Ten Bizarre Christmas Traditions From Around The World

The holiday season is that special time of year when you leave your shoes outside at night and hope Santa doesn’t fill them with sticks. Wait, what? There are some very weird Christmas traditions around the globe, like the one above which originates from Germany. While you may think it’s bizarre that your cousin always does a Santa Claus impression, those strange family traditions pale in comparison to the seriously freaky stuff that are put on this list.

Around the world, people are getting together with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season. While you are probably familiar with Christmas traditions such as Santa Claus giving presents, kissing under the mistletoe, and singing Christmas carols, some countries also have some quirky cultural customs. So, if you think that your friends and family have some weird Christmas traditions you should watch this video and then decide.

You would expect to see some variations of the basic concept of Santa Claus during the holiday season given Japan’s borderline infatuation with certain elements of Western culture. Thanks to a hugely successful 1974 Kentucky Fried Chicken ad campaign (“Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!” or “Kentucky for Christmas”), the jolly old fat man in a red suit looks eerily like KFC’s Colonel Sanders. And it’s chicken, not turkey (a meat that is nearly impossible to find in Japan). that thousands of Japanese families dine on when December 25 roles around.

Christmas is a Western holiday and means nothing in Japan (only 1% of the population is Christian), however December 25 is a day that means huge sales for KFC across the country. At many locations you can expect waits of up to two hours or more for a bucket of deep-fried Christmas chicken. In 2015, KFC outlets selling packaged dinners that included cake and champagne saw sales pushing $50 million (U.S.) between December 23-25. Ho ho ho, and pass the drumsticks.