1. Norway
Norway has many celebrations but we think this is the craziest. Norwegians do not clean on Christmas Eve. They also make sure that all the brooms in their house are hidden to keep them safe from being stolen by witches and evil spirits. (via)
2. Bavaria, Germany
Bavarians dress up in their traditional dress, lederhosen. The Bavarian Highlanders fire handheld mortals in the air to celebrate Christmas. Making this a the noisiest celebration out of all of these. (via)
3. South Africa
In South Africa children are told a story of Danny. He was a young boy who angered his grandma by eating the cookies that were left for Santa. She was so angry she killed him and he is said to haunt homes at Christmas time. This is definitely a frightening Christmas tradition. (via)
4. India
In India Christians celebrate Christmas with midnight mass and gift-giving just like everyone one else. However, instead of traditional fir trees or pine trees families decorate banana or mango trees. (via)
5. Italy
The kids in Italy do not wait for the Jolly Old Saint Nicholas to drop off their presents. Instead the children wait for Befana to show up. She is a friendly witch who delivers toys and sweets on January 5th. Some countries fear witches while other embrace witches at Christmas time. (via)
6. Ukraine
Rather than traditional decorations like garlands and ornaments Ukrainians decorate their Christmas trees with artificial spiders and webs. This is thanks to a legend where a mother was so poor she could not afford to decorate her tree but when she woke up on Christmas a spider had decorated it for her. (via)
7. Czech Republic
Single women in the Czech Republic stand by the door and throw a shoe over their shoulder. If the shoe lands with the toe pointing towards the door you will be married within the next year. (via)
8. Japan
Japanese eat Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas Eve. A marketing campaign that began in 1974 has been successful ever since. More than 240,000 barrels of chicken will be sold during Christmas. We would stay that was a very successful marketing campaign. (via)
9. Venezuela
On Christmas Eve before children go to bed they tie one end of a string to their big toe while leaving the other end hanging out their bedroom window. The streets are shut down in the capital of Caracas so people can roller-skate to Mass. It is customary to tug on any string that you see hanging. (via)