Latin
Many of us know Latin as the godmother of romance languages, which include Italian, Spanish, French, and English (half of it, anyway). But does anyone still speak it? Latin is still the official language of the Vatican, but even there, Italian is more commonly spoken. In fact, when the pope resigned in 2013, many Cardinals weren’t sure what he had actually said, as their Latin wasn’t exactly fluent. So is the Pope basically the only speaker of Latin? Maybe not. Even after the fall of Rome, Latin persisted. While it fell out of general use for good by the 18th century, it was an essential tenet of classical education well into the 20th century. And some educators still teach it. Latin is a way to better understand our own language, and a way to participate in a sort of living history of the western world.

Gaelic
As it happens, there is actually more than one form of Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, and the form of Gaelic spoken in Ireland, known simply as Irish. It is important to remember that these are two different languages. But do people still speak them? According to recent census data, 59,000 Scottish people reported the ability to speak Gaelic, compared with 1.77 million Irish people who reported that they could speak Irish. The difference can most likely be attributed to the fact that Irish Language is a standard part of the school curriculum in Ireland. Both countries are, by and large, monolingual English speakers, but many in Scotland and Ireland are eager to preserve their national languages, which are precious to the cultures of each. For example, Gaelscoileanna, schools which are taught entirely in Irish, have become much more popular in recent years. These schools help to preserve and promote new generations of native Irish speakers.

Navajo
It’s unfortunately true that many languages of North America’s many Native American Nations have been all but forgotten. And yet some of these languages have survived despite everything (including attempted cultural obliteration). Among the surviving languages is Navajo, by far the most widely spoken of North America’s many Native American languages. According to a recent census, there are currently 169,000 Navajo speakers, most of whom are concentrated in the areas of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

Hawaiian
The Hawaiian language is not to be confused with Hawaiian Pidgin [link to pidgin article], which is a language born of the many languages spoken by peoples who had at one point or another been displaced to Hawaii. Hawaiian is the language of the people native to Hawaii, and its influence can be seen all over the islands. In fact, you probably know at least two well-known Hawaiian words: Aloha and Mahalo! According to census data, Hawaiian is the fifth most commonly spoken language in Hawaii.

Australian Aboriginal
When settlers first arrived in Australia, there were over 250 aboriginal languages spoken. Today, all but 20 of these languages have died out or been forgotten. Of those that remain, there are three major language groups, Pitjantjatjara, Warlpiriri, and Arrernte, which retain strong footholds only in the most remote areas of the continent. There are an estimated 3000 speakers of Warlpiriri and Arrernte each, and perhaps 5000 speakers of Pitjantjatjara. While the 20 languages that persist are in some danger of also disappearing forever, there have been concerted efforts made by linguists to preserve them. Bilingual schools taught primarily in an aboriginal language are one such effort, as well as the Central Australian and Media Association radio and Imarja TV, which broadcasts some programs in local, indigenous languages.

Aramaic
Known as the language of the Bible, Aramaic was once the major language used all over the Middle East. Today, it’s speakers are few and scattered across the globe. But they exist. Aramaic is a Semitic language, related both to Hebrew and Arabic. Speakers of Aramaic are Middle Eastern Christians, Jewish communities, and Mandeans. Unfortunately, like many of the 7000 languages currently spoken across the globe, Aramaic is expected to die out by the end of the century.

In David Sedaris’s hilarious essay about Christmas in the Netherlands, he learns that the Dutch Santa Claus is accompanied not by elves, but by “six to eight black men.” Formerly slaves, these six to eight black men are now just considered to be Sinterklaas’s really good friends. The tradition Sedaris is describing is known in Dutch as Zwarte Piet. Zwarte Piet and Sinterklaas arrive together in the Netherlands by boat from Spain in mid November, and together they travel around the country asking children what they would like for Christmas and dispensing small gifts. It has widely been decried as racist in recent years, and is one of many seemingly strange holiday traditions celebrated around the world. Whichever part of the world we are in, the Christmas holiday is still one of the warmest holidays of all. Giving gifts is every country’s tradition and even made wonderful if gifts are handcrafted and personalized. Photo books are superb for gift giving. You can now create stunning photo books instantly through PrintedMemories.

Krampus – Austria, Germany
In Austria, Germany, and other Alpine countries, the jovial St. Nicholas is offset by the evil Krampus, a horned devil who terrorizes naughty children. On the night of December 5, the night before St. Nikolas’s feast day, men and boys dress as the hairy, frightening beast and roam the streets, visiting horror on misbehaving children. A creature of ancient paganism, the Krampus is thought to be the Son of Hel in Norse mythology, and carries a rod meant for swatting kids. Repressed for many years, Krampus is enjoying a surge in popularity, as evidenced by Krampus festivals in L.A. among other places, and the recent (2015) Hollywood Krampus movie.

