Categories: Travel

Mysterious British Island Celebrates Christmas Two Weeks Late

This island in Britain celebrates their Christmas and New Year two weeks later than everyone else.

Christmas is a holiday celebrated all around the world on the 25th of December, and no other day would Christmas be Christmas if it isn’t on that date. However, a very peculiar society living in a remote offshore island in Britain celebrate there Christmas two weeks after everyone in the world already did.

How rude of them, you say? Well, not really. The residents on Foula in Shetland follow a different calendar than the rest of the world. Not only that, they will also celebrate New Year two weeks after the 1st of January celebrations. Foula follows the old Julian calendar that marks the Yule on January 6th and Newerday on the 13th.

Breathtaking backdrop on Foula in Shetland

Source: Getty Images Europe

If you’re seeing a whole island celebrating Christmas and having a party without you then don’t worry because Foula has only 30 residents, 10 of which are kids. The Foula people have strong Norse tradition of folklore, music and festivities. They are also the last to speak Norn, which is a form of Norse language that have long been unused since the 1800’s.

According to one of the inhabitants of Foula, they are not unique and that the world has changed but they in Foula have stayed the same since the olden days. Because Foula was such an off the grid type of island society, they only got running water in 1982 and full electricity in 1984.

A beautiful and eerie look on stone houses in Foula

Source: Getty Images Europe

Sheep litter the grassy lands of Foula

Source: Getty Images Europe

Foula is also prone to some heavy weather changes such as strong storms. Recently, it suffered a storm wherein broken car windows and such were found in the aftermath. But according to the residents, it is only winter weather and that they had a good summer anyway.

If you plan to go to Foula, you’d be surprised to know that it won’t even take you a day to walk around the whole island because its only 3 1/2 miles long and 2 1/2 miles wide. You can also bet, you will know everyone and anyone in just under an hour.