1.
In Gävle, Sweden, Swedes build a gigantic Yule goat - which almost annually gets unofficially burned to the ground.
2.
Residents of Oaxaca attend radish sculpture nativity contests put on by farmers.
3.
Estonians hit the saunas to unwind on Christmas Eve.
4.
Krampus, Santa's demon sidekick, runs wild through Austria abusing children who misbehaved.
5.
Children leave their shoes by fireplaces in France, for Pere Noel to fill them up with small toys and candy.
6.
Norwegians hide their brooms on Christmas Eve, since that day has long been associated with witches and evil spirits.
7.
Spider webs are hidden into Christmas trees in Ukraine, and whoever finds it will have good luck.
8.
Children in Barcelona take care of, and then beat, Tio de Nadal logs while asking it to shit presents through song.
9.
Inhabitants of Greenland eat Kiviak, the Inuit turducken.
10.
Women in the Czech Republic throw shoes over their heads to see if they'll get married in the upcoming year.
11.
St. Nicholas Day is honored in Bavaria, with men dressing as straw demons.
12.
In Portugal, diners leave open spots at Christmas dinners for the dead.
13.
Carolers dressed as animals sometimes make the rounds in Latvia, and are served food and drink in exchange for songs.
14.
Sinterklaas and his valet, Zwarte Piet (Black Pete), parade through the streets of the Netherlands and give Children presents on December 6.
15.
Japan goes all out for KFC on Christmas.
16.
Santa Claus doesn't visit children in Italy, but the witch La Befana does instead.
17.
The Spanish in Catalan include the Caganer, a peasant squatting to take a shit, in their nativity scenes.
