Prompt Cast
Unique and Bizarre Christmas Traditions from Around the World
TLDR From beating a log to reveal candy and gifts to counting holes in a colander to protect against imps, this podcast explores the strange and fascinating Christmas traditions from Catalonia, South Africa, and beyond. Plus, learn about the origins of Mrs. Claus and how one woman came up with a solution to the Santa Claus lie.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The podcast discusses a Christmas tradition in Catalonia called Cagatillo, which involves a log that is supposed to resemble poop.
05:40
The Catalan Christmas tradition of Cagatillo involves a log that is wrapped in a blanket, fed orange peels and nuggets, and then beaten with sticks to reveal candy and gifts that have been "pooped" out by the log.
11:02
Krampus is a demonic beast who shows up on Krampus Nacht to abduct and torture bad kids, and although there have been attempts to ban him, he has gained popularity in recent years.
16:14
The Calakants Sorai can only count to two, so to protect against them, people leave a colander on their doorstep for the imps to count the holes until they commit suicide; this is also a remedy for protecting against vampires who couldn't count, and in South Africa, there's a ghost boy named Danny who haunts Christmas after eating his grandmother's cookies and being murdered.
21:07
The executives of the Charlie Brown Christmas special wanted to make changes to the show, including adding a laugh track and having adult voice actors, but Charles Schultz insisted on keeping it as it was, with child voice actors, and it ended up being a huge hit.
26:17
The hosts discuss a traditional Jamaican Christmas drink called sorrel punch and provide a recipe for making it.
31:20
Mrs. Claus was not always a part of the Santa Claus story, but she gained popularity over time and became a strong and important figure in the Christmas legend.
36:38
A woman named Charity Hutchinson came up with a solution to the problem of parents lying to their children about Santa Claus by suggesting that parents tell their kids they can become Santa Claus themselves by performing acts of kindness and giving anonymously.
41:59
Some people have unique Christmas traditions, such as making a paupers meal to honor their humble roots, hiding a pickle ornament on the tree for a gift, buying a Barbie doll every year with a gift receipt, and wrapping presents in unusual items like unused diapers or birthday wrapping paper.
47:00
Some unique Christmas traditions include going to the beach with champagne and cherries for breakfast, disguising a can of bar humbug as a rat present, having an ice cream eating contest on Christmas Eve, signing a tablecloth with fabric pens every year, dressing up a wind-up ET toy as different characters for a Christmas tree topper, and sleeping on a mattress by the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.
51:34
Some unique Christmas traditions include putting a Christmas ruta baga in the living room along with the tree, and having a holiday called Pajama Kiss where the immediate family exchanges pajamas, watches Christmas movies, and has a big breakfast spread for dinner.
Categories:
Society & Culture
