Top weirdest Christmas traditions around the world

Christmas is (and probably should remain) first and foremost a religious celebration of Christianity. But it is also a reason for joy and celebration. It would not be the colorful universe-in-itself without the traditions that make it such an exciting anthropological case study.

Most traditions have their roots planted deep in time immemorial and are pagan at their core. But this does not make them less interesting or relevant. What makes them singular is that some are just so… weird. So here we are with a Top weirdest Christmas traditions around the world:

An old Ukrainian tale led to a… “gothic” tradition: the Christmas spider. People in this country strategically hide a spider (whether it is alive or “artificial” is still unclear) in the Christmas tree. Whoever finds it will get good luck for the coming year… or a spider bite.

Due to the large expose, we are all more or less familiar with traditions in Great Britain. But how many of you knew that British kids send their letters to Father Christmas using a method as efficient as it is… inefficient: by throwing them straight into the fire? Yep, they throw them deep in the fireplace. Good luck with this communication method!

Some folks are a bit confused when it comes to Halloween versus Christmas… so witches are present in various traditions around the world. In Norway, for instance, people hide all their brooms on Christmas Eve to prevent witches from playing pranks on them. Meanwhile, in some places in Italy, La Befana, a benignant witch this time, comes to bring children sweets and toys. If you treat her to a nice glass of wine for her effort, she may even sweep your floor with her broom before mounting it and flying away.

As for less wintery places, people make do with what they have. This is the case of the few Christians in India, who celebrate Christmas decorating mango or banana trees. The Australians fall into the same category, as Santa comes to visit them on a surfboard.