Too much turkey? Eight strange ways to celebrate Christmas

By Press Association

December 14 2016, 1:46pm

It’s a strange old world out there.

These eight odd traditions from around the world are weirder than anything you do at Christmas time.

Do you cringe when friends ask what you and your family usually do for Christmas?

Well, if you think your Christmas traditions are a bit weird, these festive habits from around the world may make you feel a little better…

1. Opening presents after New Year – Spain

(karandaev /Thinkstock)

Small presents are exchanged in Spain on Christmas Eve, called Nochebuena in Spanish, an evening filled with a special meal and lashings of cava.

Christmas day isn’t really about gifts, although some children may get a little something from Santa. The largest gift-giving day is January 6, when the Feast of the Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the three kings to Bethlehem. The three kings leave gifts for children in their homes, much in the way that Santa does on Christmas day.

2. Krampus – the Austrian Christmas Villain

Apparently this guy is St. Nick’s companion. Terrifying. (Kerstin Joensson/AP)

According to folklore legend, Krampus is the evil sidekick of St Nicholas. His particular job is to punish naughty children, kidnapping or beating them with a bundle of birch branches.

Towns around Austria and some other European states like Germany and Hungary put on Krampuslauf (Krampus run) parades, where people dress up as the mythical monsters to terrify the public into behaving well.

3. Live carp in the bath – Poland

(Katarzyna Mala/AP)

Carp is served as the main dish of a traditional Polish Christmas eve meal, partly because meat is not eaten that day. The carp is usually bought alive a few days before and kept swimming about in the bath until the final moment, when the matriarch dispatches it and cooks it up for the family to enjoy.

It is also thought that keeping a scale from the carp brings good luck throughout the year.

Many people do skip this tradition nowadays, opting instead for fillets of carp from the supermarket.

4. Feeding the Poo log – Catalonia

(peresanz/Thinkstock)

Back to Spain for this rather peculiar tradition. On December 8, a log with a smiling face and spindly legs is put out in the home.

Children are encouraged to ‘feed’ the log, called a Caga Tió, – that translates to poo log – and look after him. This includes covering him with a little blanket to keep him warm.

Come Christmas Eve the blanket is removed to reveal the Caga Tió’s poo – sweets and treats for the kids. Nice, isn’t it? Well not really, because as soon as the family is done with the little fella he is chucked on the fire for warmth.

5.Kentucky Fried Christmas – Japan

(Mark Lennihan/AP)

KFC has got the Christmas market well and truly cornered in Japan. It all started in 1974 when an extremely successful marketing campaign – Kentucky for Christmas – took advantage of the fact that foreign visitors found it hard to get their hands on turkey, so visited the fast food chain instead.