how did KFC become a japanese christmas tradition? 🍗🎄🎂

i'm currently spending the holidays in japan and was inspired to make a video all about one of their most unique christmas traditions: KFC
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[@zidvicious6047]

As a Marketing practitioner who happens to love KFC, this is by far one of my favorite success stories.

[@aleguerrero8199]

I recommend the show mad men

[@Isa-uo5wy]

In the Netherlands, christmas is purely a "dinner & family" type of holiday. We have our own version (or was christmas based on ours?) called Sinterklaas, celebrating st. Nicholas' birthday with gifts and a variety of typical and traditional foods. This even kind of morphed into christmas being the adult holiday and Sinterklaas the children's.

[@redguardmage]

I believe that Santa Claus is a mix of capitalism, Father WInter from the UK, and definitely SInterklaas. We dont do the blackface tho lol

[@BluePenguin200]

@@redguardmage Slight correction: We don’t call him Father Winter in the UK here, and never has been known by that name. He’s better known as Father Christmas (and now sometimes Santa Claus).

[@chickenfoot2423]

@@BluePenguin200 maybe they were referring to ‘father winter’/‘old man winter’, the personification of winter that derives from british paganism? just because a lot of christmas traditions are stolen from paganism

[@BluePenguin200]

@@chickenfoot2423 oh right, yes sorry. I forgot that detail😅 apologies @ReguardMage

[@paula.cosplay]

In germany we have nikolaus on the 6th christmas eve on the 24th and the 25th and 26th are the first and second christmas holidays

[@Chorutowo]

I used to live in Japan and it sometimes feels more celebrated than in Western countries. Every single shop and malls have trees, and like all the adds are all Christmas themed and you cant escape the merchandise. I do think that the KFC thing is a bit overstated, but maybe it's more of a thing in Tokyo, as I lived in Osaka

[@Xxsorafan]

Maybe it just depends where you live cause here in Boston and cities around it it’s full of Christmas decorations it’s very pretty

[@Chorutowo]

@@Xxsorafan Yeah maybe. Where i live rn people dont really celebrate christmas as its mostly muslim

[@renatanovato9460]

In 2003 I lived near Tokyo, and I saw a few xmas light in one district. I don't remember seeing anything xmasy in the city I lived, Hachioji, except for the mall that had a huge Xmas tree. Not even on TV, or any thing pushing us to buy presents.

[@Chorutowo]

@@renatanovato9460 Yeah, theres a surprising alot of Christmas deocrations in Japan

[@anditspaganpoetry]

I stayed in Tokyo for a while during my uni days and the KFC is a thing. My place was next to a KFC and on Christmas Eve I asked why there was a hella line there and they told me they’re taking orders for Christmas.

[@gal1888]

Omg please do a video about the history and different types of gyaru (ギャル) fashion in Japan!!! I feel like its right up your alley and the history of gyaru is fascinating!!

[@reikun86]

I would like to see a video on Mori kei. I don't really hear anybody talk about it the same way people talk about Harajuku or Gothic Lolita.

[@misa8353]

as a japanese person, my family and I eats kfc every year and so when I went over seas, I was surprised by how extravagant people's christmas dinners were!!

[@Alexajpeak]

as a japanese-canadian, i never thought eating kfc would be a christmas tradition, but it's a cool way to celebrate the holidays. i lowkey wanna try the kfc christmas dinners there! :3

[@brandoniswhoiam]

Random fun fact: there’s KFC-flavoured Ruffles chips.

[@trinaq]

Coolness, you certainly learn fascinating tidbits every day! 💕

[@PokhrajRoy.]

In India, having a birthday party at a Fast Food Restaurant is considered fashionable.

[@Bluwie._.piixxee]

Wait that isn't normal? 😂

[@PokhrajRoy.]

@@Bluwie._.piixxee Not if you’re a Boomer Parent

[@Bluwie._.piixxee]

@@PokhrajRoy. yeah, side not, I low-key adore this "thing" of ours 💫.

