Christmas Around the World
Intriguing Christmas traditions from across the globe.
Iceland
Icelandic families leave gifts of treats and hand-made weather gear for a gigantic kitty, known as the Yule Cat, or Christmas Cat. If the children did not prove to be hard-working, the cat eats them.
Sweden
Christmas and a celebration known as Yule merged in several countries, Sweden included. It’s a tradition, especially in the town of Gävle, to erect an enormous Yule goat made of straw. The problem is that it rarely makes it Christmas since people so often set it aflame.
Norway
People in Norway hide their brooms on Christmas Eve. The tradition stems from the belief that witches and other spirits emerge on Christmas Eve in search of brooms to steal and ride on.
Frontline intends for this area to be used to foster healthy, thought-provoking discussion. Comments are expected to adhere to our standards and to be respectful and constructive. As such, we do not permit the use of profanity, foul language, personal attacks, or the use of language that might be interpreted as libelous. Comments are reviewed and must be approved by a moderator to ensure that they meet these standards. We do not allow anonymous comments, and require a valid email address. The email address will not be displayed but will be used to confirm your comments.
If you want a picture to show with your comment, go get a gravatar.