BIZARRE HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

Like the comedian Jim Gaffigan pointed out, a lot of our holiday traditions seem like the actions of a drunk. Who chops down a tree and drags it inside their house (without drinking a 12 pack of beer and a half pint of whiskey first)? But our holiday oddities seem quaint and homey compared to some of the bizarre things they do to celebrate Christmas around the world. In Catalonia, families gather around the "caga tio," a log that's decorated with a cartoon face and plied with treats in the weeksbefore Christmas. On Christmas day, the children sing a song and beat the log with sticks until it 'poops' out presents (caga is the Catalonian equivalent of 'caca,' and means 'pooping'). In Austria, the Christmas season kicks off on Dec. 5 with Krampusnacht Krampus, St. Nick's demonic polar opposite, is a goat-horned devil that shakes fistfuls of rusty chains at passing children. According to legend, naughty kids are snatched by Krampus and dragged to his mountain lair. In more recent years, the custom has morphed into a sort of Halloween in December, giving people a chance to dress up and parade around in their ghoulish costumes. In the Netherlands, the Dutch add a little fear to their holiday celebrations with Zwarte Piet. In arather racist custom that has persisted to this day, Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter, is Santa's slave who abducts Dutch children that misbehave, taking them back to Spain, where it is said that Santa and Peter spend their off-season. In a scene many Americans would find shocking, the Dutch dress up as Black Peter, donning black face and Afro wigs, in order to accompany Santa. So don't be too critical when Dad dresses up at Santa this year and smells a little like scotch and cigarettes. It could be a lot worse.