Weird (and Yummy) Christmas Dinners From Around the Globe!

Americans gobble up a staggering 46 million turkeys just for Thanksgiving. Add Christmas and other feasts, and boom - about 270 million turkeys vanish each year. But turkey wasn’t always king of Christmas.

Turkeys strutted into Britain from America back in the 1500s and slowly stole the show. At first, they were fancy and pricey, so people stuck with goose or chicken. But as turkeys got cheaper, they became the star of the Christmas show.

Still, turkey’s not winning everywhere!

In lots of Europe, fish is the Christmas Eve VIP. Here’s why: back in the Middle Ages, folks fasted before Christmas and couldn't eat meat - but fish was totally okay.

Believe it or not, families sometimes kept live carp in bathtubs before cooking them! Carp was a lucky charm, and some people even tucked fish scales in their wallets until next Christmas Eve.

Today, big Christmas Day dinners often have poultry and pork, but fish for Christmas Eve? That tradition’s hanging on tight.

Whether it's turkey, fish, or something wild, people worldwide love a big Christmas feast. But it’s not just about stuffing your face - it has old-school reasons.

Back in the day, Christians fasted or skipped certain foods for up to 40 days before Christmas to keep things spiritual and make the feast extra special.

So, Christmas Eve was like the ‘‘last call’’ for fasting. Then came Christmas Day and the ultimate chow-down to celebrate Jesus’ birthday.

The first official Christmas celebration happened on December 25th, way back in 336 CE. And the feasting fun has been going strong since!