Yuletide/Christmas traditions of some european countries

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Finland

Natural materials are prominent in decor. Things like ornaments from pine or birch curls glued together.

It's tradition to feed the birds on Christmas Eve (Hello Home Alone 2) and in some households a bird hangs above the Christmas table.

People place candles or lanterns on the graves of beloved ancestors and sing hymns or reflect in silence.

The reindeer is a holiday symbol in Finnish Lapland (the northmost region). Reindeer have a thick winter coat of hollow hairs, which super-insulate them from the bitter cold.

Iceland

In icelandic folklore, the Yuletide Lads are the sons of trolls who live in mountains and caves. They are quiet until winter approaches. Over the 13 nights before Christmas Eve, they put small gifts into childrens' shoes (or potatoes for bad children). There are supposedly 13 lads, and their names include Gully Galk, Stump, Ladle Licker, Door Sniffer, and Sausage Picker, among others.

Leaf bread is traditional. Due to the scarcity of food, dough was rolled as thinly as possible and then folded into geometric shapes that resembled leaves.

Denmark

A Jultrae (Yule Tree or Christmas Tree) is decorated with ornaments. The family participates in a craft day where they make heart-shaped woven paper baskets that hold special treats.

Hans Christian Anderson, a poet famous for fairy tales, illustrated his stories with skillful paper-cuts, where folded paper is cut to unfold into figures and shapes. Danes decorate with paper-cuts similar to Andersons during the holidays.

Hearts are a favorite Yuletide symbol, expressing love and goodwill toward men.

Switzerland

Bell-ringing is a Swiss tradition in which the people wear bells around their necks and ring church bells to ring in the new year and drive away evil spirits. (Reminds me a little of the evil-spirit driving , except they are using sound instead of light.)

I gleaned these from a holiday display. Naturally they center around 'native Christmas traditions' (often pagan traditions before the gloss of Christianity layered over them). These are not well sourced because I got them from placards in a museum display. But here they are: **Finland** Natural materials are prominent in decor. Things like ornaments from pine or birch curls glued together. It's tradition to feed the birds on Christmas Eve (Hello Home Alone 2) and in some households a bird hangs above the Christmas table. People place candles or lanterns on the graves of beloved ancestors and sing hymns or reflect in silence. The reindeer is a holiday symbol in Finnish Lapland (the northmost region). Reindeer have a thick winter coat of hollow hairs, which super-insulate them from the bitter cold. **Iceland** In icelandic folklore, the Yuletide Lads are the sons of trolls who live in mountains and caves. They are quiet until winter approaches. Over the 13 nights before Christmas Eve, they put small gifts into childrens' shoes (or potatoes for bad children). There are supposedly 13 lads, and their names include Gully Galk, Stump, Ladle Licker, Door Sniffer, and Sausage Picker, among others. Leaf bread is traditional. Due to the scarcity of food, dough was rolled as thinly as possible and then folded into geometric shapes that resembled leaves. **Denmark** A *Jultrae* (Yule Tree or Christmas Tree) is decorated with ornaments. The family participates in a craft day where they make heart-shaped woven paper baskets that hold special treats. Hans Christian Anderson, a poet famous for fairy tales, illustrated his stories with skillful paper-cuts, where folded paper is cut to unfold into figures and shapes. Danes decorate with paper-cuts similar to Andersons during the holidays. Hearts are a favorite Yuletide symbol, expressing love and goodwill toward men. **Switzerland** Bell-ringing is a Swiss tradition in which the people wear bells around their necks and ring church bells to ring in the new year and drive away evil spirits. (Reminds me a little of the evil-spirit driving [Varg Vikernes describes in his Yule synopsis](https://youtu.be/riM_7uq-WaI?list=PLV1Xd_c5-wta8HSKFx15qdV5L-pm5XvZA), except they are using sound instead of light.)

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