1. Krampus is a creature with elf's ears and big horns, and is typical of alpine countriescountries’ folklore, this. This creature punishes children who misbehavedmisbehave, whipsby whipping them with a stick of birch or a chain and then kidnaps them to take them to the underworld in a sack. This comes about at the Krampusnatch, the night before December 6. In Austria, some persons dress up as Krampus and wander around the streets forintent on scaring children.
2. In Poland the main dish during Christmas day is the carp, and although most of thempeople buy the fish at a market, it is consideringconsidered a tradition to keep in the carp alive in the bathtub days before Christmas day and then kill it to cook it. The scales bring good luck.
3. Everybody knows the typical tradition of leaveleaving milk and cookies for Santa Claus, but in Ireland they prefer leave a pudding of Guinness or of Irish whiskey, sometimes, accompanied by a glass of whiskey and carrots, for reindeer.
4. A tradition in Norway is to hide the brooms so that everyone can keep the witches and the evil spirits out of the night sky, and some persons looselet off few shots tointo the sky as a warning.
Of all these, I admit that my favorite is the first, because showit shows a dark and murky side of Christmas Day in its folklore. Everyone says that Christmas Day is the best day of all yearsthe year, especially for the kids, but over there is also the opposite meaning, for those who can get away with it. Also, I find it amusing that adults wear costumes of the same "demon" during a dateday that's supposed to be merry, though they may end up frighten refugeesfrightening strangers.