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The holiday called Christmas is an amalgam of many winter holidays from around the world. The name is designated as a celebration of the birth of Jesus, although the date is not recorded in the Bible, and people at that time did not place particular important on birth dates. Scientists say the actual date was June 17th, 2BC because of the appearance of the star that beckoned the Magi. December 25th was set as the date for Christmas in the 4th century by Pope Julius I as an attempt to Christianize midwinter pagan holidays such as Solstice and Saturnalia. Customs such as bringing evergreens inside, eating fat-laden foods, and hanging lights are universal responses to the cold, dark winter season. Some of the stranger Christmas traditions are remnants of those older pagan holidays, and some have been changed over the centuries until their origins are hard to discern. Others were just made up to boost business!
1. Krampus
St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, or Santa Claus is the weirdest Christmas tradition ever, but he is so well known and so well documented that his origins are beyond the scope of this particular post. As a tool to encourage good behavior in children, Santa serves as the carrot, and Krampus is the stick. Krampus is the evil demon anti-Santa, or maybe his evil twin. Krampus Night is celebrated on December 5th, the eve of St. Nicholas Day in Austria and other parts of Europe. People dress as Krampus and roam the streets looking for someone to beat with a stick. Since it is also a night for drinking, the beatings probably don’t hurt much. (Image by Flickr user salendron.)
2. Caga Tió
In English, Caga Tió is “the pooping log”. Really. The Catalan custom is still celebrated in Spain, where you can buy your own el Caga Tió. The log is hollowed out, with legs and a face added. You must “feed” him every day beginning on December 8th. On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, put him in the fireplace and beat him with sticks until he poops out small candies, fruits, and nuts. When he is through, the final object dropped is a salt herring, a garlic bulb, or an onion. Oh yeah, there is a traditional song the family can sing to encourage the process.
poop log,
poop turrón,
hazelnuts and cottage cheese,
if you don’t poop well,
I’ll hit you with a stick,
poop log!
3. Caganer
Another Catalonian tradition is the Caganer, a Christmas statue found in nativity scenes in Andorra and parts of Spain, Italy, and Portugal. The scenes depict the entire town of Bethlehem, and the Caganer is usually tucked away in a corner, far from Mary and Joseph. The Caganer needs privacy, because he is defecating. There are quite a few explanations for this custom, but none have been confirmed as the original source. Caganers have been used for at least a couple hundred years. You can even buy Caganers that resemble modern-day celebrities. (Image by Flickr users clare_and_ben.)
4. The Pickle Ornament
The story goes that when German families decorate the Christmas tree, the last ornament to be hung is the Christmas pickle -usually a blown glass ornament that may have been passed down through generations. It is tucked away in a hard-to-see spot (it is green, after all). The first child who finds the pickle on Christmas morning gets a special gift and good luck all the next year. The trouble with this legend is that people in Germany were unfamiliar with it. Glass tree ornaments were indeed made in Germany, in the shape of fruits and vegetables and other objects. These ornaments became very popular in America when F.W. Woolworth began importing them in the 1880s. An old German legend no doubt helped to sell more glass ornaments! (Image by Flickr user the queen of subtle.)
5. Kentucky Fried Chicken
The celebration of Christmas in Asia usually involves imported western traditions, but in Japan those traditions have been shaped by commercial interests. The holiday places special emphasis on romantic love, so it’s a day to spend with a sweetheart or spouse. Bakeries sell Christmas cakes as traditional sweetheart treats. And you might have to make reservations to get a table at KFC. Yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken. The fast food franchise let it be known that fried chicken is traditional for the Christmas feast. And so it is -in Japan. (Image by Flickr user sleepytako.)
