Friday Funny - xmas traditions Germany. Tradition: Santas spooky helper. As a part of celebrations in Germany as well as Austria and some parts of Switzerland, St Nikolaus (the saint on whom many countries base Santa Claus) is accompanied by a scary devil-like character as a warning to children no to be bad. In France theres a similar figure called La Pere Fouettard. Italy. Tradition: Presents on a broomstick. A good witch called La Befana delivers childrens presents on January 6th using a broomstick rather than a sleigh. But if youve been bad – expect lumps of coal. Netherlands. Tradition: Sinterklaas and Black Peter. In Holland Santa Claus is called Sinterklaas. He doesnt live at the North Pole, but in sunny Spain and arrives by steamboat with a helper called Black Peter rather than an elf. Scandinavia. Tradition: Porridge instead of cookies and carrots. Across the region a gnome like character - called Tomte in Sweden and Nisse in Norway - is believed to protect barns and brings presents too. Every Christmas the children leave a bowl of porridge out for him. Spain. Tradition: A different sort of Christmas log. In the region of Catalonia traditional Nativity scenes get a cheeky addition in the form of a character called the caganer. And theres no polite way to say this – the figure is squatting as if going to the toilet. Sometimes they are shepherds, but can even be footballers or politicians. Australia. Tradition: Rudolph the red nosed Kangaroo. Of course Down Under Christmas falls in summer. There tradition has it that Father Christmas swaps his reindeer for six white boomers or kangaroos. Its also traditional to enjoy a barbecue on the beach on the big day. India. Tradition: Decorating mango trees For Christians on the sub-continent fir trees arent common. Instead mango trees are often decorated instead and mango leaves used to brighten up homes. Greenland. Tradition: Rotting bird feast. The hardy folk in the Arctic Circle tuck into some unusual dishes. Kiviak is decomposed bird that has been wrapped in sealskin and buried under a stone for several months. They also feast on mattak, slices of raw whale skin. Ukraine. Tradition: Spider webs on the tree. It may sound more like a Halloween tradition than a Christmas one but Ukrainians decorate their Christmas trees with spider webs. Legend says that a magic spider once visited a poor family at Christmas and turned the webs in their home into gold and silver. Bulgaria. Tradition: Stick patting. One of the Christmas traditions is koleduvane involving boys singing carols outside neighbours houses then patting them on the back with decorated sticks. Greece. Tradition: Basil and burning shoes. Basil is wrapped around a cross and used to sprinkle holy water around the house to ward off mischief making goblins called killantzaroi. Its also traditional to burn old shoes for good luck in the following year. Venezuela. Tradition: Roller-skating to Church. In the capital, Caracas, roads are closed off so that locals can blade to morning mass – they even tie pieces of string and dangle them out of the window so, if they oversleep, passers-by will be able to tug on the string and wake them up. Brazil. Tradition: Presents in shoes. Brazilians celebrate the legend that animals gain the power of speech on Christmas night while children here get their presents in their shoes rather than stockings from Papa Noel. Jamaica. Tradition: John Canoe parade Christmas time is marked by the John Canoe parade, which dates back to the times of slavery, where people dress up in wacky masks and costumes. Curried goat is often on the menu for Christmas dinner. Mexico. Tradition: Carving radishes. In the run up to Christmas time the Festival Of The Radishes sees farming folk carve the vegetables into human figures, including those from nativity scenes. Czech Republic. Tradition: The golden pig. Czechs are taught not to eat anything on Christmas Eve until a special dinner is served so that they can try and see a mystical golden pig appear. Another tradition sees a girl putting a cherry twig in water on December 4th. If it blossoms before Christmas Eve the girl will marry the following year. Poland. Tradition: Iron under the table. The main meal is on Christmas Eve. Poles place a piece of iron under the Christmas dinner table to make sure everyone has strong legs. The table legs have to be strong too – there are traditionally 12 courses, two of which are carp. Iceland. Tradition: 13 Santas. There are 13 Santas in Iceland. These Yule lads, more troll like than our traditional Father Christmas, traditionally come down from the mountain one by one during the days of the festive period leaving presents or rotten potatoes depending on the childs behaviour. They have names like Door Sniffer and Meat Hook.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 05:25:32 +0000
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