Christmas season is something that is enjoyed in almost all parts of the world and each country has their own set of traditions; some are very similar while others are unique. Then there are some that are downright strange. Aside from the country and culture specific traditions, there is also the set of family or personal traditions. A really different Christmas tradition is a very Old Norwegian one. It was an old belief that on the eve of Christmas witches and bad spirits would come about the towns looking for brooms on which to ride. So all the villagers would hide their brooms where they believed they couldn’t be found. Today’s modern age also sees vestiges of this custom. The men of the house gallantly go outdoors to fire off a shotgun; threatening and scaring off the witches. In the Czech Republic, young ladies who dream of marriage have a very unusual Christmas tradition. On Christmas Eve, these hoping to be brides, will stand with their back to the house. Next they will throw one of their shoes over their shoulder towards the door. Now if the shoe lands with the heels towards the door, then unfortunately she will remain unmarried for another year. On the other hand if the toe of the shoe points towards the door, she is believed to marry before the next Christmas. She will begin making her wedding preparations and move out of her parent’s house! If you feel that the shoe tossing tradition is interesting, you will find the food tossing tradition quite intriguing. Now if you like a clean home especially at this festive time of year then you wouldn’t want to adopt this tradition. All members of the family sit down for the Christmas Eve dinner. The head of the family takes a good sized spoonful of a special traditional Christmas dish made from bread poppy seed filling and water. This is called Loksa. Then, he will throw this hefty spoonful of Loksa up to the ceiling while everyone watches to see how much of this gooey mixture has stuck to the ceiling. Now this is very important because the more that is stuck on the ceiling the better the crops will be. This is a tradition that is followed throughout Slovakia and the Ukraine. It provides great family amusement except possibly for the women who have to clean up the mess. In many countries the people attend mass either Christmas eve or Christmas day. This is also true in Caracas Venezuela with one exception; everybody roller skates to the mass. It is such a big traditional event that all the roads within the city are closed to car traffic. It’s a great alternative to ice skating because the climate is just too warm for snow or ice. What holiday traditions do you and your family enjoy? Why not share them at Boomer Yearbook, and who knows, maybe find a new and exciting tradition to try with their family and friends. Best wishes for a Happy Holiday Season to all. www.boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Boomers connect for fun and profit. For www.boomeryearbook.com
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