6. Zwarte Piet
Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter is Santa’s helper in the Netherlands. Sinterklass arrives on the eve of St. Nicholas Day in a steamship with his slave Zwarte Piet, portrayed in public processions in several cities. Since about 1850, children who don’t behave during the year were told that Black Peter might take them back to Spain, where Sinterklaas lives. The racist aspects of the custom have been downplayed in recent decades, and the tale of Black Peter now describes him as a chimney sweep instead of a slave, which explains the blackface. But charges of racism still follow Black Peter, as he is often portrayed with an Afro and exaggerated features.
7. TV Yule Log
The Yule Log is a tradition that dates back hundreds of years. The Yule Log on TV is a relatively new tradition for those who have no fireplace to burn their own log. WPIX in New York has broadcast 24 hours of a burning fireplace on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day since 1966. The original film was shot at Gracie Mansion, but a carpet fire during the first filming made the mayor wary of a reshoot a few years later, so the loop seen now was filmed in California.
8. Mari Lwyd
Mari Lwyd, an old midwinter custom in Wales, is a holdover from pagan celebrations before Christmas was introduced. Mari Lwyd means “gray mare” in English.
In its purest form (still to be seen at Llangynwyd, near Maesteg, every New Year’s Day) the tradition involves the arrival of the horse and its party at the door of the house or pub, where they sing several introductory verses. Then comes a battle of wits (known as pwnco) in which the people inside the door and the Mari party outside exchange challenges and insults in rhyme. At the end of the battle, which can be as long as the creativity of the two parties holds out, the Mari party enters with another song.
The horse in the above scenario is made of a horse’s skull attached to a pole. The person operating the horse is concealed by sheets, and sometimes has a contraption to work the horses jaw! (Image by Flickr user arosmae.)
See Also…
8 Great TV Christmas Specials (But Not The Ones You’re Probably Thinking)
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Is It True That No Two Snowflakes Are Alike?
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12 Things You Might Not Know About A Christmas Story (Even though you’ve seen it 90 times)
*
The Stories Behind 10 Famous Christmas Songs
*
11 Notable Presidential Pardons
Now through Sunday only, all our t-shirts are $14.90! Visit the mental_floss store, finish up your holiday shopping and use the code “holidayteeparty” during checkout.
Comments (36)
Comment
(I pulled this from another post I commented on previously, so forgive me if you have already read this….) I cannot tell you how excited I was to see this post. I lived in Southern Germany for 8 years (Garmisch to be exact). Whenever I try to explain what happens when this time of year comes around, no one believes me. Yes, it is yet another reason to fill a mass and drink, but it is also one of the most fun, yet scary Christmas traditions. The town that I went to for Krampus is Berchtesgaden. There are several “hordes” of Krampus (you can hear them coming as they have HUGE cowbells) that roam the town over, looking for people to whip. Yes, I said whip (made from long willow branches braided together). The point is to whip the bad out in order to let the good in. St. Nicolaus also roams the town with a band of merriment men (elves). So, imagine this…..every bar in town is packed with people, drinking and being merry….there are gluwein stands everywhere (alcoholic of course)….you hear the bells, you know they are coming….you try to hide behind others, so you don’t get picked to be whipped, but you cannot help by watch as others get the crap whipped out of them (I can tell you stories that involve blood and jeans…)…then you go back to drinking and having a good time. Now, if you do happen to be chosen, they are supposed to “mark” you with black soot to show that you have already received your beating, but that tends to make you a target for others. For woman, the name of the game is to snag the whips from the Krampus. I’m sure you can imagine what can be done (lots of kissing under costumes). All in all, it is a fun tradition to witness, just beware of the whips! I miss living in Germany….
And, as far as the Christmas pickle thing is concerned, I lived in Germany for 14 years, in 4 of the 7 German states, and I had never heard of this tradition until I moved back to the states and was told it was a “German” thing…..I have asked my friends back in Germany and they have never heard of it either.
posted by Michelle on 12-11-2008 at 10:07 am
i live in barcelona and was certainly surprised with the scatological xmas traditions–i wonder if this is where trey and matt got the idea for mr. hankey…
i still have to go to the market and pick up my pooping obama figurine
bon nadal!
posted by brian on 12-11-2008 at 10:31 am
any particular reason why children in the Netherlands believe Santa lives in Spain? The streamship kinda makes sense in that regard though. I’d like to see how that story is told. of course, now i have an image of steampunk santa in my head…whenever i think steamship.
