5 Unique Christmas Traditions Around the World

Hey! It’s the holiday season. And we all love the holiday season, especially Christmas, don’t we? (Maybe except Grinch). All around the world, the month of December brings along different festivities and different regions have different ways of celebrating them. Most of them include various types of decorations, different traditional dishes, and singing carols. But here are some unique Christmas traditions from around the world that might surprise you.

1. Venezuela

It’s normal to go to the church on Christmas, right? Well, that’s what folks in Venezuela do, except, they do so on roller skates. Yes, you read it right. Every Christmas Eve, people roller-skate to the city’s church. This tradition is so popular that, for people’s safety, cars are not allowed on the roads that day.

Roller-skating to the church sure sounds fun.

2. Iceland

Iceland has something called Yule Lads, who are 13 mischievous characters who visit the children across the country over the 13 nights before Christmas. Each night, children put their best shoes by the window and a different Yule Lad visits them. It’s said that the good kids receive gifts while the naughty ones get rotten potatoes.

Well Santa, you got some competition.

3. Austria

We all know St. Nicholas but what if I told you, he has an evil associate?

Yup, Krampus is a horned beast-like creature that roams around the city during the holiday season. According to the Austrian tradition, nice kids get rewarded by St. Nicholas during the Christmas season while Krampus stuffs the naughty kids in a sack and takes them away to his lair (Damn, the naughty kids are hated everywhere). Some people dress up as Krampus in the first week of December to scare the children.

Christmas must feel like Halloween here.

4. Sweden

In Sweden, a 13-meter-tall yule goat (A Swedish Christmas symbol) is built out of straw every year in December in the center of Gävle’s Castle Square. This tradition started in 1966. But it also brought another sort of tradition with it. People try to burn this straw goat down. It has been successfully burnt down 29 times since 1996, the latest one being in 2016.

5. Norway

Norway has one of the most unusual Christmas traditions in the World. Here, people hide their broom on Christmas Eve. Centuries ago, people believed that witches might steal brooms to ride on and hence hid their brooms. Many people still continue this tradition.

I would recommend you to go and check your brooms ones, can’t trust these witches you know.

How do you spend Christmas? Do you know any other unique Christmas traditions? Please share in the comments.