Krampus, Santa's evil counterpart, takes to the streets in Austria. Photo: AFP
Christmas is a special time of year. A time when magic fills the air, merry people frolic about with smiles on their faces and kids make snowmen. It's also a time for reviving age-old traditions – we decorate our Christmas trees, exchange gifts, sing our favourite carols and wait for Santa. But people around the world don't always celebrate Christmas in the same ways. Here's a whistle-stop world tour of some of our favourite weird but wonderful festive traditions.
Christmas in Latvia – known as "Ziemassvetki" – is a melting pot of ethnic, religious and modern traditions. According to pre-Christian Latvian pagan traditions, this time of year marks the rebirth of the Sun Maiden. Folk celebrations include the so-called mummers, who dress up with animal masks and perform, which is said to bring abundant blessings, get rid of evil spirits and boost fertility. Meanwhile, the dragging and burning of the yule log symbolises the elimination of the previous year's problems and misfortunes.
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