children, we continue this tradition every year and have recently added in wearing ugly sweaters!
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Ericka Campos
Manager, LATAM
Bull Fights and Tamales - Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, the first sign that the precious holiday season is coming is the cooler winds and crisper air! The real celebrations begin with a number of colorful and vibrant festivals, parades and rodeos, while we enjoy tranditional tamales.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Kentucky Fried Christmas - Japan
In Japan, Christmas is acknowledged in a few different ways. For some, it is considered a romantic holiday - much like Valentine's Day in many western countries. For others, it is acknowledged but not really celebrated.
But for millions of Japanese families, eating KFC on December 25 is a longheld tradition!
In fact, it has become so popular, that you can't simply walk in and order your favorite bucket but instead must order ahead - sometimes months in advance.
But how did this unique tradition start? KFC credits Takeshi Okawara, the manager of the first KFC in the country, who in 1970 created a dinner package for foreigners who wanted something that resembled a traditional holiday meal.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Night of the Radishes - Mexico
Over 120 years ago, in an effort to attract more buyers, market sellers in Oaxaca, Mexico began carving radishes into various shapes.
In 1897, the Municipal President at the time delcared an official competition would be held each year on December 23. Today, it has grown to be a three-day festival that presents the most impressive display of carved vegetables in the world - with exhibits featuring Nativity scenes and other events from Mexican folklore.
The radishes - reaching up to 80 centimeters long - are grown just for this event where they remain on display through Christmas Day.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Gift Giving With a Twist - Phoenix, USA
As we have gotten older and the kids are now young adults, we have taken on a new holiday tradition with gift giving.
We find the craziest gifts that fit each others' personalities and/or what the person dislikes or is afraid of. Not to be mean...it's to help them overcome their fears!
We have had the most hilarious holidays hearing that deep gut kind of laugh and seeing our loved ones having the best time!! It truly warms the heart.
You get to a point where you don’t need more stuff and want to avoid the stress of shopping, so why not have fun with it? The best part of this tradition is no feelings get hurt if you toss it, keep it or re-gift to another next year! It’s perfect for us.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
The Expat Gathering - Singapore
As an Australian expat, I've spent many a holiday away from home. In the expat community, we often put on what we term an "Orphans' Christmas" for those people who are away from their family on Christmas Day.
We all get together and organize a secret santa, bring lots of food, and people just come and go through the day as it suits.
It’s a really nice way to make sure people who are far from home and away from family, can come together and support each other and still have a lovely celebration.
For friends with children we all become their adopted aunts and uncles for the day!
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
New Year's Day Wellie Race - Ireland
We have a local tradition on New Year’s Day, going on 40 years this year, that brings a smile to many faces. It is a charity race and parade with hundreds of people involved, where the participants wear "Wellies" - rubber rain boots that are a must-have in this part of the world!
The idea originally started back in 1978 when a group of men from Castlecomer, Ireland, decided they wanted to run off their "holiday excess" with a cross country race.
The first organized race took place in 1981 and was a huge hit with the locals, becoming an annual tradition, and consistently raising money that has been donated to a wide range of local, national, and international charities.
The event has gone on to be replicated around the world with similar events held in New York, Toronto and Sydney, to name a few.
Fun fact: I also took part in the Sydney event back in 2000!
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
Nowzad Wadia
Manager, Account Management, India
Diwali: The Triumph of Good Over Evil - in India
Diwali, the Hindu "Festival of Lights", is a five-day celebration that falls between mid-October and mid-November. It symbolizes the spiritual victory of good over evil.
Celebrants mark the occassion by lighting their homes with diyas - small oil lamps that signify goodness and purity - to rid them of darkness and vices.
The festival culminates with additional acts such as offering worship, lighting fireworks and partaking in family feasts where gifts are also shared.
Share your global holiday traditions with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook using #graebelholidaytraditions.
The significance of diyas at Diwali
Tony Purcell
Global Shared Service Accounting Manager
The event has gone on to be replicated around the world with similar events held in New York, Toronto and Sydney, to name a few.
Fun fact: I took part in the Sydney event back in 2000!
40th Castlecomer Wellie Race
40th Castlecomer Wellie Race
Janine Barnes
Senior Director, International Operations
9 Ideas for Surviving Christmas Abroad as an Expat
9 Ideas for Surviving Christmas Abroad as an Expat
Kerri Amman
Director, Account Management
Inside Oaxaca's radish-carving festival
Inside Oaxaca's radish-carving festival
Why Japan celebrates Christmas with KFC
Why Japan celebrates Christmas with KFC
Legend of the Christmas Spider
Legend of the Christmas Spider
Kerri Amman
Director, Account Management
Tony Purcell
Global Shared Service Accounting Manager
Janine Barnes, Senior Director, International Operations
Inside Oaxaca's radish-carving festival
40th Castlecomer Wellie Race
9 Ideas for Surviving Christmas Abroad as an Expat
Legend of the Christmas Spider
Why Japan celebrates Christmas with KFC
