Grab your radishes and hide your brooms!
In episode 64 of the Curator135 Podcast we take a look at some of the more ‘interesting’ traditions from around the world.
Aside from the elf we place on the shelf, we don’t have a lot of Christmas time traditions in our household. Do you? And if so, are they strange? Let us know.
1. The Christmas Spider
The exact origins of the ‘Christmas Spider’ remain unknown. It’s believed to have come from either Germany or Ukraine. In some European countries, including Germany, Ukraine and Poland, finding a spider or a spider’s web on a Christmas tree is considered to be good luck. Although Germans will tell you that it does not include black spiders. Many in that region also believe that it is bad luck to destroy a spider’s web before the spider is safely out of the way.
The basic story of the Christmas Spider goes like this, “A poor but hardworking widow once lived in a small hut with her children. One summer day, a pine cone fell on the earthen floor of the hut and took root. The widow’s children cared for the tree, excited at the prospect of having a Christmas tree by winter. The tree grew, but when Christmas Eve arrived, they could not afford to decorate it. The children sadly went to bed and fell asleep. Early the next morning, they woke up and saw the tree covered with cobwebs. When they opened the windows, the first rays of sunlight touched the webs and turned them into gold and silver. The widow and her children were overjoyed. From then on, they never lived in poverty again.”
Variations have Santa Claus arriving, and seeing the spider’s hard work but fearing the children will be afraid of a web covered tree, he changes the webs into tinsel. Many people think that this is where tinsel comes from, that it represents spider webs.
2. La Befana
On the eve of the Epiphany, January 5th, families all around Italy leave out a glass of wine and a plate of sausages for a woman named ‘La Befana’. Like Santa Claus, La Befana uses the chimney, although unlike ol’ Saint Nick, she uses a broom to get around, not reindeer.
La Befana is rooted in Christianity. The legend says that the old woman was approached by the Three Wise Men a few days before the birth of Jesus. They asked the woman for directions to where the Son of God was, as they had seen his star in the sky. She wasn’t able to tell them but did provide them with shelter for the night. The Three Wise Men were so impressed with her housekeeping skills and caring nature that they invited her to join them on the journey to find baby Jesus.
Missed Opportunity
Unfortunately she was so busy with housework that she declined the invitation. It was a decision she instantly regretted. After her change of heart, she attempted to track down the men and baby Jesus but to no avail. So, reportedly, La Befana is searching for baby Jesus to this day. In her search, she leaves all the good children toys and candy or fruit. The naughty ones get coal, dark candy or onions.
Being the amazing housekeeper she is, after her wine and sausages, she will typically sweep the floor before she leaves. For believers, this represents the sweeping away of the year’s problems.
La Befana resembles an old hag in a black shawl, covered in soot from all the chimneys she’s in and out of. She is often illustrated as smiling and carrying a bag or hamper filled with candy and gifts.
3. The Christmas Sauna Elf
In my ancestral home of Finland, folks spend a lot of time inside of saunas. It’s the only Finnish word that doesn’t change after translation. According to ThisIsFinland, it is estimated that there are three million saunas in Finland, for a population of 5.5 million.
The sauna has been around, in some form, for centuries. The water hits the hot stones and gives off steam known as loyly (low-loo). Each individual sauna comes with its own unique loyly.
Work hard all day? Sit in a sauna and feel the aches in your back disappear. Is it a little chilly outside? Sit in a sauna. Giving birth? Sauna. Need a little premarital purification? Sauna. A loved one passed away? Prepare their bodies for burial in a… you guessed it… sauna.
So it should come as no surprise that saunas have a role in Christmas time festivities as well. On Christmas Eve in Finland, it’s customary to strip naked and take a long and respectful stay in the sauna. While in the sauna it is possible that you might be visited by long gone relatives and maybe even, the Sauna Elf.
Make room for the deceased
It’s believed that after your Christmas Eve sauna session, while you meet up with friends and family to celebrate the holiday, the spirits of your ancestors take their place inside your sauna. With them, could be, your Sauna elf (saunatonttu in Finnish). With its near supernatural powers, some Finns believe that in every sauna, there resides a Sauna Elf. These elves are protectors of the sauna and their owners.
Like the elf on the shelf, a sauna elf makes sure that people are behaving. While it’s not seen as often today, people used to leave the elves gifts like food or drink.
4. The Night of the Radishes
Radishes originated in the eastern Mediterranean region, China, and middle Asia. The ancient Greeks prized radishes so much that they made small replicas of them in gold.
