7 weird Christmas traditions across the world
What’s Christmas without Saint Nick, midnight masses, and a table full of good food! But many countries across the world have a twist to their Christmases – well a tradition for them and a weird one for us. From scaring the mickey out of children to eating fried caterpillars for Christmas dinner to making a wooden log ‘poop gifts,’ here’s a list of some unusual rituals:
- Krampus, the ‘Bad Santa’ – Germany, Austria
Did you know Santa Claus had an evil accomplice? Just like Santa brings presents for kids on Christmas eve, Krampus, a ghoulish winter devil roams the streets of eastern and central Europe in search of badly-behaved children. The ‘Christmas Devil’ characterised by its fangs, large hooves and horns carries a basket and chain on its back to ‘haul naughty children to hell’.
In the run up to Christmas, people dressed as Krampus roam the streets and participate in parades, scaring children and adults with their pranks. And yes, it works wonders to keep naughty kids off the streets!
- ‘Kentucky chicken for Christmas’ – Japan
It’s not the plum pudding, mince pies or eggnog that defines a Christmas fare in Japan. The Japanese rather and without fail celebrate their Christmas Eve with a ‘finger-lickin good’ meal at their nearest KFC outlet.
The tradition began when the American fast food joint started a festive marketing campaign in 1974 with the slogan ‘Kurisumansu ni wa kentakkii’ (Kentucky for Christmas). Even though Japan is not a Christian country, the Japanese for the past 50 years have lined up outside KFCs to celebrate the holidays with fried chicken.
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- Belfana, the witch – Italy
In Italy, the Christmas fervour sets in a tad late and Santa is replaced by a friendly witch.
Folklore has it that on January 5, a witch named Belfana enters homes through the chimney and fills stocking of kids with gifts and candies just like Santa while kids who have been naughty find coals in their socks.
Belfana is depicted as an old lady, covered in soot and riding a broom. She is said to sweep the houses of the children she visits before leaving.
- ‘The pooping log’ – Catalonia/Aragon
One of the weirdest Christmas traditions in Spain’s Catalonia and Aragon is kids getting their presents from a Caga Tio or ‘pooping log’.
During Christmastime, logs painted with smiley faces, wooden stumps and red capes are pretend fed with fruits, nuts, sweets and other delicacies or leftovers every day.
On Christmas Eve, the entire family hits the log with sticks and sings “if you don’t crap well, I’ll beat you with a stick,” until it (pretend) ejects out all the fed contents. Some families, in fact go out of their way and ‘feed’ their log fibre-rich food like garbanzos and lentils to make it poop more.
Gross, but it’s a much-preserved tradition!
- Donald Duck – Sweden
For close to three decades, it has been a Swiss tradition to tune into Donald Duck’s Christmas Eve message on television every year.
Every Christmas eve, at 3 o clock, millions of Swedish people park themselves before their television sets to watch an hour of Disney cartoons in a show called Kalle Anka och hans vanner onskar God Jul (Donald Duck and His Friends Wish you a Merry Christmas.
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The show, originally broadcast in 1958 as an episode of the TV show The Wonderful World of Disney is being aired every Christmas Eve in Sweden since 1960 and the format has remained the same since 1983.
- Care for some fried caterpillars? – South Africa
South Africans like their Christmas snack fried to a crisp and made with caterpillars from the Pine Tree Emperor moth. You heard it right! In fact, the species of moth is harvested around Christmastime and preserved to be used during the festival and the winter. A favourite among children, the fried caterpillars are said to be a rich source of protein.
- Roller skating to mass – Caracas
On Christmas morning, hundreds of people in Venezuela’s Caracas skate their way to mass in line with a custom that has been prevalent since the 1970s.
The city authorities close the streets before 8 am to allow the skaters to pass.
Children sleep with a lace of their skates tied around their toe while the other skate dangles from the window. It is a tradition for skaters to tug at the strings tied to the toes of the children as they skate by.
The tradition of roller skating to mass was introduced in the 1970s as part of church life to preserve family traditions.
