Seven Bizarre Christmas Traditions

Christmas time is here. We all have our own holiday traditions, Rachel and I buy a new ornament for the tree and as a child, it didn't feel like Christmas until How the Grinch Stole Christmas came on television. Your family might do something different. Shoot, you might even be from another country, where there are what seem like some pretty wacky traditions. Some you might like to try...some you might want to skip.

Kiviak - Dig Up the Dead Bird
For instance, you might want to skip Kiviak. Kiviak is a whole auk that is wrapped in seal skin and buried under a rock in the frost several months before Christmas. What the hell is an auk you may wonder (don't worry, I had the same question)? An auk is a type of bird, that is similar to penguins due to their black and white colors, their upright posture, and some of their habits. The Christmas tradition is to dig up the kiviak, squeeze out the rotted guts, and then eat the auk. No, I'm not kidding.

Hiding Your Brooms
Bad witches and evil spirits could exist here as well as Norway. Norway takes preventative measures on Christmas Eve, when evil baddies and baddie witches might try to make off with your brooms. Hide all your brooms! Apparently, Christmas Eve is a prime broom-joyriding time in Norway. It could be here, too!

Kallikantzaroi & Pig Jaw Protection
Similarly, in Greece there is a need to ward off bad spirits. Kallikantzaroi are evil spirits that live deep inside the earth most of the year, but wreak havoc on Greek homes over the Christmas holiday. There are lots of ways to ward off these pests, which are described differently at every turn. Some say the look like people, some say the look like very tall things that wear metal shoes. My personal favorite description says they have monkey arms and red eyes and are covered in fur. In order to ward off the Kallikantzaroi, just hang a pig jaw inside the chimney to keep them from coming down it.

Lose a Shoe, Gain a Man
Tired of being single? If you're a woman you can do this simple Christmas Eve tradition from the Czech Republic. Just go outside in the daytime, stand with your back to your door, and toss one of your shoes over your shoulder. If it lands with the toe facing the door, it means you'll get married within the year. If it lands with the toe facing the door, it means you'll get married within the year. If you aren't tired of being single try it anyway. If the heel faces the door then you're in luck!

Don't Throw Out That Horse Skull Just Yet
If you're looking to make some extra cash you can follow this old tradition from Wales called the Mari Lwyd (Venerable Mary). It's easy. Just find a horse skull and make yourself a horsehair sheet (perhaps you can salvage hair of the horse you get the skull from). You will also need some mummers and a bucket. Now, go out about the town covered in the horsehair sheet holding the horse's head up on a pike. Make the horse's skeletal mouth bite people you meet in the street. If it "bites" them, they have to pay a fine. Put the money in the bucket. At the end of the day, you have a bucket of money or a horse head on a pike in a very uncomfortable place.

Poop Log
The next Christmas tradition comes from Catalonia, Spain. In order to practice this tradition you will need to hollow out a log, then put a face on the log. Add some arms and legs to make it look like a reindeer or a dog. Beginning on December 8th, begin feeding the log with candy, toys, and presents for Christmas. Then, beat the log (or Cago Tio as it is referred to in Spain) until the log poops out all the goodies. If the stuff won't come out, there is a song you can sing. The song translates into: "Poop log, poop turron, hazelnuts and cottage cheese, if you don't poop well, I'll hit you with a stick, poop log!"

El Caganer - The Great Defecator
The final Christmas tradition also comes from Catalonia, Spain, who seem to have an obsession with poop. El Caganer is a figurine for your nativity scene. He's a red capped peasant, monk, or other type of figure that you place in your nativity scene. He is placed a little bit away from the rest of the figures though, because he's crapping. El Caganer translates to "the great defecator" in Catalonian. It's not sacrilegious, the poop means the year will yield a good harvest. If not, it's a heck of a conversation piece.