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Who knew Christmas could be so freaky creepy?

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Yep, it’s marketing, but it’s interesting! Doors Online (who sell real doors) have put together a list of unusual Christmas traditions worldwide.

Weird Christmas in Poland

Weird Christmas in Poland

According to Polish folklore, any kid born over the twelve days of Christmas could be a werewolf or other half-human, half-demon hybrid. If this occurs, the only available treatment is to collect blood from the infant’s brow.

Weird Christmas in America

Weird Christmas in America

According to an old Appalachian belief, an unwed lady who goes to a hog enclosure at midnight on Christmas Eve and hears an elderly hog grunting will marry an older man. But if a young hog grunts first, she might expect a young and gorgeous husband.

Weird Christmas in Greece

Weird Christmas in Greece

You probably don’t picture burning shoes when you think of the aromas associated with Christmas. However, in Greece, it is a Christmastime tradition to burn one’s old shoes, and locals believe the terrible odour will scare away Christmas ghosts called Kallikantzaroi.

Evidently, footwear is a big deal in Greece during the holiday season. They also think it’s unwise to give someone a pair of shoes for the holidays for fear that they might one day abandon you.

Weird Christmas in Latvia

Weird Christmas in Latvia

Traditional Latvian Christmas celebrations include carrying the Yule log around the home, an act thought to ward off evil spirits.

In honour of Mithras, the sun god, a Yule log is cut down, dragged through the woods to your house, and finally burned inside your home. Hopefully, the sun will have returned the following year, and the dark days will have vanished thanks to this.

Weird Christmas in Czechia

Weird Christmas in Czechia

Whereas many people in Western Europe like to have beef or poultry as the main course at Christmas dinner, carp is more typically served in Eastern Europe.

It is common practise in the Czech Republic for hosts to lay a single fish scale under their guests’ plates as a symbol of good fortune and a reminder of the season’s plenty.

Weird Christmas in the Philippines

Weird Christmas in the Philippines

There is a significant Christian community in the Philippines, and celebrations start on September 1st for many people. As a result, many age-old customs and beliefs about the holiday season have been passed down.

One such belief among Filipinos is that bathing on Christmas Day is bad luck. Some say that if you do, the gifts of Jesus’ birthday will be lost, and you may develop a mysterious illness.

Weird Christmas in Serbia

Weird Christmas in Serbia

The twelve days leading up to Christmas in Serbia are known as the “unbaptized days,” They were traditionally viewed as a time when demonic forces of all kinds would be more active and dangerous than usual.

These demons, known as karakondula, are most active between midnight and dawn, and if they come across an unsuspecting human, they will hop on their back and demand to be carried wherever they choose.

As a result, the victim wouldn’t be freed until the devil heard a cockerel crowing at sunrise.

Weird Christmas in England

Weird Christmas in England

You might have been expected to help make the Christmas pudding if you dropped in on an English family on the last Sunday of Advent in the past.

But superstition demands a specific procedure. You need to get up and move from east to west like the Magi did on their way to see Jesus. By doing so, you’ll be granted a wish for the future year and bestowed with good fortune.

Weird Christmas in Portugal

Weird Christmas in Portugal

In Portuguese culture, family is extremely important year-round, especially during the holiday season. That’s why it’s common practise in Portugal to arrange an extra seat at the table during the traditional Christmas feast for loved ones who have passed on.

It is a way to honour ancestors who have passed away while bringing good fortune and financial success to the home in the following year.

Weird Christmas in Ukraine

Weird Christmas in Ukraine

Have you ever been curious about tinsel’s genesis? We may ask, but why do we use this sparkly, fluffy-looking substance to adorn our Christmas trees? It seems this weird Ukrainian ritual could be to blame.

If a spider’s web is discovered in the Christmas tree on the morning of the 25th, it is said to bring prosperity to the home and its inhabitants. Small spider tree ornaments, complete with webs, have become a tradition in Ukraine, where they are said to bring prosperity.

Weird Christmas in Guatemala

Weird Christmas in Guatemala

It’s lovely to have a spotless home before the holidays anywhere, but in Guatemala, cleanliness truly is next to Godliness. The locals have a superstitious fear of the dark and think evil spirits reside there.

One of the most labour-intensive Christmas traditions occurs on December 7th, when Guatemalans go on a massive cleaning frenzy, piling up trash and undesired goods they’ve collected over the year outside the front door.

An effigy of the devil is burned at the end of the year in a ritual known as La Quema del Diablo (or “Burning of the Devil”) to clear away any negativity from the previous year and make way for a fresh start that the new year brings.

Weird Christmas in Spain

Weird Christmas in Spain

This Christmas superstition could help you if you’re buying a present for someone you don’t particularly care about. If you’re shopping for a loved one, it’s advisable to steer clear of anything pointy.

