Krampus
Krampus comes from a European legend that started in Germany, he is St. Nicholas’s helper. As Nicholas gives gifts to children Krampus is supposed to come on December 5th and beat all the naughty children with sticks and sometimes drag them to hell or eat them. Then Nicholas comes and gives gifts to the good children and helps fix up the bad children on the 6th. Many festivities involve Krampus like Krampuslauf (Krampus run) which has lots of alcohol and people dress up as him and run through the streets scaring any onlookers. Sometimes even chasing them. Krampus is still part of Christmas in Austria, Germany, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary.
Yule
This is a Scandinavian Winter solstice festival celebrated by Germanic and Neo-pagan people. It was originally one of the many pagan festivals but was slowly integrated into Christmas celebrations. As one of the oldest Winter Solstice celebrations its roots are hard to trace but it is believed to have started as the Norse festival Jol. Along with other solstice celebrations, it has themes of light, fire, and feasting. It is also believed that sacrifice was a part of it at one time, though the honoree of the sacrifice isn’t known as it god have been gods, elves, or the dead. As time went on Yule went with it and slowly the word “Yule” became synonymous with Christmas. Slowly as Christian Christmas became more of a thing Yule began to be separated to its own celebration again taking place during the same time as Christmas. Christmas from then on overtook the traditions of Yule and became the more widely celebrated of the two, but the Yule spirit still survives in the more modern takes of Yule traditions. Such as the Yule log, originally a log that was brought into the home to be burned throughout the entirety of the festival. It is now a delicious cake decorated in the likeness of a log. Another tradition still holds is that of the Yule goat. A goat made of straw stands in the towns and cities of Sweden, it is thought that the goat started as an honor of the god Thor of Norse mythology. Now the straw goat is regarded as a companion of Santa. While Yule has gone through many changes in its time it is still a well-loved holiday filled with celebrations and traditions.
Night of radishes
La Noche de Rábanos or the Night of Radishes is a competition where one carves radishes into intricate designs depicting saints, buildings, and la pieta. The competition is said to have been started by vendors who carved their produce to make them look more enticing. This then became such a hit that the governor made it an official contest in 1897. There truly are some wonderful sculpted produce, that can feature anything from a cemetery of radishes celebrating the day of the dead to a Micholanelos last supper in a radish. The festival starts in the morning with the contestants carving, the main event happens in the evening when the works are finished and shown off, followed by fireworks, concerts, and light shows. This is celebrated on the 23 of December in Mexico and is truly a unique and incredibly cool tradition.
Omisoka
A Japanese New Year’s celebration to welcome the god of the new year, Toshigamisama. When preparing for the New Year’s event people do Osoji, which is Japan’s version of spring cleaning, to clear all the dirt and grime away for the new year to be a fresh start. Then to signal to the gods they can visit their home they place a Shimenawa, a wreath, along with a Kadomastu, decoration, outside of the house. They place a Kagami mochi inside of their home as a dedication to the god. On the 31st of December, Toshikoshi soda is eaten, they are long thin noodles and are considered to be a good sign for long life. After the noodle, they move to the temple to celebrate a tradition of Joya no Kane where the temple, at midnight, rings a bell 108 times. It symbolizes the number of worries for mankind in the world. On the first day of the year, people hike up to the tops of mountains to watch the first sunrise of the year or the Hastu-hinode then pray in their temple. The New Year means bringing out Osechi, the new year foods, and enjoying rice cake soup called Zoni. Pocket money is also given to kids through a practice called Otoshidama, which I’m sure we can all get behind. Either way, this is a celebration of the new year filled with beautiful practices and delicious food.
https://www.japan.travel/en/sg/story/enjoy-new-year-japan-tips-toshikoshi-and-shogatsu/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/night-of-the-radishes-carving-festival