Christmas and Santa Claus go together like peas in a pod in America. However, many countries around the world tell a different story to their children about how the presents make it into the house, or under the tree if they put one up. Here are a few of the more interesting ones from all over the world.
Sweden: Swedish parents tell their children that a gnome goes around every year, accompanied by a herd of Yule Goats, and delivers presents to children. He dresses in a red cap, and is said to have a long white beard, but no sleigh or reindeer. In one particular town, Gavle, they traditionally construct a large wooden goat to mark Christmas. Then the children of the town get two weeks to try and burn it down. Since 1966, when the tradition began, the goat has been burned down 25 times, a pretty even fight between the delinquents and the police.
India: Most people do not think of India as having any Christians, but they do. Even though they only number 2% of the entire population, it still means that there are over 20 million Christians living in India. Since it is impossible for them to get traditional fur or pine trees for Christmas, Indian’s have begun their own tradition of decorating banana and mango trees. They do not chop these trees down, but instead venture out of their homes and adopt a tree for the holiday. They also have their own version of Christmas lights, and instead decorate their homes with an oil lamp on the roof (which is not as dangerous as it sounds because many homes have clay roofs). When I heard about this tradition I couldn’t help but think of the Corona commercial that gets played every year with an individual whistling Christmas music and lighting up a palm tree.
Victorian England: Although they no longer do this one, in Olde England it used to be traditional to tell ghost stories on Christmas Eve. Families would gather around the fire and the Christmas tree and try and scare each other with a little spooky fun. This tradition still lives on, in a small way, in the Christmas story where Scrooge is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve, and in the popular song “Tis the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” in the line, “There’ll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.”
Czech Republic: Like many cultures it is traditional in the Czech Republic to eat fish on Christmas Eve. However, the Czechs have their own way of doing things. For them, it must be a carp, and if you want to do it the right way you have to buy it a week or so in advance and give it space to live in your home until the night of the feast. Then, after you have enjoyed the fish, it is considered good luck to keep one or two of its scales with you, maybe in your wallet, all year.
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