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How cows have shaped global holiday traditions

Would holiday traditions be the same in a world without cows?

Explore

How cows have shaped global holiday traditions

Would holiday traditions be the same in a world without cows?

It’s hard to imagine a Nativity scene without a cow nestled gently alongside the manger. Or Christmas Eve with no glass of milk left out for Santa to drink. No sugar cookies made with butter, or hot cocoa topped with real whipped cream.

In Western cultures, the holidays would look and feel quite different if cows didn’t exist. But beyond these familiar traditions, how have cows helped shape other seasonal celebrations globally?

Let’s explore just a few of the ways cows are celebrated around the world — both during the holidays and throughout the year.

North and Latin America

United States and Canada: Along with their symbolic role in the Christian Nativity scene, cows play a part in many American holiday recipes. From hot chocolate and buttery sugar cookies to carved roast beef, dairy and beef ingredients are used in many dishes enjoyed throughout the season. And interestingly, while not directly related to the holidays, the first beef breed developed in the U.S. was the Santa Gertrudis — a name that feels especially festive this time of year. Gertrudis — a name that feels especially festive this time of year.

Mexico: In addition to being a part of the Nacimiento (Nativity) scenes displayed throughout the season, cows are an important part of Mexican holiday cuisine. From beef empanadas and tamales to dairy-rich desserts like tres leches (three-milk) cake and flan, many beloved Mexican dishes rely on ingredients from cows.

Brazil: Christmas is often celebrated here with churrasco, a cultural tradition that is more than just a style of barbecue — it’s a cherished Brazilian family ritual. The tradition of churrasco brings loved ones together around the grill to share in the abundance, hospitality and joy of the season. Outside of the holiday season, the Parintins Folklore Festival in June celebrates the legend of the boi-bumbá — a resurrected ox that dies and is miraculously brought back to life. The story of the boi-bumbá is shared over three days of costumes, music and performance.

Asia

India: In Hinduism, cows symbolize life, nourishment, and the connection between people and the land. Winter harvest festivals like Lohri, Makar Sankranti and Pongal each honor cows in special ways, with traditions varying regionally.
- Lohri: Celebrated primarily in Punjab and Haryana, Lohri celebrates the end of winter with communities lighting bonfires that include materials like cow dung cakes to symbolize fertility and sugarcane stalks to represent life’s sweetness.
- Makar Sankranti: Observed nationwide, this festival celebrates the sun’s transition into Capricorn and the arrival of longer days. In the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the Kanuma Festival — also known as the Cattle Festival — is celebrated on the third day of the festivities, with farmers bathing and decorating their cows to honor the occasion.
- Pongal: A four-day festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, Pongal gives thanks to the sun, rain, cows and local community. Mattu Pongal, the third day of the festival, is specifically dedicated to cows, which are celebrated with special feasts and draped in colorful garlands and decorations.

Nepal: Gai Jatra, also known as the Festival of Cows, is an eight-day festival held in August or September that honors those who died the preceding year. During Gai Jatra, families adorn cows with tika — marks that are most often placed on the forehead to symbolize the ajna chakra, or the “third eye” — and vibrant garlands before leading them through the streets, believing that the cows will help guide the souls of their loved ones to heaven.

Japan: While cows are not considered sacred in Japan, they do hold a special place in its culinary culture. During New Year’s celebrations (known as Shogatsu), premium wagyu beef is often enjoyed as part of osechi ryori, a meal that symbolizes prosperity and good fortune. Beyond New Year’s, cows are also celebrated in Ushi Matsuri (cow festivals), which celebrate the important roles these animals play in Japan’s economy and its culinary traditions.

Africa and the Middle East:

Africa: Across Africa, cows are a symbol of wealth, community and sustenance. In Ghana, for example, cows are awarded to top-performing farmers to commemorate Farmer’s Day in early December. And in Kenya, Christmas is often celebrated with a festive nyama choma feast, which often includes roasted or grilled beef paired with staple dishes like ugali and kachumbari (a fresh tomato and onion salad). For pastoral communities like the Maasai, cows are a major cornerstone of everyday life, and the holidays are no different.

Middle East: During Ramadan, consuming savory yogurt drinks like laban and ayran is a tradition. Similar to buttermilk or kefir in taste, these fermented milks have been an essential part of Middle Eastern diets for more than 10,000 years. Packed with probiotics, electrolytes and nutrients, laban and ayran help replenish energy and support digestion — making them ideal for both iftar (the meal that breaks the fast) and suhoor (the pre-dawn meal).

Europe

Switzerland: Perhaps one of Switzerland’s most captivating traditions is the Alpabzug — the tradition of bringing cows down from the summer alpine pastures to the valleys for winter. Every autumn, the procession of Swiss cows, who are often adorned with giant bells and bouquets of flowers on their heads, makes the long descent. Known as Désalpes in French, this tradition has been taking place in Switzerland and other European countries since around 3000 B.C.E.

Ireland: Celebrated on February 1, St. Brigid’s Day (Lá Fhéile Bríde) honors the patron saint of Ireland and also commemorates the first day of spring. St. Brigid was known for her miraculous connections to cows — including being reared on the milk of a sacred white cow and her ability to turn water into milk. St. Brigid’s cross is often hung in homes and stables to protect people and their cows.

Influencing traditions worldwide

Cows are at the heart of numerous cultural traditions in every season and across the globe. As we reflect on these international customs and festivities, it’s worth considering how cows impact human life in ways that we can’t always see or recognize — from shaping religious and spiritual beliefs to bringing people together to break bread and share in the joys of the holidays.

Along with these special occasions, cows are also ever-present in most of our daily lives. Underlying common phrases like “Holy cow!” and traditional imagery like a calf within a Nativity scene is an animal that has impacted different cultures for centuries — or even millennia — in surprisingly deep ways. What other untold stories of culture and connection might we discover if we only looked closer?

World Without Cows is a Planet of Plenty® production. Working Together for a Planet of Plenty was launched in 2019 by Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, a global animal nutrition company. Planet of Plenty is a call for collaboration across industries and geographies to create and embrace science-based solutions that help agriculture provide nutrition for all, revitalize rural communities and replenish the planet’s natural resources.

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