Top 5 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. 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.

5. Southern Louisiana

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