Odd Christmas Traditions

When you think of Christmas, you think of gifts, Santa Claus and snow. In America, that is what we have grown up with and that's what we associate with Christmas. But in other parts of the world, they have some pretty unique Christmas symbols and traditions. Here are just a few of the world's oddest Christmas traditions.

1. Krampus

Monsters, devils and demons eating young children is the stock of Halloween, but in some countries in Europe such as Hungary, Croatia and Austria, they have Krampus. Krampus is said to be Santa Claus' constant companion during Christmas, and is primarily his anti-thesis. If Jolly Old Saint Nick rewards good children with gifts and toys, Krampus punishes the bad children. In Austria, people dress up as Krampus every December 5 and beat other people up with a stick.

2. Welcoming All

Those living in Portugal share a Christmas morning feast with a twist. Like anywhere else in the world, Portugese families come together on Christmas morning to celebrate the occasion with food, only that they take it one step further by inviting dead loved ones to the celebration. In fact, there are extra places and food on the table for the dead!

3. The Caga Tio

This is actually a dirtier version of the Yule Log. The "caga tio" or literally the "pooping log" is observed in Spain, where a log is hollowed out and then a face and legs are added. The log is fed every single day starting on December 8. When December 25 comes around, the log is placed into the fire and beaten with a stick so that it could "poop" candies, nuts, and fruits.

4. No red holiday cards in Japan.

If you have a friend over in Japan, then it might be a good thing to avoid sending him red Christmas cards. While red is traditionally a Christmas color, it is not appreciated by the Japanese because it means death for them. So giving them a red Christmas card is wishing them death on Christmas.

5. Christmas Markets

In Germany, the opening of the Christmas markets have always marked the beginning of Advent since as early as the late 1200s. These German markets feature many Christmas celebrations and traditions with attractions and stalls featuring Christmas icons such as a Nativity scene, Christmas cookies, nutcrackers, candies, almonds, gingerbread, candied fruit. Over time, it became a veritable tourist attraction, with the Dresden Christmas market drawing 2 million visitors yearly. It has since been replicated in various parts of the world, such as Austria, France and England.

But while German immigrants have tried to bring the markets to the U.S. nothing is as grand as the ones held in Germany every year.

6. The Longest Christmas Season

In the Philippines, Christmas starts as early as September. Filipinos like to call the start of the "-ber" months as the official start of Christmas, ending during the Feast of the Three Kings on January 6. Some Filipino households do not take down Christmas decorations and store away Christmas trees until after Valentines' Day in February.

Christmas is celebrated differently by various countries, cultures, and groups of people. Each country has their own ways of celebration, and these are varied by a family's way of celebrating Christmas. Indeed, a Christmas tradition may be different from person to person, from family to family, from religion to religion.