A superstition in Spain says if you give your friends and family sharp objects like blades or scissors for the holidays, your bond with them will inevitably become strained. Please don’t give them anything wrapped in yellow, as that will bring them nothing but misfortune forever.

In Pure Spirit

Are there any odd Christmas traditions that you, friends or family have?

Where are the most haunted houses in the USA?

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MyBaggage, a site about travel and being prepared for it, has some Halloween content.

Tempted to do something spooky for ghost season? MyBaggage have researched the scariest haunted houses in the USA.

RANKHOUSE NAMESTATE
1Creepy Hollow Haunted HouseTEXAS
2Purgatory Scream ParkTEXAS
3New Orleans Nightmare Haunted HouseLOUISIANA
4House of the Occult at Lemp BreweryMISSOURI
5Netherworld Haunted HouseGEORGIA
6Terror on the CoastMISSISSIPPI
7Statesville Haunted PrisonILLINOIS
8Factory of Terror OHOHIO
913th Hour Haunted HouseNEW JERSEY
10Reapers RevengePENNSYLVANIA

Here’s a brief look at the top five haunted houses that you might include in your travels.

1. Creepy Hollow Haunted House 

The ‘Creepy Hollow Haunted House’ in the southern state of Texas takes the top spot. This not-for-profit house highlights three spooky attractions, using realistic special effects and people in costumes to provide a scary experience. 

Creepy Hollow gives proceeds go to good causes.  

2. Purgatory Scream Park 

The ‘Purgatory Scream Park’ comes second, the largest haunted house in Texas if you dare.

It takes 40 minutes for a terrifying walkthrough, and you’re bound to become immersed in the Halloween fun.

3. New Orleans Nightmare Haunted House

At this haunted house, you’ll find clowns, the walking dead, and even the Bogeyman to keep you up at night. There are three core attractions to pick from to maximise the chances of the hairs on the back of your neck standing up before you escape.

4. House of the Occult at Lemp Brewery

Underground, where no one will hear you scream. At the House of the Occult, you may come face to face with demons, mazes, and the pitch-black cavern. 

5. Netherworld Haunted House

One of the two attractions here is the Monster Museum which features rare movie props that you won’t see anywhere else. 

The other is a 3D experience hosted in a secret facility. 

In Pure Spirit

Where do you think the spookiest haunted house in the States is?

Nature’s power: A “sneaker wave”

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This video is a little scary. It begins with a walk along the shore. Steve Raplee, owner of High Tide Cafe in Coos Bay, is behind the camera while the waves gently break against the rocks. He’s a smart man and spots the “sneaker wave” coming. I’m not sure I would.

This video was published by The Oregonian newspaper just this week and has now had nearly one and a half million views. People just can’t believe how the powerful wave appears from out of nowhere and how strong it is. It’s easy to imagine there would have been real trouble if any of the children or pets playing on the beach hadn’t made it to safety.

Thankfully no one was hurt.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think? Was this wave dangerous or do you think it was too shallow to really be much of a threat?

Watch in awe as the Perseid Meteor shower passes overhead

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This timelapse video was taken in the Joshua Tree Park. All annoying airplanes have been edited out and the result is the beautiful combination of the night sky and the meteor.

The footage was taken in 2013 using a Canon 6D with a 14mm and 16mm wide angle lens on a Kessler CineSlider. The park itself is in south-eastern California and has been a national park since 1994.

The Perseids are a frequent shower, associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle and tend to be most active from about July 17 to August 24th. In 2015 it is expected the peak of the Perseid shower will be around August 12th and 13th.

In Pure Spirit

If you want to stay in the Joshua Tree National Park then Booking.com has a location search and Trip Advisor has a list of top things to do in the park.

It’s clear that the park inspires artists as both Art.com and AllPosters.com have sections devoted to stunning photographs.

A fairy post office you can visit

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This remarkable little fairy post office is a real treasure. If you’re exploring the paths in Orinda’s Tilden park then you might be lucky enough to find this special place.

The post office was create in back in December 2013. It was thought that the fairy location would not last very long. However, when the creators came back to inspect their tiny office with desk, lamp and birdcage they found it had grown.

Not only had more decorations been added – by passers by, who else? – but post started to arrive at the fairy post office. These days the creators are said to visit oten, to engage in exchanges in the mail and writing letters to local fairies and field mice.

In Pure Spirit

Do you have any fairy sites near you?

The creators of this little post office aren’t the only fairy fans on the internet. There are sites like My Fairy Tale Books which allow you to personalise children’s gifts and thousands of fairy goodies on Etsy.

Via Atlas Obscura.

