Christmas Edition!
The other week a student of mine told the group about a typical Christmas tradition in Catalonia, Spain. Despite living here for donkey’s years, I had never heard of this tradition and funnily enough neither had the rest of the students in the group. This conversation inspired me to think about the weirdest Christmas traditions from around the world. So, ladies and gentlemen, stick around, sit back and I hope you enjoy the episode.
It is only right that I first talk to you about the Catalonian tradition that inspired this issue. It is called the “CAGA TíO” which translates as “Pooping bloke”. You may have seen the logs for sale if you have been to a Catalonian market during the festive period. They are quite distinctive because they wear a red barretina hat. This tradition is for the kids to enjoy and basically, it goes like this: The Caga Tío is looked after by the kids in the days leading up to Christmas. During these days, he must be provided with everything he needs such as chocolate, mandarins, a red blanket, nuts and cookies. All of this is so that the Caga Tío is able to have a big poo on the big night; Christmas Eve. The kids sing traditional songs and hit the log with a big stick and they basically encourage him to have a big poo. The log shits out presents for the kids so you can imagine how enthusiastic they can get! Magically, after a good pasting, the blanket covering the Caga Tío is lifted and he has magically pooped out a load of presents for the kids. They are generally little presents, probably what we would call in the UK stocking fillers, such as sweets, chocolates, and coal if the kids haven’t been that good.
Anyway, I think it’s kind of amusing that shit has such a prominent part in Christmas.
Japan - KFC
KFC isn’t what most of us would consider traditional Christmas food but for the Japanese it is. Yep. You heard me right. It’s got nothin to do with sushi, ramen or Yakisoba. The vast majority of the Japanese population isn’t Christian therefore they don’t celebrate Christmas. However, to make up for the lack of Christmas traditions, Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii (Translation: Kentucky for Christmas) started in the 70s. It all started with some nifty marketing by KFC and the tradition has stuck.
Millions of Japanese people order KFC on Christmas Eve. They even order their meals months in advance! The meal consists of fried chicken, cake and champagne!
La Befana, Italy.
In Italy, neither Father Christmas nor the Three Wise Men deliver presents. It’s La Befana. La Befana is a witch who delivers presents to children on the 5th of January. She flies from house to house on her broomstick and goes down the chimneys, just like Father Christmas. The story goes that on their journey to visit Baby Jesus, The Three Wise Men stopped to ask La Befana to accompany them but she refused. She later regretted her decision and decided to go and look for baby Jesus on her own to give him a gift. However, she never did find him. She is still looking for him and in the process leaves presents for the good children and garlic or coal for the naughty ones.
Talking of broomsticks…
In Norway, in some regions, it is a tradition to hide brooms. It is thought that witches and evil spirits are more active on Christmas Eve. To prevent them from coming into homes, stealing the brooms and possibly using them to do naughty things the brooms are hidden away.
I bet you were wondering where the “weird” British Christmas traditions were… don’t worry we have some too!! How could we not?!
I think most British adults, as a child, were probably taken to see a pantomime or “panto”. Pantomimes take place at the theatre and they are funny performances which take place over the Christmas period. They are family-friendly shows that combine elements of fairy tales, slapstick comedy, catchy songs, and dance. Pantomimes often feature well-known stories like "Cinderella" or "Aladdin," with exaggerated characters, and cross-dressed actors, there is always a baddie and plenty of audience interaction.
If you want to find out more about a typical British Christmas, read/listen to last year’s issues here:
A Truly British Christmas Part 1
A Truly British Christmas Part 2
A worldwide tradition!
Another “worldwide” tradition is hearing or listening to; “All I want for Christmas is youuuu”
EVERYWHERE…EVERYDAY…NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO! When you start hearing it in November you realise that Christmas is just around the corner…You know it’s true. It was released in October 1994. It reportedly took 15 minutes to write. Mariah Carey co-wrote it with Walter Afanasieff. It’s one of the bestselling singles of all time.
Idioms: Hell’s Bells
Bells… Jingle bells… bells are Christmassy so here are some everyday expressions with bells:
To ring a bell - to be familiar
His face rings a bell
This film rings a bell, I think I have seen it before.
To give someone a bell -To telephone someone.
I’ll give you a call on Saturday.
As clear as a bell - To be obvious
It’s as clear as a bell who committed the crime.
Yule be surprised!
Before I go today, Let me explain the title of today’s episode:
The play on words in "Yule Be Surprised" revolves around the use of "Yule," which is a term often associated with Christmas, especially in the context of the Yuletide season. "Yule" has historical roots in ancient winter festivals and is commonly used as a synonym for Christmas.
The phrase "You'll be surprised" is a play on the traditional expression that suggests unexpected or astonishing revelations. By combining "Yule" with "You'll"
Thanks so much for your support! Happy Christmas! Merry Christmas! Have a great one! 🎄🎅🏻🤶🏻🎁😘
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