Top 10 strangest Christmas traditions

Christmas decorations can be seen adorning stores and homes, as people prepare to celebrate the festive season with their families.

How many of these weird Christmas traditions do you recognise?

1. Austria

Step aside Santa Claus and make way for Krampus. Krampus is believed to be Santa’s evil twin and his job is to punish all the naughty children. On December 5, Austrian men dress up in devil-like costumes and run through town hitting people with sticks in honour of the day.

2. Norway

According to legend, on Christmas Eve witches and evil spirits come out looking for brooms to ride on. Considered as a bad omen and to thwart the witches, all brooms in the house are hidden in Norway and men go outside and fire a shotgun to scare the wicked spirits away.

3. Italy

While Norway is determined to ensure witches don’t steal broomsticks, Italians welcome their favourite witch, La Befana, with open arms. La Befana is portrayed as an old woman riding a broomstick, usually covered in soot, as she apparently entered homes through chimneys. Furthermore, unlike Santa where children leave cookies and milk for him, Italian children leave out wine and food for La Befana.

4. Portugal

The ‘consoda’ feast takes place on Christmas Day in Portugal, where families set an extra place at the dinner table for the souls of the dead. It is believed that by offering the dead food, the souls will bring you luck throughout the year.

5. Catalonia

Locals of Catalonia celebrate the rather unusual caga tió or ‘defecating log’ in English. This tradition involves creating a character out of a log, drawing a face on it and giving it a hat. Families then then spend two weeks ‘feeding’ it fruit, nuts and sweets. On Christmas Eve, the entire family beats the log with sticks, while singing traditional songs until the log excretes all its treats.

6. Southern Louisiana

Massive bonfires are made every Christmas Eve in Southern Louisiana so Papa Noel, the Louisianan Santa, can find his way to people’s homes.

7. Czech Republic

According to legend, Christmas Eve is the ideal time for single women to find out if they will be married. Women will stand at their front doors and throw shoes over their shoulders, and if it lands with the toes pointing towards the door, they will be married within the year.

8. Oaxaca, Mexico

From December 23 until Christmas, Oaxaca in Mexico presents a rather impressive display of carved radishes. The tradition is so popular that radishes are grown especially for this and are carved to depict the Nativity scene and other events of Mexican folklore. The tradition originally began when shopkeepers wanted to entice people into their stores. However, through the years it developed into a three-day festival.

9. Finland

Joulupukki , or Christmas Goat in English is part of the festive tapestry in Finland. Joulupukki is apparently a thinly veiled version of Father Christmas, a bearerof gifts linked to the Norse god Odin who arrives on Christmas Eve, and delivers his presents by coming through the front door instead of the chimney. A representation of Joulupukki can usually be seen under Finnish Christmas trees, portrayed as a straw goat.

10. Greenland

For many, Christmas is traditionally a time to enjoy good food with family and friends. In Greenland, however, a traditional Christmas meal consists of whale skin and blubber, wrapped auk (an arctic bird) in seal skin, that has been buried for several months until it reaches the perfect stage of decomposition.