Radishes were introduced to Mexico by Spanish friars. Over time, the crop became used as a side dish or snack, or carved into decorations for special dishes. Later, during Mexico’s colonial period, the radishes were carved with religious themes during the annual Christmas market hosted within the city Oaxaca.
Farmers mainly used the carved radishes as a marketing ploy. It was something to draw attention to their market stand. Eventually people began buying the radishes not only to eat, but to create centerpieces for Christmas dinners.
Radishes have become such a part of the culture in Oaxaca, that every year, on December 23rd, the city hosts an event called ‘The Night of the Radishes’.
What do we do with the extras?
Legend tells of one year in the mid-18th century when the radish crop was so abundant that a section sat unharvested for months. In December of that year, two friars pulled up some of the radishes and were amused by the size and shape so they brought them along to the Christmas market on December 23rd.
It wasn’t until 1897, that the mayor of Oaxaca decided to create a formal radish-carving competition. It’s been a yearly event ever since.
5. The Yule Lads
To better explain Icelandic Christmas related folklore, here is a sample of a poem entitled, “Jolasveinarnir” that was written by Johannes ur Kotlum.
“Let me tell the story of the lads of few charms, who once upon a time used to visit our farms. Thirteen altogether, these gents in their prime, didn’t want to irk people all at one time. They came from the mountains, as many of you know, in a long single file to the farmsteads below.
Creeping up, all stealth, they unlocked the door. The kitchen and the pantry they came looking for. Grýla was their mother – she gave them ogre milk – and the father Leppalúdi; a loathsome ilk. They hid where they could, with a cunning look or sneer, ready with their pranks when people weren’t near.
They were called the Yuletide lads – at Yuletide they were due – and always came one by one, not ever two by two.”
Mountain Dwelling Family
These 13 Santa’s known as the Yule Lads are mountain-dwelling characters and monsters who come to town during Christmas. While they leave gifts, the stories are directed at children and are used to scare them into good behavior. The folklore includes both mischievous pranksters who leave gifts during the night and monsters who eat disobedient children.
The parents, Gryla and Leppaluoi, stay back in the family cave. The mother, Gryla, is an ogress who has an insatiable appetite for naughty children which she cooks in a large pot. Leppaluoi is considered lazy and doesn’t play a big part in the tale.
The Yule Lads each have bizarre names that go along with their particular brand of harassment. It should be noted that when they first appeared in the 1600’s they were pure evil. Over time they have softened a bit into mildly naughty tricksters.
You are what you eat
Let us meet the 13 monster Santas.
Sheep-Cote Clod arrives on December 12th. As his name might suggest, he likes to sneak into your barn and steal milk from sheep. Next up we have Gully Gawk who prefers cow milk. On the 14th, Stubby joins in on the fun. He’s the shortest of the Yule lads and likes to steal leftover food from frying pans.
Then we get Spoon Licker on December 15th, followed by Pot Licker. Spoon Licker licks all your spoons clean of course while Pot Licker steals your unwashed pots from the kitchen so he can lick them clean.
Then we get Bowl Licker who finds all of the bowls underneath your bed and eats what is left inside. The 18th of December brings about Door Slammer who will continue to slam your doors until they are all closed.
The eighth Yule Lad is Skyr Gobbler. This fella is crazy for the Icelandic yogurt known as skyr. He’ll take all that you have. Next up comes Sausage Swiper, who will no doubt devour any links or patties you have lying around.
Shut your blinds
From there things get a little darker as Window Peeper makes an appearance on December 21st. The creepiest Yule Lad likes to look in your windows while you sleep. Next up comes the large-nosed Door Sniffer, sniffing doorways in pursuit of baked goods. On December 23rd Meat Hook pays all of the homes a visit. He’s hungry for any kind of meat you have. And finally on Christmas Eve, we get Candle Beggar who snatches up all of the candles you have in your home.
While each Yule Lad has his own weird fetish, they are known to leave gifts for any children who remember to leave a shoe or boot on their window sill. If the Yule Lads find out that you’ve been naughty in any way, they might leave you a rotten potato or worse yet, haul you back to their mother in the cave.
6. The Mari Lwyd
We now find ourselves wassailing our way to Wales. First off, let’s find out what wassailing is. In England it means ‘to sing carols from house to house at Christmas’ and to drink heavily whilst doing so.
The custom known as The Mari Lwyd (Mary-lloyd) was first recorded in 1800.
