Christmas is celebrated in many different ways around the world. In all corners of the globe, where holidays are celebrated, there are completely different customs. Some of them are close to Polish, and others are really surprising. Check out 7 weird Christmas traditions and find out how people celebrate Christmas in other countries.
1. Cucumbers on the Christmas tree (Germany)
One of the most surprising Christmas customs is hanging Christmas decorations in Germany. It would seem that there is nothing strange about this tradition, right? Well, no, our western neighbors decorate Christmas trees not only with round baubles, colorful chains, and lights but also with ornaments in the shape of ... cucumbers. Usually, these are baubles that look like cucumbers. Fortunately, there are no real pickled cucumbers on the Christmas tree!
Cucumber baubles are hung in German houses in the most visible places possible. For what? So that children can easily find these green ornaments. According to German tradition, the first child to spot a cucumber bauble will be the first to receive his Christmas gift and will be lucky in the coming year. The bauble found by the child is then hung on the top of the Christmas tree and is then treated as the most important.
2. Caga tió and turron instead of wafer (Spain)
Among the strange Christmas customs, it is impossible not to mention the one that made Spanish Catalonia famous. It is about Caga tió, i.e. the custom of carving specific figures from tree stumps, whose main task is to ... defecate. According to Catalan legend, Caga tió was a creature that ate table scraps. In exchange for a meal, having eaten his fill, he excreted gifts for the children. In the past, whole families would gather around such a stump and help it defecate by hitting it with a stick and singing motivating folk songs. However, before the family started helping such people, they first spread a blanket around him - gifts and sweets were supposed to fall there.
In our country, it is a tradition to share the wafer. In Spain, on the other hand, people share a specific type of nougat, which is commonly known there as turron. It is a delicious nougat formed into a roll and wrapped in a white wafer. The most popular are turrons from Alicante, which are as fragile as our Christmas wafer. It is this "wafer" that Spanish families share with each other on Christmas Eve.
3. Traditional broom hiding (Norway)
In Norway, it is a Christmas tradition to hide brooms on Christmas Eve. Where did this custom come from? Well, in the past it was believed that on Christmas Eve evil witches can wake up, who catch brooms from someone else's house, and fly away on them to do evil. The inhabitants of Norway, therefore, look for good hiding places at home every year to hide their brooms there. That way the witches won't find them, and so won't take over the festivities.
It is worth noting that the Norwegians do not share the wafer, and their Christmas Eve is mainly meat dishes (including lamb ribs). In Norway, no one goes to midnight mass either. The main holy mass takes place around 5:00 pm. Families then go home to celebrate Christmas Eve with their loved ones.
4. Fortune telling from plants (Czech Republic)
In our country, we make fortune-telling by wax or shoes on the last day of November, when Andrzejki falls. However, it turns out that this is not the only good day for fortune-telling. For our Czech neighbors, the best day for divination is… Christmas! Women, however, are most interested in fortune-telling, because it concerns them directly.
At the beginning of December, every Czech woman carefully cuts a cherry, apple or forsythia branch. If a twig blooms for Christmas, its owner will get married next year. However, if buds appear on the twig before Christmas, the woman will have a child first - only then will she marry. But what if the twig doesn't bloom? Well, its owner will spend the next year alone.
5. Christmas dinner at KFC (Japan)
In Japan, as a rule, Christmas is not celebrated because the Japanese have a completely different religion than we do. However, they like to celebrate Christmas because they like the Christian traditions of decorating houses with lights, decorating the Christmas tree and sprinkling artificial snow on the windows. Unlike Europeans, however, the Japanese celebrate Christmas in a completely different way.
The Japanese Christmas tradition includes a Christmas dinner in the form of a KFC bucket. Yes, the Japanese visit KFC on Christmas Day – they often stand for several hours in front of the entrance to eat a classic bucket of chicken pieces. During the holiday season, the KFC restaurant even prepares a Christmas offer for the Japanese, so that none of them will forget to order their "Christmas" bucket.
6. Christmas fruit trees (India)
In India, due to a completely different religion, Christmas is not celebrated. However, not only Hindus and Buddhists live there, but also Christians. Unfortunately, in India it is difficult to find a Christmas tree, so Christians have to think hard to decorate the tree for the holidays.
Indians who are Christians decorate banana or mango trees and palm trees. They decorate them with baubles, colorful chains, and lights just like we spruces, pines, or firs. It is an excellent alternative for those who want to smuggle a bit of European Christmas magic to India.
7. Mari Lwyd – fearsome mare (Wales)
Wales is famous for one of the strangest Christmas customs. The most popular is Mari Lwyd or Gray Mare. This tradition comes from pagan times and is cultivated every year by the people of Wales. Who is the mysterious Mari Lwyd? Well, a horse's skull, is covered with a sheet. Men follow her.
Every year the Gray Mare visits families who celebrate Christmas in Wales. He always asks a riddle at the doorstep of the house, to which the household must find the answer. If they succeed, Mari Lwyd will be allowed inside. This will mean that in the coming year the family who guesses the riddle will be very happy.
Bibliography:
- Fr. Józef Naumowicz: The Story of the Christmas Tree, Wydawnictwo Literackie, Kraków 2007
- Brand Sofie Maria: Holidays in the world, Znak Emotion Publishing House, Warsaw 2021
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