The Christmas season is overflowing with traditions; some that we have created in our own families and others that have been passed down through centuries.
Traditions are usually only questioned when little ones ask ‘why?’ And, that’s exactly what inspired this blog.
I was explaining to my three daughters that during a visit from family we would be having a ‘white elephant’ gift exchange. My youngest asked ‘why do we call it a white elephant?’
The answer to this simple question sent me down a rabbit hole of other head scratching and downright weird Christmas stories and traditions.
White Elephant
In Siam (Thailand today), white elephants were considered rare and sacred animals. And the King of Siam at the time was known to give these precious creatures as gifts. However according to history, this was the worse thing that could happen.
Because these creatures were sacred, they were not allowed to be worked and required special attention and care. No doubt the cost of feeding and caring for such a large creature could be an extremely pricey venture.
The story goes that the King used to give these white elephants away to those who displeased him, forcing the recipient to spend a fortune keeping these precious, albeit useless, animals. They could never get rid of the gift and would be financially drained from keeping it.
Hence today’s definition of the ‘white elephant’ gift exchange…a possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of.
Caganer
We are all familiar with the staple pieces of our nativity set: Mary, Joseph, animals, wise men, shepherd, angel and, of course, baby Jesus. But, are you familiar with the caganer?
Caganer literally translates to ‘the shitter’ and is a nativity figure with his pants around his ankles and, well, doing the act of defacation. The caganer is a staple figure in the nativity in the Northeast area of Spain comprising Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona.
Historians are not clear of how this tradition started, but to many farmers and peasants, fertilizer is needed to bring about a good harvest and therefore, good fortune. There is a Spanish proverb that says ‘Dung is no saint, but where it falls it works miracles.’
The birth of Jesus is a reminder of the humanity of God, and what is more human than pooping?
Krampus
Probably one of the most well-known ‘weird’ Christmas stories, the Krampus is a morbid and scary holiday tradition made famous by movies and events of the modern era. Originating in the Alpine region in Europe, Krampus was first part of the pagan festival surrounding winter solstice and eventually became a Christmas tradition.
In Austria and parts of Germany, Krampus night is celebrated with adults dressing up as this half-goat, half-man devil creature. Good children are delivered gifts and goodies from St. Nicholas, but if they were naughty, they could receive a visit from Krampus. Krampus would chase the children, scare them and even kidnap bad little girls and boys to drag them to hell. Gulp. That may be enough to tame the naughtiest of children.
In 2015, Krampus was a popular American horror-holiday movie that featured this nightmarish beast.
Yule Cat (and friends)
Dress for success this holiday….or you may be eaten by Jólakötturinn, the Yule Cat. This giant and blood thirsty feline lurks in the snowy countryside around Christmas time and will eat people, primarily children, who have not received new clothes for the holidays.
This folktale was thought to have been started by farmers who used the tale to scare workers to finish processing the wool before Christmas. Workers who finished the work would be rewarded with new clothes, but those who did not would get nothing and then be hunted by the Yule Cat.
Grýla and Leppalúði
The Yule Cat is the house pet of giants Grýla and Leppalúði. Grýla was a begger who used to ask for people to give her naughty children….so she could cook and eat them. Her favorite dish is a stew of naughty kids, and she would hunt for naughty children throughout the year. Leppalúði is her third husband, and is considered a lazy giant who lives in the cave with his wife.
Yule Lads
Grýla is the mother of another Icelandic legend, the Yule lads, more than a dozen children she had with previous husbands. The mischievous lads steal and harass from Icelandic villages. Each of the lads’ names matches their crimes:
- Sheep-Cote Clod (Stekkjarstaur) – sneaks into farmer’s sheds to suckle milk from the yews
- Gully Gawk (Giljagaur) – sneaks into cowsheds to steal the farmer’s milk
- Stubby (Stúfur) – very short, steals frying pans to eat the leftovers
- Spoon-Licker (Þvörusleikir) – extremely thin, steals and licks spoons
- Pot-Scraper (Pottaskefill) – steals unwashed pots to scrape out leftovers
- Bowl-Licker (Askasleikir) – hides under beds to steal bowls of food
- Door-Slammer (Hurðaskellir) – wakes households by slamming doors throughout the night
- Skyr-Gobbler (Skyrgámur) – steals and eats skyr, a type of Icelandic yogurt
- Sausage-Swiper (Bjúgnakrækir) – sneaks into homes to swipe sausages
- Window-Peeper (Gluggagægir) – peeps through windows looking for things to steal
- Doorway-Sniffer (Gáttaþefur) – uses his large nose and excellent sense of smell to steal Laufabrauð, a type of Icelandic Christmas bread
- Meat-Hook (Ketkrókur) – uses a hook to steal any meat left out, but especially smoked lamb
- Candle-Stealer (Kertasníkir) – steals candles, especially from children
They come to town one by one during the last 13 nights before Yule. They leave small gifts in shoes that children have placed on windowsills, but if the child has been disobedient, they instead leave a rotten potato in the shoe.
Mistletoe
The tradition of hanging mistletoe in the house goes back to the times of the ancient Druids. It is supposed to possess mystical powers which bring good luck to the household and wards off evil spirits.
Mistletoe is a plant that grows on a variety of trees. There are more than 1,000 varieties of mistletoe that grow throughout the world. And, although we might assume this grows as a shrub or bush, it is actually a parasite.
Mistletoe berries are a favorite snack of birds. Like many seeds, they are spread through, well, poop. The bird poops these very sticky seeds and then these sticky seeds attach to the branches of trees. The plant then can grow in the branches, feeding from the sun and syphoning water from the tree.
Apparently, having noticed that mistletoe often sprouts from bird droppings on tree branches, the words for dung—“mistel”—and twig—“tan”— were conjoined, and the mashup “misteltan” evolved over time into “mistletoe.”
The basis of the mistletoe tradition was that men were allowed to kiss any woman seen underneath mistletoe — and refusal to accept was considered bad luck. It is not entirely clear where the tradition began, but it is believed that the sticky seeds that cling to the tree branches are symbolic of a kiss. So, be sure to pucker up when you see the ‘dung stick’ this year!
