It’s that time of year when a jolly old fat man will soon be flying through the air and shimmying down chimneys the world over. In other words, it’s Christmas time around the world.
Children are sending their wish lists to Santa, parents are maxing out their credit cards and that special Christmas fruitcake is being passed as a gift, from person to person. (Little known factoid – there are now, and have only ever been, five actual fruit cakes in circulation. The reason is because no one ever eats them. They just re-gift one of the five to friends that they’ve forgotten to buy a real gift for. Those five, petrified fruitcakes, have been making the rounds for close to a millennium by now)
We too have been getting in the holiday mood here at AnyHigh.life. And yet, while manger scenes, Santa Claus, and smiling snowmen still reign supreme, we thought we’d take a blog post moment and share with you some of the more unusual holiday traditions we’ve come across from around the world.
Krampus: In most countries Father Christmas, Santa Claus or Saint Nick brings children presents for Christmas, but some parts of Europe are also home to his evil accomplice.
The half-goat, half-demon Krampus is said to wander the streets carrying a wicker basket in search of badly-behaved children. While St. Nicholas rewards good boys and girls with sweets, apples, and nuts, Krampus is said to capture the naughtiest children and whisk them away in his sack. The folktale is popular throughout Austria, southern Germany, Hungary, and even northern Italy, where you can see people dressed as the Krampus walking the streets in the first week of December.
KFC Christmas: Christmas isn’t a big deal in Japan, apart from gift-giving and light displays. It isn’t even a national holiday, however its citizens have found an interesting way to celebrate by going to meet a white-bearded man. (If you’re thinking Santa Claus, then you’re way off!) Thanks to a festive marketing campaign in the 1970’s, Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii (or “Kentucky for Christmas”) where fried chicken was promoted as the perfect Christmas meal, a feast of Kentucky Fried Chicken has become a firmly established holiday Christmas tradition in the country since then.
It’s not uncommon for people to place orders weeks in advance to ensure they get their preferred meal on Christmas Day.
Eating raw whale skin with blubber & moldy birds: Before you ask, this isn't buying a turkey on "sell-by" the previous year and cooking it up when it's way out of date. The moldy bird "delicacy" in Greenland is called Kiviak. It's made with a small bird called an Auk.
The Auk has been preserved in the hollowed-out body of a seal, buried for several months, and then eaten once it's decomposed. Another treat on the menu is Mattak, made from the skin and blubber of a whale and usually eaten raw,
though sometimes it's deep-fried and munched on with soy sauce.
The Caganer: We’ve all heard the story of the three wise men who visited the baby Jesus. Well, in the Catalan tradition there’s a fourth chap on the scene, though his gift wasn’t quite as aromatic as frankincense and myrrh. The word “Caganer” literally means “the shitter” in Catalan and nativity scenes in this part of Spain frequently have an unusual addition. The Caganer can be found tucked away into a small corner and is traditionally a man with his pants rolled down and caught in the act taking a poop.
The Caganer’s origins are a bit foggy, but it seems to point to the fertilization of the earth, which then yields food, therefore joy and happiness came in with Christmas.
Feeding the Poop Log: The Catalonians' obsession with festive defecating doesn't stop there - there's the Tio de Nadal (Christmas Log), also known as the Caga Tio, a "pooping" wooden log (pardon the pun) with a painted face and two front legs.
On December 8th, families bring out the happy log. Every night until December 24th, children “feed” the log by offering him nuts, dried fruit and water. They also cover it with a blanket to ensure he stays warm and comfortable. Then on Christmas Eve it’s the little guy’s time to shine. Children gather around the branch and beat him with sticks while singing that festive traditional Tio de Nadal song:
Shit log,
Shit nougats,
Hazelnuts and mato cheese,
If you don’t shit well,
I’ll hit you with a stick,
Shit log!
Then comes the Christmas miracle – the children look under Tio de Nadal’s blanket and find that he’s pooped out a pile of candies and presents. After everyone’s collected their gifts, the little guy is burned for warmth.
Roller Skating Mass: In the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, it’s become tradition to go to mass on Christmas morning on roller skates. Originated in the 1960’s, the tradition has become so popular that many streets are closed to traffic so that people can skate safely to and from church.
Mummers: In Latvia, groups of people disguise themselves as animals or macabre characters.
They go from house to house within their community during the twelve days of Christmas to drive away the evil spirits with music and traditional songs. In return, families offer the mummers traditional Christmas food and drinks.
Hiding the Brooms: Norwegians don't take any chances on Christmas Eve.
Apparently, the night is renowned as a prime broom-joyriding time for evil witches and spirits, who may help themselves if yours isn't hidden from sight. This is a tradition that dates back centuries and traditionally families hide their brooms before they go to bed.
Killer Cat: In Iceland, a giant cat is said to roam the countryside at Christmas time. The “Jolakotturinn”, or “Yule Cat”, is a monster from Icelandic folklore who hides in the snow and eats people who are wearing scruffy clothes. A tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages, farmers would use the Yule Cat as an incentive for their workers - those who worked hard would receive a new set of clothes, but those who didn't would be devoured by the gigantic cat-beast. Today it is customary for everyone in Iceland to get new clothing for Christmas to avoid the wrath of the Yule Cat.
Noche de Rábanos: The Night of the Radishes is an annual event held in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico every 23rd of December. It’s a vegetable carving competition where people use radishes to make sculptures. The tradition began in 1897 and everyone uses radishes grown by the government to ensure a fair competition. And after all, who doesn’t love a nice juicy radish at Christmas??
Kalle Anka: Ask someone in Sweden what they’ll be doing on the afternoon of Christmas Eve each year and the answer you’re most likely to get is “watching television”. Specifically, they’ll be watching a 1958 Christmas special called "Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul" or "Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas".
Everything is planned around the television special which airs at 3pm on the 24th, with more than 40% of Sweden's population still tuning in. The tradition dates back to the 1960s when televisions were a new commodity in Sweden and only two channels aired - one of which played Disney cartoons at Christmas. A whole nation coming together to watch Christmas cartoons together is just about as festive as it gets. If you’d like to make this a Christmas Eve Day tradition at your house, you can watch the 1958 special right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-XyCSHaD6s
Santa & Machine Guns: No, it’s not the tag line to the latest slasher/comedy/zombie film. This is a genuine Christmas tradition in the American state of Arizona. Since 2010 Arizona's Scottsdale Gun Club has hosted what may well be the oddest selfie opportunity of the holiday season - a snap of you with jolly old Saint Nick, and an AK-47.
Club spokesman Ron Kennedy said in 2011: "People decide to celebrate the holidays in unique ways. Some choose to do it with Santa at the mall, others in front of their tree. Our members and customers like to do it with 'Santa and Machine Guns'."
Santa’s Mailing Address & Postcode: Just in case you haven’t gotten your wish list off to Santa yet, thanks to the Canadian postal system, we’ve got his address right here for you. Send your letters to: Santa Claus, North Pole, Canada, HOHOHO. Seriously, the postcode is “HOHOHO”. How cool is that?! Any letters received bearing this address are not only opened - they're also replied to!
So, there’s just a few of the more “unique” holiday traditions that we’ve discovered. We’d love to hear about some special holiday traditions that you know about or have celebrated. Tell us in the comments section below.
My personal Christmas hero is Belshnickel!
That was fun! I knew about Krampus…. Nice Didn’t know about Caganer! Did you really have to show the Santa Guns ??? Ugh, embarrassing…. To all Non US citizens, not all of us are crazy!