Also i’ve apparently gotten black peter confused with krampus in the last few years.
posted by Claire on 12-11-2008 at 11:20 am
Michelle–I lived in Germany for six years when I was little–too little to witness any Krampus traditions, alas. But having lived there, I think you described it perfectly. I love Gluwein!!
I also wanted to comment that Mari Lwyd sounds like a blast!
posted by Orange on 12-11-2008 at 11:53 am
So I’m really glad you put black peter on this list. As a young child I lived in the Neatherlands and was severily tramatized by Black Peter. I can’t tell you why he horrified me so much but it has truely scared me for life and now living in the US people don’t understand my fear of him so having the background story and a picture to prove how creepy the whole things, people dont’ think I’m so crazy now! Thanks!
posted by Hi-D on 12-11-2008 at 12:12 pm
Maybe Santa got assigned to Spain in the minds of the Dutch back in the Renaissance? When the Hapsburg empire got divvied up Philip II (yeah, that Armada guy) got both Netherlands (which at the time also included what we know as Belgium) and Spain, and ruled from the latter. Maybe the idea was Santa’s bound to be where the seat of power is, what with all that reward and punishment and implicit surveillance. Though the Dutch broke away from Spain long before steamships came in…
posted by VM on 12-11-2008 at 12:33 pm
And looking back at the picture now that I’ve posted, the costuming of Sinterklass’s Moorish contingent certainly looks Renaissance to me.
posted by VM on 12-11-2008 at 12:36 pm
As for Japan, Christmas Day is not such a big deal, but Christmas Eve is supposedly the big night for losing one’s virginity. All the hotels, motels, and love hotels are booked far in advance for this special occasion. Also, girls who were unmarried at 25 used to be referred to as “Christmas Cake” (kurisumasu keiki), since it’s not worth much after the 25th.
posted by Mary on 12-11-2008 at 12:40 pm
and we mustn’t forget the David Sedaris story “Six to Eight Black Men” from his book Dress your Family in Corduroy in Denim. That’s where I first read about Zwarte Piet. And Zwarte Piet’s “helpers” pretend to kick bad children.
posted by whirlygig on 12-11-2008 at 1:19 pm
What’s the deal with Christmas and poop? I find that rather disturbing… There’s got to be something more behind it, no pun intended.
BTW – Christmas in Japan sounds awesome!! Sex and fried chicken – what more could you ask?
posted by bzzyb on 12-11-2008 at 1:38 pm
Wow… I’m going to have to share this list with some friends…
@ Michelle & Orange – Here’s something for you, easy to do if you’re expecting guests:
Gluhwein
2 bottles red wine
1 cup sugar
1 stick cinnamon
3 or 4 slices lemon, each studded with 3 or 4 cloves
Heat together until hot (do not boil!)
posted by Jason! on 12-11-2008 at 2:28 pm
After careful consideration, I’m heading for Japan. Will they deliver the KFC to a motel room?
posted by DUKE on 12-11-2008 at 2:50 pm
What? No Christmas goat? How can you forget a Christmas tradition that catches on fire almost every year? Click on my name to link to a webcam on the Gavle Goat for when someone lights it up.
posted by Samantha on 12-11-2008 at 2:53 pm
Whirlygig, I’m glad someone posted about the Sedaris story…I came here to do the same! I highly recommend the story to anyone who hasn’t read it…it’s probably my #1 favorite of his.
