KFC and strawberry shortcake - Japanese Christmas specialties.
What is a must-have for a Christmas lunch or dinner?
Tomoko: I really don't have anything "must- have" for Christmas lunch or dinner from my original culture, but I like Christmas ham here in Sweden. I don't have to have julbord but I want to have Christmas ham.
Pär: I don't have any must-have either, but recently the "Janssons frestelse" is one thing I like to have at Christmas, if we are home in Sweden or anywhere in the world where I can get/or make it.
What’s unique about Japanese Christmas? Tell me about your traditions.
Tomoko: As you can imagine, Christmas is not originally part of our culture. It was introduced to Japan by a missionary in 1552 as a Catholic Christmas mass. Over time, Christmas became so popular that even non-Christian people enjoyed celebrating the nativity of Christ until the country's closure in 1603. During this period, the government restricted and prohibited Christianity, so Christmas was not celebrated for a long time. However, in the late 1800s, when Japan reopened to the world, a lot of Western culture returned, including Christmas. After World War II, Christmas became a more commercial celebration nationwide.
While Christmas in the Western world is often a time for family gatherings, in Japan, it is celebrated more as a romantic occasion for couples or a family celebration with small children. Interestingly, we usually celebrate Christmas with KFC chicken and fresh strawberry shortcake. Of course, we also add other dishes, often sushi or sukiyaki.
What kind of food do you miss that you can’t get here?
Tomoko: We can buy chicken, but we cannot get KFC chicken in Skellefteå.
Do you incorporate any Japanese traditions into your Christmas celebrations?
Pär: Not really, but I’m not opposed to having sushi or KFC chicken for Christmas dinner if it suits us. Japanese Christmas traditions are not very strong, and I think Tomoko’s Catholic influences from her time in the US are more integrated into our celebrations. For example, opening presents on the 25th is a big departure from the traditional Swedish Christmas Eve celebration.
Are there any culture clashes when you blend Christmas traditions?
Tomoko: I think Pär sacrifices more, but I struggle to accept celebrating Christmas on the 24th. This isn’t because I’m Japanese but I think because I’m Catholic, and the 24th is meant to be a day of preparation for Christmas Day.
Pär: No, I don’t see any real clashes. We’re not strict about traditions and celebrate Christmas in a way that suits us each year.
Julia.
Is there anything you find odd about Swedish Christmas?
Tomoko: Having a scary Santa Claus visit your house on the 24th and opening all the presents on the same day is hard for me to understand. Also, I don’t like eating pizza on the 25th. However, if we stay home during the holidays, we often celebrate Christmas twice now.
Kalle Anka: Will you switch it on or off?
Tomoko: We’re usually out of the house or travelling, so we often miss it, although I’m not against it.
Pär: I grew up with it, but I’ve realised it’s not as interesting for kids today as it was for me back then. So we don’t make any special effort to switch it on, although it does happen sometimes.
Pär, Julia, and Tomoko.