Out of the Box Christmas Traditions
Almost all places all over the world celebrate Christmas. Enjoying a wide array of food for a Christmas dinner, and of course, the gifts. Cookies and a warm glass of milk should be prepared for that lovable fat guy who drops from the chimney and provides gifts for everyone. But when it comes to Christmas. other places have certain traditions that are beyond the typical norms in most countries. Here are a couple of those:
Running Around Town In a Beastly Costume
It’s almost Christmas, but some countries like Austria and Hungary prepare for other things besides having a Christmas tree at home. So Santa is not the only thing in their mind, but Krampus as well. This is a red beast which carries around a long chain and a basket. He also has a long tongue and cloven hooves. They believe that he abducts little kids and punishes them before Christmas arrives. So people goes around town wearing in beastly Christmas costumes prior the big day.
Playing a Game Toward Christmas Eve
Many Ethiopians believe that is was the shepherds during the biblical times that first played the game of Ganna. It involves two teams with two goals plus a stick and a ball. They believed that the first game took place after the shepherds heard of the news that Jesus was born. A game with such a high rate for injuries is never easy to play because both goals are so far apart. The reason for this is the size of the field has no standard size making it hard for both teams to make a goal.
A Singing Horse
Do not take this literally, but the picture is something in this aspect. This Wale’s tradition is known as Mare Lwyd or for some it is known as Gray Mare. It simply is going from house to house, dressed in a horse costume, arriving in groups, and singing Welsh language songs are part of their tradition. They even have a rhyme contest with the home owners.
Another Christmas Child Abductor in Europe
Abducting bad children before Christmas is something that is celebrated in Belgium and Neitherlands too. This tradition revolves around the character called Zwarte Piet. He is Santa’s companion who is an African, and he is believed to have been given such task of abducting naughty children. Well, this character did not really receive that much acceptance in other countries, especially with the Dutch. But there is an annual tradition in some parts of Europe regarding this.