Unique Holiday Traditions Around the World!

The holiday season is among us and we, at Kompass North America, would like to wish all of you a Very Happy Holiday Season! Being a global company, we understand that different parts of the world celebrate this time of the year with different traditions. Some of these traditions are very unique and fun! Today we decided to share with you our favorite 5 holiday traditions from around the world.

USA- Elf on a Shelf – Have you ever wondered how Santa Claus knows if you’ve been naughty or nice? Well Santa Claus had magic elves visit children between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve and they report back to Sants who has been naughty and nice. The Elf on a Shelf gets moved every night so when a child wakes up, they have to find the Elf.  This tradition started in 2004 when a book was written about it. Since then it has grown dramatically into a huge tradition.

Austria, Hungary and Croatia- Krampus – In Austria, Hungary and a few other Europe countries, Saint Nicholas has a very scary companion named Krampus. Krampus is described to be a horned monster figure. While Saint Nicholas goes around and rewards well behaved children with presents, Krampus goes around and punishes children who have misbehaved. Needless to say, you don’t want to be on the naughty list when in Austria or Hungary or Croatia.

Norway- Brooms – In Norway, you will not find any brooms around the house during the holiday season. Norwegians believe that evil spirits and witches arrive on Christmas Eve so they hide the brooms so the witches can’t ride them. This is a way to keep the witches from spreading evil. Norway gets a little bit of halloween in their Christmas season.

Italy- La Befana – On the night of January 5th, children in Italy get a special visit from La Befana. La Befana is similar to Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus because she delivers presents and candy to children. Naughty childrens, however, receive either dark chocolate or lumps of coal for misbehaving. She is described to be a nice old lady that looks a little bit like a witch.  

Iceland- Yule Cat – A Yule Cat is a monster scary looking cat that lurks on the countryside of iceland waiting for Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve if you didn’t have new clothes to wear, the Yule cat eats you! Farmers in Iceland use to the Yule Cat as an incentive for their workers to finish processing wool before the holiday season. 

Let us know what your favorite or unique holiday tradition is in the comments below. From the Kompass North America team -Have a Happy Holiday Season!