Devils Defecation the five Weirdest Christmas Traditions around the World
Who thought that Christmas just involved drinking egg nog, listening to Irving Berlin and waiting for Santa Claus to come down the chimney? Apparently, millions of people across the globe have their own traditions that may offend some, while shocking others.
Perhaps the Western world should take a cue from some of these countries and forgetspending thousands of dollarson items they don’t care for and instead be thankful for Krampus, hide the household broom and celebrate at Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Here are five of the weirdest Christmas traditions from Portugal to Austria to Ukraine to Japan.
Krampus
Have you ever thought of the ramifications of appearing on Santa Claus’s naughty list? Well, making the annual list of bad behavior may just prompt his evil twin, Krampus, to pay a visit, while you’re asleep.
Krampus, who is widespread throughout Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Bavaria, is a devil-like creature that punishes and beats children who have done bad deeds throughout the year. He even has his own day, Dec. 6, in which men wear costumes and run around hitting each other with sticks and switches.
Caganer
In many homes, there may be a model village of Bethlehem that consists of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. But did you forget about Caganer (“Shitter” in the English translation)? It’s a figurine that depicts a man with pants around his knees, bending over and defecating. Surprisingly, this has been around for a few hundred years and there are various figurines of celebrities, politicians and others.
Halloween on Christmas Eve
If you believed that witches, evil spirits and goblins only showed up on Halloween, you were wrong. Over in Norway, families believe these evil entities make an appearance on Christmas Eve looking for brooms to ride on. In order to scare away the spirits, all the brooms in the home are hidden and the men of the household head outside and shoot their shotgun.
Kentucky Fried Chicken
It seems the Japanese get sick and tired of sushi, sashimi and bento boxes around Christmas. Instead, millions of individuals make reservations to their nearest KFC and enjoy a nice bucket of classic Kentucky Fried Chicken. It’s a very popular well-marketed event.
Unmarried Women
If you’re an unmarried woman living in Czech Republic, you cannot (or can) wait until Christmas Eve. Each year, women undergo fortune telling sessions in order to predict their relationship status for the coming year. An unmarried woman will stand with her back to the door and toss a shoe over one of her shoulders. If it points to the door, she will get married within the next year. If the heel faces the door, there will be no marriage until the following Christmas Eve.
