Few More Weird and Amazing Christmas Traditions

Broom Hiding

In Norway, you will find one of the most unexpected Christmas traditions in the world–broom hiding. During Christmas Eve folks in Norway conceal their brooms, and it is not a good idea to leave your broom around because evil spirits and witches may steal your broom and ride on it. Well, at least according to a belief that dates back many centuries. Arguably one of the oldest Christmas traditions in the world, people still keep their sweepers in the most protected spots inside the house so that they are not stolen and do not attract bad luck.

National Hanukkah Menorah Lighting

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrated across America with a lot of fanfare and is one of the more elaborate national events in the country. The National Hanukkah Menorah festival dates back to 1979 and involves a nine-meter tall Menorah being erected on the white house grounds during the 8 nights and days of Hanukkah. The festival is held in Washington, D.C., and features the lighting of the Menorah, various children’s activities, speeches, as well as music. The first candle is usually lit at 4 pm at the White House, and another candle in the proceeding nights. It is free to attend the event, but a person has to book a ticket to the event in advance.

Venezuela

Do you enjoy Christmas but feel that it could do with a bit of roller-blading? Then Caracas, Venezuela is the place to visit this Christmas. Every Christmas Eve, Caracas residents visit the church in the early hours of the morning on roller skates. This is one of the most popular annual events in the region. During Christmas Eve, the roads are closed to cars to allow the residents to skate safely to church before returning home to yet another Christmas tradition of eating tamales.

Day of the Little Candles

In Colombia, the start of the Christmas season is marked by the Day of the Little Candles. The tradition is in honor of the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Mary. This tradition involves people putting paper lanterns and candles on their windows, front yards, and balconies. Today this tradition is so popular across Columbia that elaborate displays are set up in entire cities and towns. Some of the most magnificent displays can be found in Quimbaya, where residents try to outdo each other in creating the most spectacular displays.

Cavalcade of Lights

To the North of the United States is yet another Christmas tradition involving lights. The Cavalcade of Lights is an annual tradition in Toronto that marks the beginning of the Christmas season. The event was first held in 1967 to celebrate the newly built Nathan Phillips Square and City Hall. The event involves illuminating the Christmas tree and the Square with three hundred thousand energy-efficient LED lights shining from dusk up to 11 pm for every day all the way to New Year. In addition, you get the opportunity to see wonderful fireworks and take part in outdoor ice skating, all financed by Credence.

From Kentucky Fried Christmas to Saint Nicholas Day to The Yule Lads

Kentucky Fried Christmas

With a name like Kentucky Fried Christmas, you might think that this is a Christmas tradition that is celebrated within our borders. Far from it. The Kentucky Fried Christmas is actually held in Japan. Christmas celebrations are gaining ground in Japan, and you will find people practicing some familiar rituals such as light displays and gift-giving. Although Christmas remains a recent novelty in Japan, a new tradition has emerged that has become quite a hit with the Asian nation–A Christmas celebration with Kentucky Fried Chicken. The celebratory menu is advertised close to Christmas on the KFC website in Japan, and even if you do not know any Japanese, the pictures will tell you all you need to know about the finger-licking offerings available during the Christmas period in Japan. The delightful selections range from a quality roast-bird feast to a Christmas-themed standard bucket.

Saint Nicholas Day

This Christmas tradition takes place in Germany where Nikolaus rides on a donkey on 6th December during the night and leaves presents such as toys, oranges, chocolate, and coins in the footwear of good girls and boys across Germany, particularly in the Bavarian area. Saint Nicholas also visits kids at home and at school, and children get the opportunity to draw a picture, recite a poem, or draw a picture in exchange for presents. In other words, St. Nicholas is a fantastic person. But St. Nicholas day is not all games and fun. The lad also brings a demon-like character in a dirty beard dressed in obscure costumes known as Knecht Ruprecht, whose sole objective is to punish bad children.

The Yule Lads

This is one of the most exciting Christmas traditions across the world. In the thirteen days preceding Christmas, thirteen tricksy troll-looking characters known as the Yule Lads come out to play in Iceland and visit kids across the nation in each of the thirteen days. During every Yuletide night, kids put their favorite footwear at the window, and various Yule Lads visit bestowing Christmas presents for good girls and boys, while the disobedient children get decaying potatoes. The Yule Lads dress up in native Iceland attire and can be quite a mischievous lot. Their names alone provide a hint of the mischief they are likely to cause: Kertasnikir the candle stealer, Ketkrokur the meat hook, Gatapefur the doorway sniffer, Gluggagægir the window-peeper Bjúgnakrækir the sausage swiper, skyrgamur the skyr gobbler, Huroaskellir the door slammer, Askasleikir the bowl licker, Pottaskefill the pot scraper, Þvörusleikir the spoon licker, stufur the stubby, Giljagaur the gully gawk, and Stekkjastaur the sheep-cote clode. Visit Iceland during the thirteen days preceding Christmas if you would like to see them all.…

Popular Christmas Traditions Around the World

There are a lot of Christmas traditions in America: opening Christmas gifts, trimming your Christmas tree, baking holiday cookies, just to name a few. But have you ever wondered what Christmas is like in other parts of the world? You will soon learn that Christmas traditions vary from country to country. Not only is there different Christmas food in some nations, but you will discover that in some places, Christmas is not observed on the 25th of December.

Although you will observe that some traditions do not change like eating Christmas ham, creating advent calendars, decorating a Christmas tree, and singing Christmas carols, some of the Christmas traditions on this list may leave you surprised. You may even wish Christmas was celebrated in a similar manner here. What’s more, you might actually get to wow your family with Christmas trivia from the following traditions during your Christmas celebration

Giant Lantern Festival

The Giant Lantern Festival is hosted annually in San Fernando City, Philippines on the Saturday preceding Christmas Eve. In the Philippines, locals highly regard the city as the Christmas Capital. The Giant Lantern Festival is quite an important Christmas celebration and attracts many people from the Philippines and many parts of the world. Close to a dozen villages participate in the event. The festival is relatively competitive as everybody tries to create the best lantern. Traditionally, the lanterns used to be minimalistic creations measuring about fifty centimeters in diameter, lit by a candle and made by Japanese origami paper. In modern day, the lanterns measure about 6 meters in diameter and are made using various materials. As opposed to the traditional lanterns that were lit using candles, modern lanterns at the Giant Lantern Festival are lit using electric bulbs that create a kaleidoscope of patterns. The lanterns create a magical scene, and it is one of the most beautiful things to see during Christmas.

Gavle Goat Tradition

The Gavle Goat is a Christmas tradition in Sweden and one of the oldest traditions in the country. A thirteen meter tall Gavle Goat was erected in 1966 at the heart of Gavle’s City Square for the Advent. This Swedish Christmas tradition has inadvertently given rise to another Christmas tradition of locals attempting to burn it down. Since the Goat was built in 1966, people have successfully managed to burn it down a record twenty-nine times. The most recent time when people burnt it down being in 2016. This is one of the most unorthodox Christmas celebrations in the world. If you are interested in this kind of festival, you do not have to travel all the way to Sweden to witness it. You can follow the event from the comfort of your home through a live video stream.

Krampus

Another unorthodox Christmas tradition across the globe is the Krampus in Austria. This event involves Saint Nicholas’ evil collaborator, Krampus, a beast-like creature roaming the town streets punishing and frightening bad kids. In Austrian tradition, nice little girls and boys are rewarded by St. Nicholas, while the most mischievous children are captured by Krampus and whisked in his bag. Young men dress themselves as Krampus in the initial week of December, particularly on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day, and try to frighten kids with their clattering bells and chains.…