It sounds a lot like caroling, and it is, except when you’re wassailing someone brings along the skull of a horse attached to a long wooden pole. The person carrying the hobby horse also hides under a sackcloth to finish the look of the horse. According to legend, the men would travel in groups, including a leader, the horse and the rest of the crew dressed in costume.
As the men approached the houses they would request entry into the home via song. The homeowners would then deny them entry through song. This goes back and forth until the homeowner relents and allows the group of men in for food and drink.
7. The Yule Goat
The Yule Goat has been Sweden’s Christmas symbol dating back to the times of ancient pagan festivals. In 1966 someone began erecting a giant straw goat in the middle of Gavle, Sweden. The straw Yule Goat is now referred to as the Gävle Goat. Each year a 42 foot high goat is constructed that weighs nearly four tons. There are live streams of the goat being built that you can watch online.
Unfortunately, because there are people all over the world who don’t want us to have nice things, The Gävle Goat has been the subject of repeated arson attacks. As of last year, 38 of the 57 goats have been completely destroyed in some fashion. It’s become such a problem that the Court of Appeals has attached a mandatory prison sentence to the Swedish grinches that commit the crime.
8. KFC for Christmas
Our friends in Japan don’t even celebrate Christmas on a national scale but thanks to Kentucky Fried Chicken, even the Japanese have Christmas traditions.
In 1974, the tradition of a warm, KFC Christmas dinner began. The colonel ran a marketing campaign that year which they called “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!” or “Kentucky for Christmas!” Ever since then, KFC’s chicken has caused hours long waits for food on Christmas. People order their meals months in advance.
9. Broom Hiding
In Norwegian folklore, Christmas Eve is a time for mischievous spirits and witches to take over the skies and play their tricks on the unsuspecting public. Because a witch’s main mode of transportation is a broom, it is tradition for Norwegian families to hide all of their brooms in a place where the witches won’t find them.
10. The Nisse
Folks in Denmark like to decorate their homes with superstitious characters known as nisse. Nisse, it is believed, provide protection for a home and its occupants. According to tradition, nisse (knee-se) either live somewhere in your home or a barn if you have one. If your nisse feel as if they are treated well, they protect the family and any animals from evil and misfortune. The real nice nisse may also help with chores and farm work while you sleep. The best thing you can do to keep your nisse happy is to leave a traditional bowl of porridge for him on Christmas Eve.
If you offend your nisse in some way, look out, they are short tempered little gnomes. Once they feel insulted, they will usually play tricks, steal items and even maim or kill your livestock.
Aside from the nisse, Danish families are known to move their Christmas tree to the center of the room on Christmas Eve and then dance around the tree while singing Christmas carols.
11. Krampus
If you’ve never heard of or seen an image of Krampus, let me try and describe the creature. The name Krampus is believed to be either Bavarian, meaning dead or rotten or German meaning Claw. Either way, it’s not great and if you combine the two you get Rotten Claw. The Krampus is considered to be a half-goat, half-demon monster in most legends. It is horned and hairy with piercing eyes and a long tongue. On his back you’ll find a wicker basket which is how he transports the naughty children.
Think of Krampus as an enforcer for the Christmas boss, Santa. While Krampus day is officially December 5th, it’s believed that Krampus and Claus travel together on the 6th with good ol’ St. Nick dishing out gifts to the good boys and girls while Krampus hits the naughty ones with his birch rod and will sometimes haul you away if your behavior warrants it.
Krampus day, or Krampusnacht as it’s called there, is celebrated with dozens of men in scary costumes taking to the streets in a sort of demonic parade. Parents take their children there in an attempt to scare them straight.
Krampus in the U.S.A.
Krampus is so popular that he has worked his way into American culture. Krampusnacht is celebrated in Washington DC as well as St. Louis. Toronto hosts an annual Krampus Ball and San Francisco has a Krampus Krawl. Chicago and Los Angeles each have a Krampus Fest while Dallas has its own Krampus Society.
Krampus has been the subject of at least 10 movies with two more on the way. 2015’s Krampus movie, a horror comedy from Universal Pictures, made four times its budget and is considered a decent horror film in most circles.
Krampus has made appearances in Scooby Doo, American Dad, Robot Chicken and Teen Titans Go as well as being featured on the new “Santa Clauses” show on Disney Plus.
There have been books, graphic novels as well as video game appearances. Krampus, out of any of the above mentioned traditions and folklore is the one Americans have embraced the most.
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