Daryl Austman
I LOVE Christmas but there are some CRAZY Christmas Traditions and holiday customs in different countries.
Here are some of my favorite Crazy Christmas Customs from around the world
Caracas Roman Catholics have a strange tradition of rollerskating to early Mass during the week of Dec 16-25.
Canadian kids send thousands of letters to Santa at the North Pole in Canada's arctic. The letters are all read and replied to by... Santa??
photo courtesy of CanadaPost.ca
Participants dress up with Christmas hats/beards and jump into the freezing cold North Sea to celebrate Christmas!
image courtesy of thejournal.ie
The tradition is that nasty witches and evil doers can't get around and do nasty things if they can't find transportation so Norwegians hide their brooms, mops, brushes and such.
Japanese Christmas Holiday families line up in long lines to get their favorite Christmas Dinner entree Kentucky Fried Chicken!
photo courtesy - jpninfo.com/
Italian Children Believe In A Female Version Of Santa Called La Befana who resembles a dirty, soot covered old lady leaves candy and gifts for children.
The Netherlands Has Sinterklaas and his helper Zwarte Piet Who Wearing Blackface Makeup and Renaissance Costume Helps Distribute Candy and Gifts On Dec 5th
photo courtesy of - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sinterklaas_zwarte_piet.jpg
Krampus, The German Anti-Santa Claus Comes The Night Before December 6, known Krampus Night. The Next Morning German Children Check The Shoe or Boot They'd Left Has Either Presents Or A Rod.
image courtesy of - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Krampus
In Parts Of Spain, Portugal & Southern France Catalans Place A Defecating Man (Caganer) In Amongst The Nativity Scenes In Order To Bring Good Fortune, Harvests and Fertility.
By Jordiferrer - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30413060
The Yule Cat (Jolakutturinn or Jolakottur) is a huge and monstrous cat that skulks around the snowy Icelandic countryside during Christmas holidays and will devour people who have not received new clothes during Christmas eve or if you have been mischievous.
Rollerskaters dressed as Santa Claus skate along the streets in London. Some 400-500 roller skaters from Britain and neighboring countries participated in the annual event was originally launched in 2004.
info & photo courtesy of http://londonsantaskate.com
