Celebrating Christmas in ‘not so typical’ ways

Decorating the Christmas tree; baking cookies for Santa; hanging stockings by the fireplace—all of these are tried and true holiday traditions that families around the globe partake in during the holiday season.

But what about a wine-drinking Christmas witch who flies around on a broomstick or adorning your Christmas tree with a spider and webs? As outlandish as these traditions might sound, these and several others are important rituals, which help complete the Christmas holiday in countries around the world.

Our quest for strange holiday traditions begins in Italy, where Christmas is one of the most sacred holidays observed. Festivities include markets, fantastic light displays, concerts, and feasts galore. But the Christmas holidays also mark the arrival of La Befana on Jan. 5, the eve of the Epiphany, which is when the Wise Men came to pay tribute to the Baby Jesus.

According to Italian folklore, La Befana was approached by the three kings to join them on their voyage to see Jesus; however, she declined because she was too busy doing household chores. Regretting her decision, it is said that La Befana flies around on a broomstick on the evening of Jan. 5 in search of the Baby Jesus. She shoots down chimneys, filling the stockings of good children with gifts, but coal for the naughty ones. Before departing to the next house, La Befana enjoys wine and a bite of sausage kindly left out for her, before continuing the search for Baby Jesus. Italians still celebrate Le Befana on Jan. 5 by making special cookies called befanini and going door-to-door dressed as witches handing out candy to children.

Moving north, we arrive in the Ukraine, where celebrations of the Christmas season ramp up in mid-December. Holiday festivities include Christmas markets, caroling, and a variety of feasts to celebrate important dates such as Christmas Eve and Day. The Christmas tree is a focal point of holiday merrymaking, but in parts of Western Ukraine, you might be surprised to find a spider and webs hanging from the tree.

The legend, which is said to have origins in the Eastern European countries of Ukraine, Germany and Poland, dates back to the late 1800s. The story is about a poor widow and her children who, on a summer’s day, discover a pinecone on the earthen floor of their meager hut. The children are especially excited at the prospect of the pinecone becoming a Christmas tree, but as the Christmas holiday approaches, the family has no means for decorations. The children sadly make their way to bed on Christmas Eve, but upon waking up on Christmas morning, are greeted to a tree glistening with spiderwebs. Some variations of the tale maintain that a spider wove the web in appreciation of having a warm place to shelter in the tree, and that the sunlight made the web glow silver and gold, perhaps the inspiration for tinsel, say some Christmas historians. No matter the tale, this folklore has translated into the tradition of hanging a pavuchky (little spider in Ukrainian) and cobwebs on the Christmas tree.

Further research on the topic revealed a variety of peculiar Christmas stories and traditions. In Catalonia in northern Spain, one would find more than shepherds and the three kings in the nativity scene; upon closer observation, you will find a figurine of man or a woman sitting close to Jesus in the manger squatting to go the bathroom. The El Caganer, as he or she is called, first appeared in the nativity scene in the 17th century, although the exact reason is still unknown. Some theories maintain that it meant good luck, while others believe it shows the human side of Jesus, but either way, the El Caganer has become a staple in nativity displays across northern Spain.

But what about here in America? Are there any purely American Christmas traditions that would raise an eyebrow from folks in other countries? Probably so. Take for example, the bonfires that rage along the Bayou in Louisiana’s river parishes on Christmas Eve. Known as the Christmas Eve Bonfires, residents build 20-to-30-foot-high fires, mostly in the shape of a pyramid, although some get creative, making paddlewheel boats, pelicans, or alligators to pay homage to Louisiana’s culture. There is food and drinks, as people mingle among the roaring fires, a tradition that has been going on for generations; however, its origins remain uncertain. Some believe it was brought to the area by French Marist priests after the Civil War, which they adapted from a centuries-old tradition practiced in Western Europe. The locals, however, maintain that the Christmas Eve bonfires are built to light the way for Papa Noel, a.k.a., Santa Claus.

Wacky American traditions are dependent upon where you live. In Dana Point, Calif., there’s a Surfing Santa competition, in which surfers don Santa suits, while in Boston, one may participate in the Ugly Sweater Run. But no matter where you live or how you choose to celebrate the Christmas holiday, one tradition remains constant: spending time with loved ones to enjoy the magic of the holiday season.