Five Strange Christmas Legends From Around The World

Christmas is celebrated with joy, lights, and heart-warming traditions, but not all the stories surrounding this festive season are cheerful or ordinary. Across the globe, strange and fascinating Christmas legends have evolved, blending cultural beliefs and folklore to create tales that are as eerie as they are intriguing. Here are five of the most unusual Christmas legends from around the world:

1. Mari Lwyd – Wales

The Welsh tradition of Mari Lwyd involves a ghostly horse figure. A horse’s skull is mounted on a pole, draped in a white sheet, and decorated with ribbons. A group carrying the Mari Lwyd visits houses during Christmas and engages in a playful battle of wits called "pwnco," exchanging rhymed insults with the householders. If the Mari Lwyd group wins, they are allowed entry, often receiving food and drink. This eerie yet jovial tradition is believed to bring good fortune.

2. The Yule Cat – Iceland

In Iceland, the Yule Cat (Jólakötturinn) is a gigantic feline that roams the snowy countryside during Christmas. According to the tale, this monstrous cat devours anyone who hasn’t received new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve. The legend is thought to encourage people to work hard and finish their chores, as industrious workers traditionally received clothes as a reward. Beware of this cat if your wardrobe hasn’t been updated!

3. La Befana – Italy

Italy’s Christmas legend of La Befana centres on an old, witch-like woman who delivers gifts on the night before Epiphany (January 6). According to the story, the Magi invited Befana to join them on their journey to see the Christ child, but she declined. Regretting her decision, Befana now flies on her broomstick, visiting children and leaving presents in their stockings in the hopes of finding the baby Jesus. While she is kind to good children, naughty ones might find themselves with lumps of coal.

4. The Christmas Spiders – Ukraine

In Ukraine, spiders are considered lucky creatures during Christmas. According to legend, a poor widow and her children couldn’t afford to decorate their Christmas tree. On Christmas Eve, spiders spun intricate webs across the tree, and in the morning, the strands turned to gold and silver. This heart-warming tale gave rise to the tradition of decorating trees with sparkling spider ornaments, symbolizing hope and prosperity.

5. Kallikantzaroi – Greece

In Greece, mischievous goblins known as Kallikantzaroi are said to emerge from the underworld during the Twelve Days of Christmas (December 25 to January 6). These impish creatures cause chaos, playing pranks and spoiling food. To ward them off, families burn logs or place a colander outside their door, as the goblins are said to obsessively count holes but can only count up to two (as three is considered sacred). Their trickery adds an odd but entertaining twist to Greek Christmas folklore.