Spiderwebs – Ukraine
To many in the United States, spiderwebs are appropriate holiday decor for Halloween, not so much for Christmas (unless maybe you’re Jack Skeleton). So why do Ukrainians routinely decorate their Christmas trees with spiderwebs? The answer, it turns out, is actually incredibly sweet. According to legend, a pinecone fell on the floor of a small hut occupied by a very poor widow and her children. The children were thrilled as the pinecone took root and became a Christmas tree. But the family was so poor, they still had nothing with which to decorate it. They went to bed on Christmas Eve, knowing that in the morning the tree would still be bare. A spider, hearing the children’s sad cries, spun a web around the tree in the night. When the children rose in the morning, they awakened their mother with excitement. “Mother, look at the tree! It’s beautiful!” And as the first rays of the Christmas sun hit the spiderwebs, they instantly became silver and gold. From that day forth, the widow never wanted for anything. The people of Ukraine therefore decorate their Christmas trees with spiderwebs to bring good fortune in the coming year.

KFC – Japan
Fewer than 1% of the population in Japan is Christian, and Christmas is not a national holiday there. Yet thanks to a stroke of advertising genius in 1974, the Japanese arrive at KFC in droves to celebrate with the traditional Christmas… chicken? It all began when a group of foreigners, unable to find turkey for their Christmas celebrations, settled on chicken instead. Kentucky Fried Chicken seized on this, and launched their campaign: Kentucky for Christmas! The message stuck, and today the Japanese line up for as long as two hours, or reserve ahead of time, to get their Christmas chicken dinner, including cake and champagne, for $40.

La Befana – Italy
In Italy, St. Nick is not the only benevolent elder to bestow goodies on all the good little girls and boys. Italians also have La Befana, a nice old lady, sometimes called a witch. With her crooked nose and magical flying broomstick she certainly fits the bill. But rather than dispensing hexes and curses, this Christmas figure leaves candy and other goodies for children on the eve of the Epiphany, or the night before the three wise men supposedly found the baby Jesus. Don’t leave cookies and milk for this lady. Locals usually leave La Befana wine and regional food like sausages instead, plus some great citrus drinks.

Fortune Telling – Finland
Did you know that a piece of tin could hold the key to your future? At least, so the Finnish believe on New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Eve in Finland starts off in much the same way as New Year’s Eve in many other parts of the world: with parties, champagne, and lots of fireworks. But after midnight, it is Tin Time! Everyone gets a piece of tin in the shape of a horseshoe. This is melted completely over a fire, then immediately plunged into cold water to harden. The shape it makes will, supposedly, predict your future for the next year.

Santa Lucia – Sweden
In Sweden, December 13 is Santa Lucia day, or the festival of lights. The tradition is based on the ancient legend of Saint Lucia, who was said to have given food and/or money to persecuted Christians in Rome. Today, the day is celebrated with town festivals in which young girls dress in white robes with a red ribbon tied around their waists. On their heads they wear wreaths with real, lighted candles! Sometimes a town will select a young girl to act as the official St. Lucia, and in households all over Sweden, the oldest girl in a family will dress as St. Lucia and serve her parents coffee and saffron buns.

Parranda – Puerto Rico
If nothing seems more Christmas-y to you than charming snow-capped houses, fuzzy sweaters, and roaring fires, then you have clearly never been to Puerto Rico at any point between late November to mid-January. There is perhaps no place on earth that celebrates Christmas with as much fervor or for quite as long. Throughout the six weeks of holiday fervor, it is common to see parrandas, large caroling parties. The wassailers are often loud and raucous, gaining strength in numbers as they go. It’s often described by visitors as one of the most delightful Puerto Rican holiday traditions.

Burning Effegies – Ecuador
We’ve all struggled with New Year’s resolutions at least once or twice. Yes, this is the year I’ll finally learn that new language, we tell ourselves. In Ecuador, New Year’s Resolutions are made with a somewhat more literal symbolism — the burning of effigies. Every year, Ecuadorians create giant puppets of everything from political figures, to cartoons, to simple scarecrows stuffed with symbols of the past year’s regrets. These could be things like cigarettes a person wishes they hadn’t smoked, or perhaps a little note about getting up earlier. Then on New Year’s Eve, all the year’s regrets and unhappiness are burned in giant bonfires, starting the New Year with a fresh slate.

These are just some of the different ways countries around the world celebrate the winter holidays. We would love to hear some of your holiday traditions.

And Happy Holidays,

From all of us here at Yabla