World’s Most Unusual Christmas Celebrations

Christmas is celebrated in many different parts of the world, and while some of its traditions are widely known, others may be considered unusual, as they are less commonly recognized compared to the holiday’s more traditional celebrations.

Perhaps the best examples of traditional Christmas customs are setting up Christmas trees and creating nativity scenes that represent the birth of Jesus Christ.

The 9 Most unusual Christmas celebrations around the world

Krampus Parade – Austria

The Krampus Parade is a tradition commonly found in Alpine countries like Austria, and it’s fairly uncommon, as it looks more like a Halloween celebration, than a Christmas tradition. During this parade, people dress up as Krampus, which is a half-goat half-demon figure from folklore that punishes children.

Krampus is believed to be the antithesis of St. Nicholas, who rewards children, and is without any doubt, one of the most unusual Christmas celebrations from around the world. The belief is that Krampus accompanies St. Nicholas on Christmas night, and punishes children with birch sticks, putting them on baskets and even taking them to hell.

This tradition is celebrated on December 5 and is locally known as Krampusnacht.

Roller Skating to Church – Venezuela

Christmas mornings in Caracas, Venezuela, are quite unusual, as streets are closed off to traffic so that people can roller skate to early morning Christmas mass. This early mass is often accompanied by traditional family dishes from Venezuela called Hallacas, and bread stuffed with ham, raisins and olives.

Hiding Brooms – Norway

In Norway, there is a superstition surrounding Christmas Eve. Norwegians believe that on this holy night, evil spirits roam the streets, and they seek brooms to fly in. To protect themselves from these evil spirits, families hide all their brooms in a safe space before going to bed on Christmas Eve.

Some Norwegians take this superstition further, by carrying out protecting rituals like lightning candles and burning special herbs, to ward off evil entities.

KFC became an unusual staple of Christmas in Japan

KFC Japan’s busiest of the year is often December 24, when they have reportedly sold 10 times what they usually sell, and it all started in the 1970s, through a marketing campaign. The campaign slogan, which is popular to this day, is “Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii” (Kentucky for Christmas), and has earned its spot in Japanese culture, and unusual Christmas traditions.

This is perhaps the most unique Christmas tradition on the list, given that Christmas is not even a holiday in Japan, as the country is largely secular and less than 1% of its population identifies as Christian.

Families in Japan even place reservations days in advance to secure their Christmas Chicken meal from KFC, and the restaurant even offers entire dinner sets, including the chicken, cake and champagne.

The Caganer – Catalonia, Spain

The most unusual addition to a traditional Christmas tradition like the nativity scene is found in Catalonia, as they include a figurine of a person defecating known as the Caganer.

The Caganer is believed to symbolize fertility, prosperity and good luck for the coming year. Traditionally, the figurine is dressed in Catalan peasant attire, but modern versions include celebrities, politicians and pop culture icons.

The Caganer is also usually hidden within the nativity scene, creating a Where is Waldo-like game for children to find it.

Spider Web Decorations – Ukraine

In Ukraine, Christmas trees are decorated with spider webs. Indeed, this unusual Christmas tradition comes from a folk tale about a family that was too poor to decorate their tree.

In the story, on Christmas morning, they awoke to find the tree covered in sparkling spider webs, spun overnight by kind spiders. Today, these web-like decorations, often made of gold or silver, symbolize good luck and happiness.

The Burning of the Gälve Goat in Sweden

In the town of Gälve, Sweden, a giant straw goat known as the Gävlebocken is built every year to mark the Christmas season. The straw goat is over 40 feet tall and is inspired by the Yule Goat, which is a figure of Scandinavian Folktales.

However, the goat has been subjected to several acts of mischief since it was first built in 1966, as it has been burned down by locals on more than 30 occasions.

Mari Lwyd – Wales

Like the Krampus parade, this is also somewhat of an unconventional Christmas celebration. The Mari Lwyd tradition in Wales consists of a person parading through the town while carrying a horse’s skull, mounted on a pole and draped in white cloth.

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Mari Môn, the Mari Lwyd cared for by the Anglesey Druid Order, enchanting the crowds at the Winter Solstice gathering at Bryn Celli Ddu. #welshwitchcraft #marilwyd #welshwitchtok #witchtok #yfarilwyd

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This parading of the horse’s skull is often accompanied by singing or reciting rhymes, with some even engaging in some kind of poetry battle known as pwnco, in which a group of people challenges someone at their home. If they win, then they would be welcome in the home to have a meal.

Radish Carving Festival – Mexico

In Oaxaca, Mexico the night of December 23, marks the Night of the Radishes, a festival in which people turn vegetables into art pieces.

In this unusual Christmas celebration, participants carve radishes into elaborate renditions of the nativity scene, animals, and other Christmas-related imagery. The radishes that are used for this festival, are grown especially large, and in unique shapes.

The festival of radishes dates back to the late 19th century and usually draws interest from local crowds.