Decorated Christmas trees, carols, visit to the Church, gifts, new dresses and cakes. That’s how you might be celebrating Christmas each year with family and friends. But did you know that the same festival is celebrated in certain parts of the world in absolutely weird ways? Ways that are hard to imagine and so exciting to know of. Here are few weird ways Christmas is celebrated around the world. Maybe you would want to try out one of these ways this year –
Krampus of Austria: Your favourite Santa does not come in Austria with gifts on Christmas. Rather the children in Austria live under the fear of Krampus on Christmas night. Krampus is a half goat and half demon that beats up the children into good behaviour.
The legend is part of centuries old German tradition, where Krampus was the counterpart of kindly St. Nicholas, who rewarded children with sweets. Krampus in contrast would spank wicked children and take them away down below to hell.
Christmas on roller skates: In Venezuela, people have developed this strange yet interesting tradition of going to the mass on roller skates. The masses in Venezuela are locally called Misas de Aguinaldo. The streets are closed in early mornings, no cars or buses, just skaters on their way to the church. Children tie one end of the string to their toe and leave the other hanging out of the window. The roller skaters go by in the morning giving a friendly gentle tug to the children via the rope.
On the midnight of 24th December, midnight mass is held called Misa de Gallo. The whole family attends this service and go home to sit and enjoy a fancy dinner.
Scary Christmas food from Greenland: Christmas is celebrated in Greenland with some really weird food that is not for the weak and heart. Kiviak is a delicacy from Greenland where raw flesh of Auk bird is stuffed inside the seal skin for many months until it is completely decomposed. Mattak is another delicacy which is raw what skin served with blubber on it. Suaasat is a soup from Greenland that is made from seal or whale, reindeer and and sea-bird meat. It is garnished simply with salt, pepper and bay leaves.
Mari Lywd of Wales: Mari Lywd (Grey Mare) is a pre-Christian tradition that is said to bring good luck. People make horse figure using horse skull and attach decorative eyes and ears to it. It is then adorned with reins, bells, and ribbons and wrapped in a white sheet that is carried around on a pole.
People carry the Mari Lywd and go from door to door, singing and challenging the families inside for a verbal battle of rhyming insults in Welsh (called Pwnco).
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