Surprising, strange Christmas traditions from around the world

If the magic of Christmas operates every December 25 in a large part of our globe, the customs associated with it diverge from one region to another. Embark on a world tour of the most unusual Christmas traditions!

Radish Night (or 'Noche de los rábanos' in Spanish) is a tradition celebrated every December 23 in Oaxaca, Mexico. During the evening, artisans take their places at their stands and carve radishes, representing scenes from Christmas or local festivals.

The craftsman who creates the most beautiful radish sculpture is rewarded with a certain amount of money. The radishes are then sold to residents. They are used to decorate the tables set for the Christmas meal. Original!

If you are planning to celebrate Christmas in Japan this year, you can forget about foie gras and capon at the December 24 meal. In the land of the rising sun, we prefer... buckets of fried chicken at KFC! But where does this astonishing tradition come from?

Japan is not a predominantly Christian country and therefore there are no real traditions for Christmas. But in the 1970s, a marketing stunt by the American fast food chain KFC, called Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii ("Kentucky for Christmas"), was a resounding success that has persisted for decades. Today, some Japanese reserve their tenders several months in advance to be sure to eat them on Christmas Day!

On the Catalan side, we observe a rather unique tradition known as “Tió de Nadal” (Christmas Log). It consists of choosing a hollowed wooden log, giving it a smiling face, dressing it with a barretina (Catalan red beret) and finally, covering it with a blanket. What for?

You must then "feed" the log every evening, from the start of Advent (December 2) until Christmas Eve. Then, before the meal on December 24, the Catalan children hit the log with sticks, while singing, and wait for it to reject the gifts and treats hidden under its blanket.

During the month of December, Ukrainian families recycle their Halloween decorations to spruce up their Christmas trees, decorating them with fake spider webs alongside baubles and tinsel. The reason? According to local beliefs, they bring good luck!

This tradition is linked to a local fable. As Christmas approaches, a very poor family happily discovers a fir tree in their garden, which had grown from a pine cone. Unfortunately, the family didn't have enough money to decorate it. Faced with the children's despair, the spiders in the shed weaved their most beautiful webs around the branches of the tree. In the morning, the parents and children discovered a sparkling tree in their garden: the cobwebs had transformed into gold and silver threads, thus saving the family from poverty.

According to a Norwegian belief, witches and evil spirits roam the sky during the night of December 24 to 25. Cautious, Norwegians hide their brooms in their cupboards to prevent witches from taking them and traveling the country.

Let's stay in Norway to discuss another Scandinavian Christmas tradition. Like the glass of milk that we offer to Santa Claus in France, on the night of December 24, the Norwegians leave a bowl of porridge for the Nisse.

This little legendary creature from Scandinavian folklore is comparable to a goblin, an elf, or a gnome. The nisse would live under the floors of houses and protect children from bad luck.

Do you know the "Christmas Pickle"? In the American Midwest, tradition dictates that a fake pickle, as a decoration, is hidden in the branches of the Christmas tree. On the morning of December 25, the first child to find this Christmas pickle receives an extra gift and good luck for the year to come. Not bad!

In Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, you won't see any cars on some city streets on December 25. Not for ecological reasons, but for the safety of residents. Indeed, as strange as it may seem, the tradition is to go to Christmas mass on roller skates. They call this tradition 'Patinata', and consists of roller skating through the streets around the church and usually starts when the mass is over.

In Venezuela, there is also typical Christmas music called 'Gaitas Navideñas' and typical food for sale. Christmas is one of the most important festivities in Venezuela. Young and old, everyone who can, puts on their roller skates to go to church and participate in religious festivities.

Far from the winter cold, in the southern hemisphere, temperatures reach around thirty degrees during the Christmas period. On December 25, Australians got into the habit of going to the beach, with friends or family, to swim and share some food on the sand.

In the Czech Republic, it is customary to buy live carp a few days before the holidays, then keep them in your bathtub until Christmas Eve. And for good reason, according to popular belief, the longer the fish is kept alive in clean water, the tastier its flesh.

In Ireland, students particularly like to party and have recently created their own Christmas tradition: the 12 pub crawl! At each Irish pub, everyone must respect a certain number of rules, such as wearing an ultra-kitch Christmas sweater, singing Christmas carols in front of everyone, or even showing up with a Santa hat at the counter. All with a pint in hand, of course.

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