1. Banana/ Mango Trees :
In India, only about 10% of the population are Christians; They celebrate Christmas like the rest of the world with midnight mass and presents, but in absence of pine trees, they decorate Banana trees and Mango trees. More so, because Banana trees and Mango trees hold a very high cultural significance.
2. Want to get married? Toss your shoes:
In Sweden, according to folklore, standing your back to the door and throwing your shoes over your shoulders on Christmas day will determine if you are to be married soon. If the shoes land pointing towards the door, you can expect to be married soon.
3. Christmas Cake:
In Japan, Christmas cakes are ordered months in advance and are eaten on Christmas Eve. Any cake that is left after Christmas 25 is unwanted.
4. Remembrance:
In Finland familesvisit graves of their ancestors and relatives in their remembrance and the cemeteries would light up with candles. Food will be left on the tables and the people sleep on the floor to give their dead ancestors and relatives a nice meal and place to sleep.
5. Skating:
In Venezuela, before children go to bed on Christmas Eve, they tie one end of a string to their big toe, leaving the other end outside their bedroom window. When people skate their way to early morning mass the next morning, they customarily proceed to tug on any strings they see hanging.
6. Goat:
In Sweden, in 1966 a 13-meter tall goat figure made of straw was erected in the town square of Gavle. At the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, the goat went up in flames. But the town never stopped building it year after year, and vandals never stopped trying to burn the goat down! By 2011, the goat has already been burned down 25 times. The burning of the Gavle goat happened so often that bookmakers began taking bets for the survival of the goat since 1988.
7. Spidery and cobwebby Christmas:
In Ukraine, according to the local folklore, there was a poor woman who could not afford to decorate their Christmas tree. But the next morning, her children woke up to see the tree, which was covered with webs turn into gold and silver when the first light of Christmas morning touched the web threads. Hence, it is believed that seeing a spider web on Christmas morning brings luck.
By: Archa Dave
