What does Christmas time mean to you? Presents under the tree, warm mince pies and mulled wine, the Top of the Pops Christmas Special?

Article written by The Overseas Guides Company

These are traditions that we are all familiar with but which might sound completely outrageous to other nationalities. With this in mind today the OverseasGuidesCompany.com have compiled a list of a few slightly more whacky Christmas traditions from around the world.

Austria

We’ve all heard of Santa Claus but have you heard of his evil, devil-like brother Krampus? Where Santa rewards children who have been good, it is Krampus’s job to punish those who have misbehaved. On December 6 it is tradition for the men of the town to dress up in terrifying costumes, have one too many drinks and then take to the streets of the town hitting people with sticks!

Venezuela

Attending mass on Christmas morning is hardly an unusual tradition, however the chosen mode of transport is far more out there. It is tradition in Caracas for people to don their roller-skates and take to the streets to wake the kids in the neighbourhood by gently pulling on pieces of string that the children have tied around their big toe and dangled out of the window.

Norway

Norwegian folklore states that come Christmas Eve, evil witches prowl the streets in search of brooms to ride upon. In order to thwart their evil plans, it is tradition for all to hide their brooms and for the men of the house to fire a shotgun outside the house to ward off evil spirits.

Ukraine

A favourite Ukrainian folk tale tells of a poor, widowed mother who didn’t have enough money to decorate her Christmas tree and was worried that it would ruin Christmas. When she awoke on Christmas morning, she was delighted to find that a spider had decorated the tree with its web. It’s for this reason that all Ukrainian Christmas trees are adorned with an artificial spider and web.

Japan

Forget the turkey – for Christmas dinner in Japan they dine on KFC. That’s right, every year people book tables or queue around the block to feast on bargain buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

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