My friend Sara Parris chose Scotland, so here goes.
One of the most interesting facts I found was that Scottish traditions haven't been around for very long. For nearly 400 years, Christmas as we know it was banned in Scotland. Parliament issued a ban in 1647 during the reign of Oliver Cromwell that was upheld for nearly 15 years. When Cromwell fell from Grace, the ban was lifted in most of the UK, but not in Scotland. The Scottish Presbyterian Church continued to discourage Christmas festivities, including formal mass and people suffered penalties if caught celebrating. This lasted for nearly 400 years. Well into the 20th century, Scots worked on Christmas day. Few adults exchanged gifts, although small children received small treats and tokens. Some families had small evergreens in the home or decorated doorways with holly. December 25 didn't become a public holiday in Scotland until 1958 and Boxing day wasn't recognized until 1974. http://christmas.lovetoknow.com/Scottish_Christmas_Traditions
One tradition that was banned for so many years was the baking of the Yule bread. During the ban, bakers were required to give authorities the name of anyone who requested this holiday staple.
A loaf of unleavened bread is baked for each individual in the family and the person who finds a trinket in their loaf will have good luck all year.
A popular tradition on Christmas eve is to burn a branch of the rowan tree which signifies that any bad feeling between friends and family has been put aside for Yuletide. It is believed that if the fire goes out on Christmas Eve, the family would suffer bad luck in the coming year. I find this to be interesting and it seems like it would be a tradition worth starting for a family that might want to try something new for the holidays. http://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/worldxmas/scotland.htm
In Scotland, the big holiday is not Christmas, but on New Year's day which is called Hogmanay.
Next up are Ireland, France, Morocco and finally, the United States.
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