Why do 3.5 million families order chicken on December 24th

For many people in Japan, KFC is central to their Christmas celebrations.

Every year for Christmas, 3.5 million Japanese families choose KFC, according to an Instagram clip shared by BBC.

Per it British news mediacustomers line up around the block to get their hands on the festive fast food and some even pre-order their meals as early as October. The roast chicken is meant as a nod to the roast turkey dinner that many cultures partake in for holiday dinners.

Christmas is not universally celebrated in Japan – only about 1% of the population identify as Christian, although many celebrate it as a secular holiday. Some of the minority group who celebrate treat Christmas like Valentine’s Day and lean into romance, according to BBC journalist Tyler Edwards, while others take a crisper route.

The KFC tradition dates back to 1970, when the first KFC opened in Japan, a KFC Japan spokesperson said. BBC in 2016. The manager of the first restaurant, Takeshi Okawara, reportedly heard a couple of foreigners lamenting that they didn’t have turkey for Christmas, prompting his idea for a “party barrel” for Christmas. In 1974 he thus started Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii, or “Kentucky for Christmas,”: the tradition of eating KFC on December 24th.

The Christmas tradition grew, from simple buckets of fried chicken to today’s Kentucky Christmas dinner packages of chicken, shrimp gratin, cake and more. The Christmas cheer also extended beyond the food, as KFC’s Colonel Sanders (who shares his white hair and beard look with Santa) started donning red and white suits around Christmas time.

There is also some exciting KFC news in the US.

A brand new chicken-tender-focused restaurant called Saucy opened in Orlando on Monday, December 23rd.

Unlike typical KFC restaurants that sell everything from fried chicken pieces to nuggets to chicken sandwiches, the new venture focuses on crispy chicken killers. The tenders come with the choice of 11 signature sauces – in a nod to the flagship’s famous 11 herbs and spices in its chicken coating.