Blog Posts of Christmas Past

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Being away from home during the holiday season can sometimes bring a little homesickness to students abroad. However, students have the opportunity to participate in local cultural holiday celebrations that are unique to their host country. Georgetown Stories from Beyond the Hilltop are blog posts written by students abroad. Through this forum, students can share their experiences, including the various special cultural traditions they observe and partake in during the holidays. If you want to read more, the blog posts below highlight how past students have engaged with holiday traditions in Japan, Spain, and France.

“…Japan’s unique tradition of having fried chicken from KFC as a Christmas meal. Special Christmas KFC meal buckets are often pre-ordered months in advance, though long lines of individuals and families still form on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.” Continue reading about Kevin’s KFC Christmas in Japan!

“The tradition I find most unusual is the Spanish Christmas Lottery, which has been in existence since 1812.  For weeks leading up to Christmas, people stand outside in lines to buy tickets in the world’s biggest lottery.” Keep reading Susannah’s story to find out exactly how many euros are in the pot of the world’s biggest lottery!

“Despite the lack of apple cider, Lyon does feel different right now. Maybe that’s because France does Yuletide so very well: there’s a marché de Noël five minutes from my house, I can buy roasted chestnuts and mulled wine from stands all around town, and the weather is a perfect mix of seasonally-appropriate chill and stunning blue skies.” Read more about Jordan’s fairytale Christmas finals season!