15 Unusual Christmas Rituals From Around The World
In Australia, Santa Claus pulls up on a surfboard.
It's summer down under on Christmas Day. Temperatures in December are between 68 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit.
So Santa often pulls up on the beach on his surfboard. Carolers also gather in masse in major cities to sing by candlelight, and people decorate their homes with "Christmas Bush," a native plant.
In Austria, young men dress up as the Krampus and roam the streets to frighten children.
In Austria, December is a time for festive events and frights.
Young men walk around dressed up as the Krampus, a devil-demon creature equipped with cowbells and rods, scaring adults and children.
The country is also known for its famed Christmas markets.
In the Czech Republic, women submerge a branch of a cherry tree under water. If it blooms they will marry the next year.
On Dec. 4, women in the Czech Republic place a cherry twig under water. If it blooms before Christmas Eve it means she will marry in the next year.
Another marriage-related superstition in the Czech Republic is that if a woman throws a show over her shoulder on Christmas day and it points to the door, she will soon be wed.
In Denmark, a mischievous elf, Nisse, plays pranks on families.
Families in Denmark leave Nisse, a devilish elf, a bowl of rice pudding or porridge so he is nice to them.
If families don't leave pudding, presents may be stolen before the children awake.
In Finland, families head to the cemetery to pay their respects.
In Finland, tradition calls for families to stop by the cemetery and commemorate the dead.
It's also typical for families to lunch on porridge with an almond hidden inside — and the one who finds the almond sings a song.
In France, children put their shoes by the fireplace and Pere Noel fills them with presents.
Before going to bed, children in France put their shoes by the fireplace. They hope that Pere Noel, France's Santa, puts gifts in their shoes.
He also hangs small toys, nuts and fruits on the tree.
In Great Britain, children send their letters to Father Christmas by throwing them in the back of the fireplace.
Children in Great Britain write their wish lists to Father Christmas and then instead of mailing the letters (though some do), they throw them in the back of the fire place, hoping the draft carries them up and to the North Pole.
If the child's letter catches fire before it flies up the chimney, the child must write a new letter.
In Iceland, the 13 Yule Lads replace the traditional Santa Claus.
Why have one Santa Claus when you can believe in 13?
That's what children do in Iceland, where the "13 Yule Lads" are said to come to town two weeks before Christmas, and leave after the holiday.
Once depicted as mischievous, they have taken on a more benevolent role in recent years, and children leave their shoes by their windowsills, hoping the Lads will leave them small gifts.
In India, those who celebrate Christmas decorate banana or mango trees.
India's population is mainly Hindu and Muslim, but those who do celebrate Christmas tend to decorate mango or banana trees.
Some people will even decorate their houses with mango leaves.
In Japan, families feast at KFC.
Christmas may not be a national holiday in Japan, but that doesn't stop people from heading to American fast food chain KFC in droves to eat buckets of "Christmas Chicken."
The company reportedly has its highest annual sales in Japan on Christmas Eve, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
In Oaxaca, Mexico, natives break plates to signify the year coming to a close.
Christmas starts in Oaxaca with a parade of people walking down lantern-lit streets, and knocking on every door to re-enact Mary and Joseph's search for shelter.
Then, they break ceramic plates near the cathedral to signify the year's end.
In Norway, families hide all of the brooms on Christmas Eve to stop the witches from playing mischievous tricks
It is believed in Norway that on Christmas Eve, witches roam the skies along with other mischievous spirits.
Since a witch's prime mode of transportation is a broom, families hide all of their cleaning supplies attached to sticks, to stop the witches from stealing them.
In Catalonia, Spain, kids beat the 'Tió de Nadal' log with a stick so he "drops" presents
The "Tió de Nadal" is a popular Christmas tradition in Catalonia. The log is typically propped up on sticks, and children are encouraged to feed it and cover it with blankets on the nights leading up to Christmas.
On Christmas day, the log is placed in the fireplace and beaten with sticks so that it literally "poops" small presents.
In the Ukraine, families hide a spider web in the tree. Whoever finds it will have good luck.
In the Ukraine, there's a legend that a poor widow found a Christmas tree growing in her yard during the summer months. Her children were thrilled to finally have a tree, but she didn't have money to decorate it.
When the family woke up Christmas morning, a spider had spun a web around the tree, decorating it for the family.
When the youngest child opened the window on Christmas day and light hit the web, the web turned to silver and gold.
Stemming from that legend, now people in the Ukraine hide spider webs in their trees and whoever finds it Christmas day will have good luck that year.
In Caracas, Venezuela, the roads close on Christmas, so people roller skate to church.
On Christmas morning in Caracas, Venezuela the streets are closed to cars.
Local residents then roller blade to church, shooting off fireworks and proclaiming "Jesus is Born!"
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