6 Christmas Traditions that are Truly Different

It's Christmas time again and everybody's dreaming about those lip smacking puddings. Then how about a trip to Great Britain? Well, let us explain you why. Pudding is an important part of Christmas celebrations in Great Britain. But how many of you know that the Christmas pudding in Great Britain is more than special. As per folk tradition, the special pudding is to be mixed in a clockwise direction and while mixing it - a wish is to be made, which is, later, accomplished. Doesn't that sound yummy?

Since good old school days, we have heard a lot about father Santa coming on his reindeer sledge with lots of gifts for us. However this is not the case for the Italians. Reason, the Vatican was unable to justify the existence of Santa so they had another explanation for the kids. They proclaimed that a kindly old witch with the name La Befana, brings gifts for them. So, instead of waiting for father Santa, children in Italy wait for La Befana to shower them with gifts and toys. Good old witch !

Above is our good old witch but how about shooing away from witches? This tradition is practiced in Norway and also parts of Finland where all the brooms in the houses are kept shrouded on Christmas eve. As per ancient belief in Norway, the witches steal the brooms to ride the skies and spread bad omen. Therefore, women hide their brooms and mops, while the men sneak out at night firing gunshots to scare away the witches. Scary, right?

Christmas eve marks for a national holiday in Caracas, Venezuela. But this national holiday is marked in a very interesting modern day tradition. The streets in Caracas are closed off on Christmas eve to allow the churchgoers reach the church by roller skaters. At least a respite from choked traffic on Christmas day!

In Latvia there exists a very odd and weird custom called mumming performed on Christmas eve. "Mummers" wear an array of masks that includes the faces of bears, horses, goats and gypsies and barge onto the streets. Truly a thrilling sight!

Spiderman! Spiderman! It's a dream date for toddlers and children who wait for a joy cling with spiderman, swinging from one tower to another. But people might be wondering the connection between Spiderman and Christmas. According to a folklore in Ukraine on Christmas day, a poor woman woke up to find a Christmas tree made up of spider webs. When the sun rays fell on it, the webs turned to gold and silver. She was bestowed with fortune. Therefore, spider plays a vital role in Christmas in Ukraine. Nowadays, Ukrainian Christmas trees are covered in spider webs made from various materials including crystal, paper, metal, and plastic.