Most of us associate Christmas with the festive celebrations in films and TV shows, which typically revolve around traditions that are common in the Western world: Christmas trees, Santa Claus and elaborate turkey dinners. However, many families, regions and countries also have their own traditions, whether modern or historical, that celebrate everything from ugly sweaters to nefarious beings . Here are ten weird and wonderful Christmas traditions from around the world:
1. Ugly Christmas Imagine a red, white and green sweater. It is decorated with exaggerated Christmas motifs, perhaps of a Christmas tree, presents or reindeer . But that’s not all. It also has pom-poms, glitter and… wait for it… Christmas lights that light up! While many people compete to have the most beautiful Christmas decorations, those who participate in this tradition compete to have the ugliest Christmas sweater; the uglier, the better !
The concept of the ugly Christmas sweater began in the US in the 1950s, with the commercialisation of the festive season. But it wasn’t until the 2000s that it became popular around the world. In the last twenty years, designer brands like Stella McCartney, Givenchy and Dolce & Gabbana have created their own version of the ugly Christmas sweater, and celebrities like Taylor Swift and Kanye West have proudly worn them in public.
Many people now organise an annual ugly-Christmas-sweater-themed party, with prizes for those with the most creative, bizarre, and yes, ugliest sweater. What a great way to eliminate the stress of the season and have a good laugh with friends!
2. Julaften We normally associate brooms , witches and spider webs with Halloween, but these are all part of Christmas traditions in Europe. In Norway, some people believe that on Julaften (Christmas Eve ), witches and evil spirits attempt to sabotage Christmas by travelling around the country on broomsticks aking people hostage. In order to prevent this, people hide their brooms during the festive season, so depriving the evil beings of their preferred mode of transport.
3. La Befana In Italy, it’s a witch-like old woman called La Befana giving presents to good children and coal to bad children. But La Befana doesn’t visit homes on Christmas Eve — as Santa Claus does — but on the eve of the Christian feast day known as Epiphany, which is celebrated on 6 January. The night before Epiphany, families leave a glass of wine and a plate of sausages for La Befana, who comes down the chimney on her broomstick while the children are asleep.
4. Pavuchky There’s an old Ukrainian legend about a poor woman and her children. They grew a Christmas tree from a pine cone , but they didn’t have enough money to decorate the tree. So on the night of Christmas Eve, local spiders decorated the tree with their delicate spider webs, transforming it into a beautiful work of art. In honour of this legend, some families in Ukraine continue to decorate their trees with spider ornaments called ‘pavuchky ’ and artificial spider webs.
5. St. Nicholas and Krampus Saint Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop who was known for his generosity to children. He inspired the modern-day Santa Claus. In some European countries, people celebrate Saint Nicholas Day on 6 December. The night before, children leave shoes or stockings for St. Nicholas to fill with sweets and small presents. However, St. Nicholas is accompanied by Krampus, a demonic creature who punishes bad children. In some towns and villages, for example in Germany, Austria and Italy, people organise Krampus runs and run through the streets in Krampus costumes, celebrating this nefarious figure.
6. The 13 Jólasveinanna We’ve heard about a witch, a saint and a demonic creature rewarding good children and punishing bad children. In Iceland, on the thirteen nights before Christmas, thirteen trolls known as Jólasveinanna (Yule Lads ) have this responsibility: giving presents to good children and, in this case, rotten potatoes to bad children. Then on Christmas Eve, a giant cat called Jólaköttur (Yule cat) travels the country devouring anyone who’s not wearing new clothes — a reminder to dress in your best for the festive season. And no, ugly sweaters do not count!
7. Mari Lwyd Welsh people have a lot of ancient traditions and superstitions. One of those associated with Christmas centres around Mari Lwyd, a horse skull decorated with a white sheet , ribbons , lights and ornaments. At Christmas, a procession of people go through towns and villages with the skull, visiting homes and singing to the inhabitants, who give them food and drink in return. People are encouraged to invite the morbid effigy into their homes, to guarantee good fortune in the year ahead.
8. Caga Tió Christmas time is supposed to be about peace and joy; in Catalonia it may also involve mild scatology and a bit of violence. If you visit a Catalan family home at Christmas, you will almost certainly find a log decorated with a smiling face and covered with a red blanket . This is the Tió de Nadal, also known as the Caga Tió, which literally means ‘pooping log’. In the weeks before Christmas, the children feed the log sweets every day and keep it warm. Then on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, they beat the log with a stick until it poops out presents in return for their hospitality.
9. Noche de Rábanos You’ve probably heard of people carving pumpkins for Halloween. But in the city of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, people carve radishes in preparation for “la Noche de Rábanos” (Night of the Radishes) on 23 December. The radishes are grown specifically for the occasion and treated with special chemicals so they grow to an enormous size. People carve them as everything from biblical figures to fantastical creatures, and those with the best carvings win a prize.
10. Kentucky Fried Christmas! For centuries, most people in Japan didn’t celebrate Christmas, or eat anything special on the day. That changed in the 1970s, when the American fast food restaurant chain KFC, aka Kentucky Fried Chicken, established a tradition there of people eating buckets of KFC fried chicken on 25 December. This tradition continues to this day, with many families making their Christmas Day reservation at their local KFC months in advance. Naturally, the food comes in special Christmas-themed buckets, decorated with festive motifs from the Western world.