[@sydneywilson3270]

My family's Christmas tradition has always been to do fondue for breakfast on Christmas morning :) I used to absolutely loath this as a kid, because fondue is a very slow, drawn out meal, and of course I was itching to get at the presents. But as I've gotten older it's come to be one of my favourite parts, for exactly that reason - it's slow, and relaxed, and gives you time to have conversations with the people you love. My family is not religious, so the day is more about celebrating family for us, and this meal is a big part of it

[@klaramathilda9929]

We do raclette because of that reason the meal lasts longer you can take breaks and its suits various eating habits/diets

[@alexandranoelhowlett8331]

What a wonderful tradition! I am definitely borrowing it! Happy Holidays! 🎄☃️❤

[@alekadelacruz8592]

In the Philippines we have Noche Buena, where we wait for Dec 25 12 midnight to eat our Christmas food, we also love Christmas ham here haha. Happy Holidays 🎄

[@maricarmencampos9988]

Exactly the same tradition as in latin america haha,, we celebrate more noche buena and then the 25 is usually just a chill day were u eat reheated dinner and rest ahaha

[@RRyleM]

I like this tradition of Japanese Christmas. And it’s strange but even with the holiday being more commercial in Japan, I feel that they’re still “doing Christmas right” if the focus is getting together with a loved one. Also being Filipino, fried chicken is special occasion food anyway so this isn’t that strange to me. Hope everyone’s doing alright this season, and have a good New Year!

[@AntonioGG1-9801]

Me too

[@reikun86]

Heh Heh They're hyping about KFC, when the real fried-chicken king is Jolibee. :D

[@reikun86]

I hope you have a Happy New Year!

[@AntonioGG1-9801]

@@reikun86 thank you 😊

[@sarahsanders4510]

Nah, it’s JUST commercialism, no substance.

[@magickaldust1213]

Never thought I would see you cover this, but it truly is a Christmas miracle ✨ thanks for the video, very cool idea 😅

[@QueenSharotto]

Never thought ModernGurlz would cover KFC of all things. Merry Christmas 🎄

[@summerraylene]

I think it would be interesting to see a video about Westernized/Eurocentric weddings in Japan. Growing up watching anime and reading manga, it didn’t seem out of place to see a scene where a character fantasized about their wedding, painting a picture of them in a big white dress walking down the isle. As I got older it dawned on me that a traditional Japanese wedding would look nothing like this

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I learned about the fact recently. I was almost going to suggest having KFC for dinner today.

[@trinaq]

Coolness, you're definitely ahead of the curve! ☺️

[@siljosii]

In Spain (and I think other, if not all, hispaninc countries) we have this tradition of eating 12 grapes the last 12 seconds of the year with the ringing of the clock when it strikes midnight. Eating each grape symbolizes good luck for one months of the following year

[@avniprakash9879]

I saw this on modern family but didn't knew if it was true

[@reikun86]

That's interesting because grapes are round, and in my family, round objects or wearing polka dots during new year's eve symbolize good luck. :)

[@eggo9543]

In Mexico, I've noticed there are a lot of different traditional plates, depending on the city and/or state (Mexico is a pretty religious country, Christmas has only recently been related with Santa, but a lot of people still mostly see it as a Catholic holiday where we celebrate Baby J's bday). Like my grandma always makes Bacalao which is a fish stew, I've never liked it, but we always have it. There's almost always a roast, maybe a chicken or a turkey, that came from the US, tho. Tamales in some places, Romeritos and Revoltijo in others. Apple Salad o Ensalada de manzana could be considered a dessert, but some people eat it as part of the meal. Other desserts could be Capirotada (which if you just look at any recipe, may sound really weird because of the ingredients, but it's really popular), Bueñuelos with Atole is top tier, maybe some hot chocolate and possibly a cake (but also more of a US thing).

[@hollyneal355]

Loved this! Our weird tradition is that we watch all the Aliens movies from Thanksgiving to Christmas. My dad was military so when he came home, that’s what he wanted to watch, not Holiday movies. Its just something we’ve been doing since I was a child and still going strong. 😂

[@reikun86]

We normally watch The Godfather during Christmas. My sister also learned how to play the theme on the piano. :)

[@lightgreencards]

ive been wondering about the full history of this for so long, im so happy YOURE the one making an in depth video about it 😭

[@madelynschneider5819]

On Christmas Day? The hustle 🤞🤞🤞

[@morrismmm]

😂😂😂 I did find it strange that this is a topic you shared to us, compared from your fashion essay videos, but I love it! 😂 Traditions are fashionable and have different styles to it, so I guess it's not to far from the familiar topics 😂 keep sharing! I love to learn

[@thatgeminidreamer]

This is so timely! My family has had a tradition of eating KFC for Christmas Eve/Day purely because it's both convenient and delicious. I noticed how the KFC + Cake double whammy was depicted more often in anime growing up, but I never really knew why it was a subtle tradition in Japan until now. They never really explained it in the anime either as compared to New Year's, Valentine's Day + White Day. Thank you for always educating us with these things!

