No Cleaning Day
Whoever thought of this one is a genius. There is a ‘no cleaning’ rule in Norway over Christmas, as it is believed that it encourages witches!
Clearly, in antiquity you would have hidden your broom to dissuade any enterprising hags from stealing them and riding the skies dishing out curses and suchlike, but this has now been expanded to vacuum cleaners, feather dusters and anything those pesky harridans could use! Also, on Christmas Eve, men fire their shotguns into the air outside their houses to scare the old harpies away. Bonkers.
The Old Shoe Trick
On Christmas Eve in the Czech Republic there is a ritual that single women can perform to see whether or not they will marry in the coming year.
Standing with their backs to the house door, they throw their shoe over their right shoulder. If the shoe lands with the heel towards the door, they will stay single for the next year. If, however, the shoe lands with the toe facing the door, they will marry the following year and should move out of their parents house and immediately start making plans for the wedding.
Whether or not this is simply a method for families to rid themselves of offspring reluctant to leave is a matter of conjecture and we couldn’t possibly comment further.
So there you have it. There seems to be no end of bizarre Christmas traditions but whatever your personal preferences we would like to wish you Joyeux Noël, Seng Dan Fai Lok, Feliĉan Kristnaskon, Zalig Kerstfeest, கிறிஸ்துமஸ் வாழ்த்துக்கள் and a very Happy Christmas from all of us here at Retroheadz!
There you have it. What Xmas traditions do you take part in? Let us know in the comments below!
Up Next: The classic Christmas movies you need to see to get you in the festive spirit!
