Why do Japanese families eat KFC for Christmas?

KFC started a Christmas campaign in 1974, creating a unique tradition where fried chicken became a popular holiday meal, especially the festive "Party Barrels."

What is the 'Curse of the Colonel' in Japan?

It's a legend where a KFC Colonel Sanders statue, thrown into a river by baseball fans, was believed to bring bad luck to the Hanshin Tigers team until its recovery.

Is Christmas a major holiday in Japan?

While Japan has a tiny Christian population, Christmas is widely celebrated as a secular festival focused on consumerism, gift-giving, and festive meals like KFC.

Home / Lifestyle / Japan's Unlikely Christmas Feast: Fried Chicken Frenzy

Japan's Unlikely Christmas Feast: Fried Chicken Frenzy

3 Dec, 2025

•

Summary

Millions of Japanese families traditionally eat KFC for Christmas.
KFC's Christmas campaign in Japan began in 1974.
A statue's 'curse' affected a baseball team for decades.

Japan's Unlikely Christmas Feast: Fried Chicken Frenzy

KFC in Japan has cultivated a unique Christmas tradition where millions of families gather to enjoy special festive buckets of fried chicken. The "Party Barrels," complete with chicken, sides, and dessert, are a popular holiday choice. Reservations for these meals often begin as early as November, with Colonel Sanders statues donning Santa attire.

This unusual Christmas feast dates back to 1974, with theories suggesting it arose from a desire to replicate Western holiday meals. Christmas Eve is KFC Japan's busiest day, seeing a tenfold increase in customers. The brand's founder, Colonel Sanders, has also become intertwined with Japanese popular culture through an unrelated baseball legend.

The "Curse of the Colonel" legend involved a statue of Sanders being thrown into a river by fans of the Hanshin Tigers baseball team in 1985. The team's subsequent championship drought was attributed to this act until the statue's recovery in 2009 and its eventual retirement in 2023.

Disclaimer: This story has been auto-aggregated and auto-summarised by a computer program. This story has not been edited or created by the Feedzop team.

Japan's Unlikely Christmas Feast: Fried Chicken Frenzy

3 Dec, 2025

•

Summary

Millions of Japanese families traditionally eat KFC for Christmas.
KFC's Christmas campaign in Japan began in 1974.
A statue's 'curse' affected a baseball team for decades.

Disclaimer: This story has been auto-aggregated and auto-summarised by a computer program. This story has not been edited or created by the Feedzop team.