Weird and wonderful christmas traditions from around the world
A look at some weird and wonderful Christmas traditions from around the world. Why not add some new and unique traditions to your Christmas celebrations.
Christmas is a time for giving, seeing loved ones and of course receiving gifts! For most a traditional Christmas includes leaving cookies and milk out for Santa on Christmas Eve night, getting up early to open presents and having a big meal with the whole family. However, for many people around the world Christmas also includes some very strange and unusual traditions.
It may sound made up but for many, many years people in Norway have hidden their brooms on Christmas Eve night. It is not certain when in history the tradition began but the belief is that in olden days people in Norway believed Christmas Eve was a time when evil spirits and witches came out to play and would steal brooms from people's houses to travel on.
The unusual Christmas tradition of hiding brooms continues to this day with families putting them away in the safest part of the house. Brave Norwegian men will even follow the hiding of the brooms by venturing out of the house and firing a shotgun into the night sky to ward off any evil spirits.
In Caracas Venezuela many people attend an early morning mass on Christmas Eve. Nothing strange there then. However, what is weird and wonderful about this church mass is that people travel there on roller-skates. In fact this tradition is so popular that the roads in the city are closed to cars so that people can roller skate to church freely.
For most families around the world the last decoration to go on the Christmas tree is a star or angel on the top of the tree. However, in Germany, many families continue the Christmas tradition of putting a green, pickle shaped glass ornament on the tree last.
The pickle ornament is hidden away on the tree between the branches and on Christmas day morning all the children in the family search for this unusual Christmas ornament. The first child to find the pickle Christmas ornament gets a special, extra present and is blessed with good luck for the next year.
Other Unusual Christmas Traditions from Around the World:
- Czech Republic - Shoe Tossing - Single women stand outside their house and toss their shoe over their shoulder. If the heel points to the door she will stay single for another year, if the point faces the door she will soon be married!
- Slovakia - Food Tossing - At the start of Christmas Eve dinner the head of the table tosses some Loksa (bread, poppy seeds and water) onto the ceiling. The more of it that sticks the more fruitful his crops will be next year.
- England - Christmas Pudding - Christmas Pudding is the traditional Christmas dinner dessert in England and traditionally it is made with a sixpence or threepence baked within. Whoever gets the coin keeps it and will enjoy a prosperous year.
- Portugal - Christmas Ghosts - In Portugal if you are dead you can still enjoy Christmas dinner! Families set out extra places on the table and implore dead family spirits to join them for the feast!
- Japan - KFC Christmas - Advertising has worked wonders for the colonel in Japan and on Christmas Eve thousands of people flock to KFC to enjoy some finger licking chicken! Many branches even take table bookings to deal with the Christmas rush.
So there you have it! Although Christmas for most people is a time of giving, receiving, food and family, for many around the world it also consists of some unusual, strange and wonderful traditions. If you fancy changing your usual Christmas routine this year why not try out one of this wacky Christmas traditions with your family.
From: www.suite101.com
last modification: 2010-12-20
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