[@brookb5890]

My family has lasagna on Christmas, like Garfield. It's still a religious holiday for us, so to make things less stressful and not have to do very much the day of, we eat foods that can be prepared beforehand. The lasagna is prepared and frozen, then cooked and let to cool. I make cookies or a yule log and finish assembling it after gifts are exchanged. We drink mulled wine and play games or watch movies while enjoying the dessert.

[@persephonestudy]

Here in Colombia we have the "Candles Day" which is celebrated on December 7th and is considered the day that starts the Christmas spirit. The intention is to light candles to the Virgin so that she grants you a wish for the coming year. And although Colombia has seen a rise in atheism, many of us celebrate it as a cultural tradition rather than a religious one.

[@majod1930]

Best day ever ngl

[@jendoe9436]

Interesting, do you happen to know why December 7th was chosen? I’m Catholic and love learning about all the different days, feasts, and events that people celebrate across the world 🙂

[@persephonestudy]

@@jendoe9436 Hi! Unfortunately I don't know why we have chosen that day. It's just something that we do as a tradition ☺️

[@AdrianaOrtiz-ff7mx]

I have to say, I loved this offbrand video you made! If I’m being honest, I am not necessarily the most interested in fashion, but I appreciate your content for the amount of research you do, the quality of the presentation, and just you as a content creator. I thought this subject was super interesting, and I love the way you compile the information! Super happy to keep supporting you and watching what you make no matter what the subject is ❤😊

[@sabrinakina698]

I work part time in a seven eleven in Japan. Actually this was my first Christmas working :) I worked on 24 of December and there were MANY people buying fried chicken 😅 it’s… interesting

[@PokhrajRoy.]

11:15 WAIT, YOU’RE IN JAPAN?! OMG THAT IS SO COOL! Enjoy yourself!

[@larajurado8001]

In Brazil, we have the tradition of adding dried fruits, especially raisins, to rice. Few know how It started, even fewer trully like It, and it's another tradition to go to the social media and defend your point of view about the question. Raisins or no raisins?

[@invisibleimaginaryfriend6449]

Here in Honduras we celebrate more the 24th than the 25th since we start celebrating from before Christ was born until his birth at December 25th 12am. To me Tamales and a Pig leg are more traditional Christmas food than anything else

[@Hippolyta.]

As a foodie, I really loved this video! I have been aware of this tradition for a while but never actually took the time to research it so this was great!

[@PrincessDraculaura]

I get the appeal. It’s not too dissimilar from my Christmas experience. When my parents got divorced, my mom decided she didn’t want to cook on Christmas anymore so our yearly tradition is ordering Chinese food. She usually makes a big breakfast, though. I’m sick and unable to go home this year, but I am watching this video while eating my Chinese food delivery for one lol

[@annamaria9646]

I have married into Japanese Family and thankfully had a prior knowledge about this tradition before having to experience it 🎉 My husband wasn’t so lucky when we moved back to Europe for a little bit though XD I have informed him about no KFC but forgot about the cake part…😅 The shock on his face when he didn’t see a strawberry shortcake during my family’s Xmas dinner 😂 Instead he saw claasic cheesecake, poppy seed filled cake (makowiec) and of course fruit cake (keks). Nothing what he expected to see 😊

[@TheGlassJubilee]

omg i loved this type of video! I'd love it if like once a month you'd just talk about any subject at all you're interested in cause you always put such time and effort into these. Truly is fun to see!

[@Mistresage]

my best friend lives in Japan (Osaka) and its insane, you have to book Christmas KFC *months* in advance !

[@zuzankaprokoxx]

In Poland we celebrate Christmas Eve with 12 traditional dishes (nobody really prepears that many) which are mostly made with sauerkraut and mushrooms, a lot of fish (carp and herring), we also eat poppy seed cake and gingerbread, we also don't eat meat the whole day. We start dinner when the first star appears on the sky and we usually begin with mushroom soup or borscht (soup made from beets that you can drink in a cup). There are a lot of small things like putting hay under the tablecloth and sharing a special wafer while exchaning Chrismas greetings. All of these are deeply rooted in Catholic traditions but you don't have to be religious to participate. Then we sing carols and open presents. 24th is the most important day when all of the Christmats really happen and for the next 2 days we visit family, eat a lot of food and basically just chill.