North Carolina beach complete with a shark feeding frenzy

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If you’re just walking along the sand, the breaking waves washing against your feet would you end up in the middle of a shark feeding frenzy?

You could.

This video shows the shore of a beach in North Carolina host more than 100 sharks. The sharks were caught in a feeding frenzy, chomping their way through a school of fish they had pushed into the shallows.

In Pure Spirit

True shark fans know all about the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week and have all the goodies. Others are keen to avoid these impressive predators at all times. Where are you on the shark scale?

Totally strange local traditions

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John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars, and host of Mental Floss takes us through some 27 unbelievable local traditions.

Are you ready?

He begins with Cooper’s Hill cheese rolling, describing how the cheese wheel can hit speeds on 70 mph, and then moves on to really weird stuff.

How weird? We’ve got monkey buffet (for monkeys) in Thailand, the Pamplona running of the bulls, baby jumping, Japan’s Namahage Festival in which demons knock on doors and Le Tomatina.

In Pure Spirit

Which weird local traditions do you know about? Any you’d recommend?

If you’re interested in reading more about strange festivals and holidays then Car Rentals.co.uk has more on the Pamplona Bull Run and Low Cost Holidays has some insight on cheap holidays in Japan.

When the clouds invaded the Grand Canyon

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This remarkable video captures a “total cloud inversion” that filled the Grand Canyon. There’s no sound. What you see, over a time-lapse, is low cloud coming in to fill the Grand Canyon, lapping at the edge and then retreating again.

In Pure Spirit

What’s the most surreal natural sight you’ve ever seen?

Looking for holidays to the Grand Canyon? You can try Expedia, Virgin Holidays or take the ethical approach with Responsible Travel.

Watch as an ice flow crushes a river

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The Wild Ammonoosuc River, in Woodsville, starts off as frozen over with thick ice. You can see how thick the ice is because there is a large crack in it.

The language in the video gets a little sweary as the as the spectators begin to see what’s rushing down towards them. Up river the ice has finally broken and cracked under the weight. This has caused a chain reaction of rushing water and chunks of ice that carve up the frozen river as it tumbles downwards.

In Pure Spirit

Do you have a river near you that acts like this?

The Mill Pond Wizard of Easton Conservation

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mill pond wizard

Places right across the world have their own local tales and folklores to tell, passed down from generation to generation. You hear about them when young and it adds intrigue to certain spots and locations near where you live. They draw people in to an area who might otherwise never visit, to see and feel where the story was said to occur, however strange, however quirky. Mill Pond in Massachusetts with its tale of a wizard, the Devil and Satanic imps is a wonderful case in point.

The tale centers around an old sawmill built back in the 18th century by John Selee, later to be run by his son Nathan, the alleged wizard. The sawmill no longer exists and in its place is a sign that tantalises the visitor with the rough outlines of the murky tale. Erected in 1999 by the Easton Conservation Commission it states:

Site of the sawmill built by John Selee in the 18th century and continued by his son, Nathan, a wizard who purportedly used satanic imps to run the mill at night

It is a great and simple sign to draw you in and arouse your interest.

The legend tells of the Devil visiting Nathan Selee one night at his home and telling him to come and follow him. Nathan does this, taking one of his magic books with him as they leave the house. On opening the book a ferocious storm of thunder and lightening broke out, so scaring Nathan Selee that he ran back to his house and threw the book on the fire, stopping the storm. This infuriated the Devil, who gathered up some rocks as he went to follow Nathan back home, until crossing through a swamp he slipped, scattering the rocks that he carried. It was at this point while correcting himself from falling that the Devil stood on a rock leaving a huge foot print 24” long and 10” wide, a mark that can still be seen today.

From this point on local legend has it that the satanic imps arrived to work at the mill, though for reasons not especially clear. Whatever the deal, whether it was at the price of his soul or not, Nathan Selee in one instant suddenly had a free work force to help run his mill.

So what happened to Nathan Selee, the wizard. Across from where the sign has been erected is Easton cemetery, where the headstone for Nathan’s father John Selee can be found. However Nathan’s grave is noticeably absent. As a wizard with an understanding of the darker side of magic, and one with a pact with the Devil, did he ever leave this world and hence there would be no grave in Easton cemetery? Or perhaps at some point of his life he just moved. The beauty of such legends lies in the not knowing.

The Easton Conservation Commission have done well in putting up such a mysterious sign that entices the imagination. It draws people in, it makes you want to go and have a look, to sense the atmosphere, and just as importantly it helps preserve a local folklore.

In Pure Spirit

Have you been to any similar locations? What story did they have?

Have you been to the Mill Pond and the site of John Selee sawmill? What was it like?

(Image credit: Imgur)

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