You all are weird (no wonder we get along so well) & wanted more on the wacky, weird & sometimes scary Christmas Traditions. I typed this days ago, thankfully…as you know I am having pretty brutal server issues that keep giving me error messages. That said, maybe I’ll give you more snark & more funnies about Christmas later this week.

Le Pere Fouettard

Le Père Fouettard (French for The whipping Father) is a character who accompanies St. Nicholas in his rounds during St. Nicholas’ Day (6 December) dispensing lumps of coal and/or floggings to the naughty children while St. Nick gives gifts to the well behaved. He is known mainly in the Eastern regions of France, although similar characters exist all over Europe. This “Whipping Father” was said to bring a stick with him to spank all of the naughty kids who misbehaved.

Hmm…I kinda like this idea, but again I am slightly sadistic.

Findland

On Christmas Eve in Finland, the entire family puts on their coats and heads to the cemetery to pay respects to the dead with candles and singing, a tribute that doubles as both touching Christmas tradition and traumatizing nightmare for Finnish children.

Okay, that would scare the heck right out of me. Seriously? Christmas Eve? I totally understand the sentiment behind it, but still…creepy.

In Czech Republic, the single women tossed their shoe on Christmas Eve, to know if they marry the following year. They turn their back at front door and tossed the shoe over their shoulders. If the shoe landed with heel towards the door, she stay single for the coming year; while the front of the shoe faces the door, it means she will marry this coming year, and move out from her parent’s home.

*snicker* heads up, flying shoes bitches! You better watch out, you better not cry…Santa Claus got clipped by a shoe.

In Caracas, Venezuela a weird and unusual tradition of the Venezuelan go to the early Christmas Mass on a roller skate. The roads and streets are closed to cars to allow the skaters to go to the church to attend the mass. Instead the usual caroling at night, people just beat the drums, and at the strike of midnight, people shout “Jesus is born” and use firecrackers to light up the sky.

You all know I went rollerskating in October for my 30th Birthday, so I am ALL for anything that includes rollerskating. To bad Toronto has a ton of snow by Christmas, or I’d be break skating down the road.

Caga Tia or Poop Log, is another weird custom and tradition in Spain. You can buy or make your own Caga TiA, hallowed the log and put legs and face, and must “feed” the log everyday starting 8th of December. On Christmas Eve you may put your Caga TiA near the fireplace and “beat” him with stick until he pooped out nuts, candies and fruits. After he finished, he should pooped the final ‘food inside him’, like onions, garlic bulb and salt herring. While doing the beating process the family should sing the traditional song to encourage the pooping log to pooped out all ‘objects’ inside him.

This makes me giggle.

In Italy, the parents are worried on the pagan practice of believing Santa Claus and that he delivers presents for the Italian children. The Vatican, cannot find proof that Santa Claus is existing, and just believe that a very kind old witch, named La Befana, delivers presents to the children and that the three Wise Men asked La Befana to pay a visit to Baby Jesus in Betlehem, but the old witch declined.

Now I’d love to continue down this road with you all, but my serve straight up refuses to let me add anymore pictures without giving me an error message. Thankfully I had typed this up & before all that fun stuff started happening. I want you all to tell me something weird your family does at Christmas! Come on, make me laugh!