posted by Jen on 12-11-2008 at 3:06 pm
While growing up in Switzerland Christmas itself was great. The Christchild would visit & give the gifts on Christmas Eve but it was Samichlaus that scared the heck out of us. He is our version on St. Nick but was out on Dec 6 visiting the various households. If you were a good child you got candy, fruits and nuts and a little toy but if you were bad he would take you back to the forest near our house(carried in a sack) & you had to live there until you were good again. He would knock on the door when he arrived & let me tell you as a child the terror you faced was horrible. You never knew if you were going to get your treats or if a scary old guy was going to kidnap you from your parents. Good times.
posted by Sylvia on 12-11-2008 at 3:45 pm
Thanks for posting the recipe, Jason! I’m having a New Years party and will give it a shot!!
posted by Orange on 12-11-2008 at 3:52 pm
Very cool article.
Growing up in Pennsylvania Dutch country, we always had the threat of the Belschnickel hanging over our heads. He is like Santa, only without the jolliness, benevolence, red suit, and belly like a bowl full of jelly. Ok, so not so much like Santa. According to tradition, he would travel around to farm houses on Christmas Eve and would beat naughty children with a switch. In some variations of the story, Black Pete would carry the switches. Good kids would get an orange. Just a typical warm, fuzzy PA Dutch tradition!
posted by Marlisa on 12-11-2008 at 4:47 pm
Having lived in Italy for a year, I’ve always wondered about the tradition of the Christmas Witch ‘Befana’ – I’m assuming it’s pagan but in a Catholic country I thought they would have done away with her altogether, or at least tweaked her a little…
posted by dangermouse on 12-11-2008 at 4:51 pm
Sorry to post again, but I forgot to mention that the Christmas pickle is still very big here. I have not one, but two on my tree. Since we have no kids in the house, the finder usually gets a bottle of some Christmas cheer!
posted by Marlisa on 12-11-2008 at 4:51 pm
Every year while digging out the tree ornaments, we always find “the Christmas Pickle”. The only thing we had known was that it was passed down from several German generations and the reason behind the pickle was lost in time.
Thanks for a solved mystery!
posted by Savannah on 12-11-2008 at 4:53 pm
What? No German Knecht Ruprecht? My mother in law grew up in a small town in germany and describes Ruprecht in much the same way you talk about Krampus. She even ended up in Ruprecht’s sack one year where she was carried around town and shown as an example to other kids what would happen if they were bad.
posted by mark on 12-11-2008 at 5:10 pm
Sinterklaas, as he is called, has absolutely nothing to do with christmas. This holiday is on the 5th of december, and he himself cannot be confused with Santa Klaus. Sinterklaas brings gifts from Spain, where he lives, to celebrate his birthday on the 6th. Orginally he is a saint from Turkey, and is a christian patron of a lot of things. Santa Claus is nothing really, just a commercial rip off, as his appearance is created by Coca Cola in the 20s-30s.
posted by Koos on 12-11-2008 at 5:29 pm
I grew up with a step-father from lleida. a little city outside of barcelona, and even living in massachusetts we still up held his old tradition of beating the pooping log with sticks. and it is true that you sing a little carol to encourage the process. one thing that was not mentioned, however, is that after you beat it with a stick, you have to go over to your christmas tree(or wherever, really) and say a prayer and make a wish to the tio. then you go back and theres poo-candy under the logs blanket! haha. good article, i enjoyed seeing that.
posted by Jeff on 12-11-2008 at 6:05 pm
My family does the pickle ornament every year and we’re not even remotely German (Italian and English/Swedish/French/Czech). We actually learned about it about 17 years ago when we went to this exhibit of Christmas trees, each with their own theme. We all thought the pickle was cool and a great idea. In my family, the pickle prize is usually a giant Hershey Kiss or something similar.
posted by Amy D on 12-11-2008 at 8:04 pm
@whirlygig:
When I clicked on this list, I first wondered if it would mention the six to eight black men. That essay was my first David Sedaris rush, and I haven’t gone back since.
