Odd Christmas traditions in the world - 12 different Christmas customs

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There are a lot of odd Christmas traditions in the world. Others probably think that we Swedes are just as strange when we insist on watching Donald Duck on Christmas Eve or burning down the Christmas tree in Gävle. But that's the exciting and interesting thing about traditions - they don't always make sense. Today we offer 12 different Christmas customs!

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Odd Christmas traditions in the world

Of course, what is odd, different or strange depends on what you are used to. If you think about it, many traditions are quite strange in general, like dancing little frogs, cutting down a tree and putting it indoors, or walking around in a nightgown with burning candles in your hair.

But when you get used to a tradition, it becomes quite a tradition. normal. We've sniffed out some different Christmas customs and quirky Christmas traditions around the world that you might not have known about. Or did you?

1. Ukraine: cobwebs on the Christmas tree

In Ukraine, it is common to decorate your Christmas tree with spiders and cobwebs. It may seem odd, but Christmas decorations originate from a legend and are believed to bring good luck. According to the legend, a poor woman could not afford to decorate the family Christmas tree, but when she woke up in the morning, the spiders had decorated the tree with cobwebs, which glittered like gold and silver in the sun. The widow and her children were overjoyed, and they never lived in poverty again.

2nd USA: Christmas pyjamas

If you live in the United States, you should ideally have Christmas pyjamas, and ideally everyone in the family should have a matching pair. The pyjamas are perfect to wear when opening presents on Christmas Day.

3. Iceland: 13 Santas

Iceland has not just one Santa Claus, but 13 of them. The first one arrives from the mountains on 12 December, and then one a day until everyone arrives on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, the Santas aren't very nice, but they mostly engage in minor mischief such as licking porridge and slamming doors. After Christmas, they disappear one by one, and since they're a little bit mean, it's perhaps understandable that their disappearance is celebrated on 6 January.

4. Central Europe: Devilish beast

In several countries in Central Europe (Bavaria, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Croatia and Slovenia), the idea of a devil-like beast called Krampus exists. Krampus is described as a scary companion of the friendly St Nicholas, and is used to scare disobedient children into obedience.

5. Norway: Hidden brooms

In our neighbouring country, Norway, there is an odd Christmas tradition of hiding one's brooms. The tradition started hundreds of years ago, when people believed that witches and evil spirits needed brooms to travel to Blåkulla. Apparently some Norwegians still hide their brooms, just in case.

6. Venezuela: roller skating

For the residents of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, it is quite normal to put on their roller skates and roll to the church service before Christmas. This tradition is so popular that streets have to be closed to traffic to accommodate all the skaters.

7th Wales: Horsehead

In Wales, there is an old tradition, dating back to the 19th century, of a local person dressing up at Christmas time as 'Mari Lwyd', which is considered to mean 'grey mare'. The person then walks around with a horse skull in front of them and a sheet over them, singing and knocking on doors. The tradition actually died out, but has now come back!

8. Czech Republic: Predicting marriages

At Christmas time, it is easy for Czech girls to find out if they are getting married soon. On 4 December, on Saint Barbara's Day, young unmarried women can put a cherry sprig in water. If it blooms before Christmas, they know they will get married in the coming year.

Another way to find out the same thing is to throw a shoe over your shoulder, against a door. If it lands with the toe pointing towards the door, she will get married in the coming year.

9. USA: Christmas costumes

The first time I read about Christmas costumes was on the blog Life in the Suburb last year. Ugly Christmas jumpers have been seen before, but Christmas costumes were something new to me. These are now available in many places both in the US and on the internet. The costumes in the picture come from Opposuits.

10. Spain: Lottery

In Spain, the Christmas draw for one of the world's biggest lotteries, El Gordo, can cause mass hysteria. Last year the top prize was three million euros, so perhaps it's not surprising that there's some hysteria. However, there's no need to rush to buy the tickets - they go on sale in July. Find out more about Spanish Christmas traditions at Your blog.

11. Catalonia: pooping logs

On 8 December, Tió de Natal moves in with Catalan children. Tió de Natal is a small log with a happy face and small sticks for legs, which the children have to take care of by feeding and tucking in. On Christmas Day, children try to make Tió de Natal poop by hitting it with sticks and singing a song. If the children are lucky, the log then poops out a bunch of Christmas presents ...

12. Iceland: evil Christmas cat

In Iceland there is an evil Christmas cat (Jólakötturinn) that is huge, bloodthirsty and lurks in the snow. The cat is sometimes described as the pet of the trolls Grýla and Leppalúði, who eat children and are the parents of the 13 Santas. Incidentally, it is not only the goblins that eat people. The Christmas cat also eats people who don't work properly for Christmas ...

Do you know of any other unusual Christmas customs or odd Christmas traditions in the world?

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