[@Lessie]

In argentina we wear pink underwear for Christmas/New Years (depends who you are talking to) and in other parts of Latin America the color changes to yellow

[@markly5460]

in Chile it's yellow underwear for new years lol

[@gigispeachroses]

As a long time viewer, I happen to love this video!!! I love that you’re doing videos on things that interest you!! I’ve never even heard of this and it’s so fascinating!!! Hope to see more vids soon~ enjoy ur Japan visit!🥺🥰🫶🏼

[@analara89933]

I love your regular content and also loved this!!! Excited for your channel in 2023 😊

[@thypurpleturtle]

Thanks for this video! I love it when you branch out of your usual content, I just love your facts, opinions and soothing voice. Funnily enough my partner and I were just wondering why they have kfc during Christmas! So perfect timing! Keep up the good work!

[@cattachi681]

I love videos like this! Keep sharing what interests you, cause chances are we'll find it interesting too! This reminded a LOT of your Fantana video. Loved it, and Happy Holidays!

[@plantgirlnyc]

so informative with the history and you nailed it with it with the japanese perspective of christmas! this is coming from a half japanese girl who's spent many christmas seasons living in japan! loved this one

[@lethargicAilurophile]

Love this kind of video from you! Hope you had a wonderful trip 💖

[@thaliastyl]

I loved this video! Even thought its not something we typically see on ur channel i really think it suits u. I hope u make more vids like this 💕💕

[@thtquietgrl8072]

This is why I follow the channel! To see what you find interesting rather than what’s trending. I like finding videos on topics I didn’t even know were interesting

[@alexandranoelhowlett8331]

Girl, love the video! Salut to expanding topics! Pass my love to Japan and Happy Holidays! 🎄☃️❤

[@glowyang9588]

I love this different type of video!❤ I applaud you for trying something new, this was so interesting!!

[@softhobbies]

LOVE this type of video from you!!

[@ceruleangreen]

i would love to see more videos like this, unique cultural practices for holidays or even in general :)

[@kathrynbrodeur8986]

Love the new content from your time in Japan!!!

[@vaniasdream]

Love this type of videos, they are so fascinating

[@honoluluw]

omg I learned about this because keith from the try guys mentioned it on one of their newest vids lol what an interesting tradition

[@megsawyer4587]

have fun in japan!!! you look beautiful at the end!!!

[@tabbicoffman6048]

Merry Christmas from Kentucky!!! I love your fashion and pop culture videos but I love hearing about these kinds of interesting things too ❤❤

[@callmeloony]

I wish you a happy holiday season too! You channel is one of the greatest in my opinion. Just like you said, this video was different from the others, but not in a bad way... it was so interesting to watch as usual 💝 Thank you for sharing your thoughts and researches with all of us!

[@mayateen13]

Loving the spontaneous and different content. Very well done 😊

[@laurenpetty4073]

i really enjoyed this type of different content for you. love this channel and your outfits

[@pandax9949]

I'm from France and I celebrate Christmas with my family on 24th and 25th December. We eat seafood on the 24th (like salmon or oysters but this year we went with waterzoi, a Belgium dish). The day after we often eat chappon (castrated rooster) with chestnut and mushroom like morilles. We usually have chocolate shortcake for dessert and my family likes to eat foie gras with brioche before the main dish. We drink wine and champagne. Since we're not religious we don't go to the Messe de Minuit but it's a tradition there.

[@Gamooch]

I love this video so much, i hope you have fun making more videos like this

[@missharuno1767]

Yea no I was completely baffled when I saw the thumbnail of the video, but honestly 10/10, outstanding, shining and (to me) comprehensive presentation. Please do more of these! 🎀

[@sams3015]

I just want to goto Japan again in Christmas to try this. Also WHUT…here in Ireland and the UK, turkey leads the way for Christmas dinner. Update: My Japanese friend just told me it’s not that popular there

[@oscarkamala]

it’s mostly just tokyo

[@hoaxwashere4697]

This channel is so soothing and informative. 💕

[@Toral3l3]

Loved this video!! I could watch anything you post honestly

[@Kero-Kero]

Idk about other Latin American countries, but in Chile is widely understood that you have to eat "papas duquesas" on Christmas~

[@andreapatris]

I can’t wait for more content like this! Thank youuuu

[@bkozel]

My favorite video of yours yet! I hope you do more like this :)

[@peepee7970]

My friend and I were talking about this topic just a few days ago, so it's really fun seeing a video about this pop up in my subscription box

[@kuromini]

As a marketing student i would LOVE getting more videos like these from you, they’re so interesting

[@weirdoinpink]

Learned about KFC for Christmas being a Japanese thing from mangas I read when I was a kid. I hope you'll make some videos about your Japan trip!

