(opens in new tab)
Skip to main content
Domino x Christmas blog website banner

What Does Christmas Look Like In…? Surprising Seasonal Consumption and Production Statistics from Around the World

  • Domino Printing Sciences
  • 05 December 2022
  • General

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s interesting to take a look at how countries all over the world celebrate and to consider all the work that goes into making the holiday season a success. 

This blog will take you on a tour of interesting festive traditions, and delicious Christmas treats from around the world – and highlight some surprising seasonal production and consumption statistics. 

What does Christmas look like in France?

One of the most popular Christmas treats in France, the ‘bûche de Noël’ or yule log, tells an interesting tale about the history of Christmas in the country. Today, the bûche de Noël is a type of dessert made from rolled chocolate cake filled with pastry cream and iced or decorated to resemble a wooden log – but it hasn’t always been this way.

Originally, the bûche de Noël would have been an actual log, brought into the house on Christmas Eve, and burned slowly over 12 days, through to Epiphany on 6th January. The ceremony was said to ensure good fortune for the year ahead. In different regions, different substances, including wine and salt would be sprinkled on the log to make the flames of the fire burn a different color. As traditional hearths have become less common, the tradition has slowly been replaced by decorative alternatives, and the edible bûche de Noël.

The bûche de Noël is not the only festive cake enjoyed in France – on 6th January, French families enjoy a galette des rois or ‘king cake’, to mark the day of Epiphany and the arrival of the Three Kings. The galette de rois is composed of two circles of puff pastry sandwiching a frangipane filling. More than 32 million galettes des rois are eaten every year in France, with polls finding that 94% of people in France partake in at least one slice a year[1].

What does Christmas look like in Spain?

The holiday season in Spain is celebrated from 24th December, when families and friends sit down to a sumptuous Christmas meal, with festivities continuing until Epiphany on 6th January. On 31st December Spain rings in the new year with an interesting holiday tradition: as the clock strikes 12 it is customary to consume 12 grapes – one for each clock chime. Consuming the grapes ensures good luck for the year ahead.

Spain is one of Europe’s biggest producers of grapes, with 975 million hectares devoted to the cultivation of grapes in 2016. Despite the huge quantity of grapes consumed each year on New Year’s Eve, only 2% of Spanish grapes are grown for consumption. Some 97.4% of all grapes grown are for winemaking, including the production of another Christmas favorite – cava[8].

What does Christmas look like in South Korea?

Christmas is not considered to be a big holiday in South Korea, with Christian’s representing just 29% of the total population[15]. However, South Korea is the only East Asian country that recognizes Christmas as a national holiday, and so many citizens will mark the occasion in some way. For many this means spending time with family and enjoying a slice of Christmas cake. In South Korea, this can be any type of cake – including cheesecake, chocolate cake, and whipped cream cake – provided it has a Christmas decoration on top.

A much bigger holiday tradition in Korea is Lunar New Year, which begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The dates vary year from year but will typically fall between 21st January and 20th February according to western calendars. A very popular, if somewhat surprising, gift for Lunar New Year in South Korea is Spam.

In fact, South Korea is the second-largest consumer of Spam in the world after the United States[16]. One of the country’s top food store chains, CJ CheilJedang, claims to have sold approximately 1.2 billion 200g cans of Spam in the product’s history – the equivalent of 24 cans for each person in Korea. Spam gift sets account for 60% of annual sales[17].

What will your Christmas look like this year?

We hope that this blog has brought you a little festive cheer, and some food for thought as to the huge amount of work from global suppliers, manufacturers, logistics workers, and retailers that goes into creating Christmas around the world each year. So, whether you choose to enjoy a piece of bûche de Noël, a mince pie (or 19), or a slice of Christmas cake, remember to raise a glass (of cava, or sparkling cider) to all our supply chain heroes around the world this year.

Merry Christmas from everyone at Domino.

[1] https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/France-celebrates-with-traditional-galette-des-rois-treat-for-Epiphany-January-5-and-6
[2] https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/EDN-20190417-1
[3] https://www.statista.com/statistics/987656/chocolate-santas-production-germany/
[4] https://www.quest.nl/maatschappij/cultuur/a25625372/10-dingen-over-gourmetten/
[5] https://www.coolesuggesties.nl/vier-op-vijf-nederlanders-zoeken-kerstpret-bij-gourmet/
[6] https://www.fishfarmingexpert.com/article/portugal-ndash-a-seafood-friend-in-south/
[7] https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/news/how-much-fish-do-we-consume-first-global-seafood-consumption-footprint-published
[8] https://www.foodswinesfromspain.com/spanishfoodwine/wcm/idc/groups/public/
documents/documento_anexo/mde3/nzcw/~edisp/dax2017770176.pdf
[9] https://slate.com/culture/2009/12/sweden-s-bizarre-tradition-of-watching-donald-duck-kalle-anka-cartoons-on-christmas-eve.html
[10] https://www.statista.com/statistics/561904/per-capita-consumption-of-canned-herring-in-sweden/
[11] https://tasteat55.co.uk/2020/12/22/nations-mince-pie-eating-habits-revealed-the-south-west-scoffs-the-most-mince-pies-in-the-uk/
[12] https://news.cgtn.com/news/2019-12-24/What-is-Christmas-like-in-China--MGBWlxQc48/index.html
[13] https://www.helgilibrary.com/indicators/apple-consumption-total/
[14] https://www.worldstopexports.com/cinnamon-exporters/
[15] https://thediplomat.com/2016/04/christianity-and-korea/
[16] https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/04/08/396759474/spam-in-korea-it-s-not-junk-meat-it-s-a-luxury-treat?t=1632386730062
[17] https://www.hormelfoods.com/newsroom/in-the-news/spam-hits-sales-record-in-korea/
[18] https://uaenews4u.com/2020/12/10/mall-of-the-emirates-kempinski-celebrate-the-15th-year-anniversary-of-stollen-charity-cake-sale/
[19] https://www.statista.com/statistics/912084/mexico-apple-production-volume/
[20] https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/12/18/5-facts-about-christmas-in-america/
[21] https://abacusdata.ca/celebratingchristmassurvey_abacusdata_canada-poll/
[22] https://www.candystore.com/blog/holidays/christmas-candy-popular-states/
[23] https://globalnews.ca/news/3143416/a-peak-inside-karma-candy-canadas-only-candy-cane-factory/

Need more information?

Contact us about our innovative and award-winning printing and marking solutions.

Get in touch