Think having a pine tree in your living room is a weird Christmas tradition? Think again! These countries have some truly quirky Christmas traditions - we'd love to know who started some of these!
Skating to Mass, Venezuela
As in many countries, it is customary in Venezuela for people to go to Mass in the run-up to Christmas. What is more out-of-the-ordinary though is that in the Venezuelan city of Caracas cars are banned from the roads to allow church-goers to roller-skate to the service.
Hiding Brooms, Norway
Norwegians believe that witches rise from the dead on Christmas Eve to cause chaos and destruction until dawn. As witches rely on broomsticks for transport, people hide all their brooms away in the hope of thwarting their evil plans…
Shoe Throwing, Czech Republic
Girls in the Czech Republic can find out what their future holds on Christmas Eve with the help of a simple shoe. The girl stands outside her house with her back to the door and throws a shoe over her shoulder; it is believed that if the toe of the shoe points towards the door she will be married within a year.
KFC Buckets, Japan
Japan doesn’t celebrate Christmas as a religious ceremony; however the country’s love of consumerism has led them to celebrate it as an excuse to give gifts. Somehow fried chicken has become the must-have Christmas dinner, and demand is so high that people find it necessary to reserve their KFC bucket weeks in advance.
Image credit: Lenscap Photography / Shutterstock.com
Mother’s Day, Yugoslavia
Parents have to keep their wits about them in Yugoslavia! Two weeks before Christmas, children tie their mother to a chair and dance around her singing ‘Mother’s Day, Mother’s Day, What will you pay to get away?’ The mother then gives her children gifts to persuade them to release her, and the following week the children do the same to their father.
Spider Webs on Christmas Trees, Ukraine
An old Ukrainian folk tale tells how a poor woman who could not afford to decorate her Christmas tree awoke on Christmas Day to find spiders had decorated her tree with silver and gold web. In light of this, it has become custom for people in the Ukraine to decorate their trees with spider webs.
We love the idea of roller-skating around on car-free streets, but we're not sure we're ready to replace our Christmas dinners with a KFC bucket! Can you think of any other strange Christmas traditions?
By Kate Moxon - Online Marketing Assistant at icelolly.com
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