[@leighkatrina]

Having been to Japan for 2 weeks in December I found this video super interesting ❤

[@13realmusic]

This was a great video as an off pivot! I remember seeing Christmas hyped up romantically in an anime before and being kinda confused as to why there was this pressure similar to Valentine’s Day to celebrate with your significant other. Also a big win for Christmas with KFC being the women of the household are able to take a break for cooking! With holiday gender roles being what they are I think a tradition like that is progress.

[@SuperJust4girls]

Love this!!

[@robertlong5143]

One of the best channels on KZbin merry Christmas

[@leslie3550]

I liked the video! It was interesting! Thank you!!

[@pumpkinpastie]

I loved this video so much! Really informative and entertaining too 👏 Would love some more ‘wildcard’ vids in 2023 🎉

[@chupachups3393]

this is something i'm super interested in too!! have a great time in japan as well xx

[@amandam5980]

Loved this!

[@prestely]

Very interesting content! I love your off Brand videos, can't wait for 2023! Enjoy your time in Japan!

[@beemax2014]

this was so informative! Merry Christmas ❤

[@ohbooyourselves]

You post this right as I'm discovering a jpop group 😂

[@fernandabittencourt4629]

Really cool!! You read my mind, was very curious about this Japanese tradition! ❤🎉

[@daniellelocklyn2470]

Really thank you sooooooo much for talking about this

[@liau5612]

Loved this video, as always, i hope you have a great time in Japan

[@emijliastarovic8524]

This video was super interesting. Loved it 💕

[@myhandsaslanguage]

This is interesting! Love learning about how cultures influence each other. Our family has many traditions around Christmas, but idk which ones might be “odd”, since they’re all I’ve ever done! The ones I guess may be slightly different are that we make a cookie tree and that when we decorate our real tree, a few ornaments have to be placed in the same spot each year.

[@klaramathilda9929]

Super interesting!! Thanks alot 🎄

[@chelseashurmantine8153]

I love history and this was something that was so fun to learn about lol

[@xMirukanis]

Something that Swedish people do (and a few other Scandinavian countries like Norway) on Christmas Eve is to watch at exactly 3 pm a collection of different short Disney animations. We call this activity ”Kalle Anka” which is the swedish name for Donald Duck. It’s on the country’s national TV channel (SVT 1) and most of the country tunes in every Christmas Eve.

[@triciarose389]

I loved this video!

[@the_Toby_dream_life]

Have a blast while ur in Japan and merry Christmas

[@Troubled_waters]

Happy KFC Christmas! I loved this video, your history breakdowns are always my favorites

[@LPSCANDY10]

YESS this video is awesome. As much as I love fashion, I love random culture tidbits too lol

[@eri6970]

Amazing, thank you for the explanation

[@pegmama8]

Love this content! ❤️

[@natalierosas1597]

I love this random video! Do more like this. :)

[@hft4704]

I didn’t realize this was a Christmas tradition in Japan, but when I visited some time ago (in December no less), I was surprised by how into Kentucky fried chicken they were. They call it Kenta as a nickname. Similarly, Starbucks is staba. It’s pretty cute.

[@ucc2188]

Your videos are great keep them coming 🎉

[@avichu2396]

merry Christmas!!!

[@gormaline1024]

Keep the marketing campaign deep dives up! Your channel has always been so educated on the topics you discuss and it's refreshing knowing I'm getting the full history and your not afraid to point out the good and bad. If anyone in the comments liked this, EmpLemon has some similar ones about new coke and Mac tonight

[@SirSailorStar]

Merry Christmas moderngurlz

[@SK-wr4pl]

Thanks for the video!

[@Lexekiel]

In Europe it's actually pretty common to have turkey for Christmas or Christmas eve. In my family (we live in Switzerland but my parents are from Chile and Bolivia) it's a tradition to have turkey for dinner (even though I don't eat it, my vegetarian sister and I make vegan ale pie).