[end bad drugs-to-essays metaphor]
posted by Allison on 12-11-2008 at 8:36 pm
Hey, Michelle, do you still have any contacts in Garmisch? My father was born in Emmering and lived in Garmisch as a child, and he’s trying to find some information about the place. Thanks….
I need to ask him about Krampus, hehe.
posted by annejumps on 12-11-2008 at 11:29 pm
blood bigger
posted by nico_robin123 on 12-12-2008 at 3:32 am
@Clair
The origin of Sinterklaas is pretty vague. I’ve no idea why he lives in Madrid, Spain. But he is based on the Saint Nicolaas from Myra, Myra a place in Turkey. Everybody in Holland knows it.
The idea of Madrid, Spain was planted by a schoolteacher from Amsterdam, (maybe he was on drugs, when he thought about it). He also introduced the steamboat.
But all in all, the tradition isn’t quite regarded as rascist by most people. Only the ethnic minorities.
But I can understand it can be painfull for those people. Maybe it’s really time to let go of the slave handling past of The Netherlands. And throw ‘Black Pete’ overboard, maybe that wasnt such a good analogy. Or maybe we shouldn’t part with the past. And educate children about Black Pete, (or Zwarte Piet), about the true nature. but then it won’t be a fun and festive holiday, with presents and all that for the kids.
Also Sinterklaas and Santaclaus shouldn’t be confused. Though they are based on the same Saint. Only Santaclaus has a bit more the commercial approach.
Santaclaus is primarily ignored in The Netherlands, only because of the US influence of the last couple of decades the people in Holland start to put presents underneath the Christmas tree etc.
Also Sinterklaas has nothing to do with Christmas, they are 2 totally different holidays. It’s like saying Halloween and Easter are the same. There should be a clear boundary between them.
There is also a lot of resentment for the commercial sector in The Netherlands. They are often criticized for putting Christmas decorations too early in the stores, they should wait for Sinterklaas to end.
But it was a good and fun article. :)
posted by Martijn on 12-12-2008 at 3:45 am
I wanted to add to Koos. Sinterklaas is completely seperate from Christmas, because yes, we celebrate Christmas as well! Two holidays in December.
Translated we call Santa “Christmas Man” and though we took over the look from America, it has been celebrated as a pagan holiday throughout history here with “Father winter or winter spirit” evolving into nowadays “Christmas Man”
posted by Daisy on 12-12-2008 at 4:24 am
8 Truly Strange Christmas Customs | Deliggit.com
\r\nDecember 25th was set as the date for Christmas in the 4th century as an attempt
posted by Deliggit.com | The social sites' most interesting urls on 12-12-2008 at 6:52 am
Wow, those are some pretty cool looking creatures!
jess
http://www.online-privacy.se.tc
posted by Jack Wright on 12-12-2008 at 8:02 am
“Sinterklaas is the basis for the North American figure of Santa Claus.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas
posted by Gustave on 12-12-2008 at 10:19 am
Sorry now but seriously , drinkin means the beatings arnt gonna hurt that much?!?! where did u grow up!
posted by Samir on 12-12-2008 at 12:07 pm
@Jason – Gluhwein is amazing!
Sadly, I cannot remember my original source, but I also have been hoodwinked by this ‘German pickle’ mystery. I’ve worked both with Germans and in Germany, and I must say that no German that I know has ever heard of the pickle tradition.
I researched it a while back and found that it had something to do with a U.S. soldier bringing back a ‘Christmas pickle’ story after World War II.
posted by Erik on 12-12-2008 at 12:40 pm
annejumps – yes I still have lots of friends living in Garmisch. email me at belled27@yahoo.com
posted by Michelle on 12-12-2008 at 3:45 pm
Thanks, Michelle! Will do.
My dad says the pickle thing is Austrian. *still skeptical*
posted by annejumps on 12-12-2008 at 9:52 pm