This Is What Christmas Looks Like Around the World

From Sweden to South Africa, everyone is getting in on the Santa action.

Jólabókaflóð, or Christmas Book Flood, is an annual tradition of giving books as gifts on Christmas Eve and then spending the rest of the night reading. This tradition has earned Iceland the distinction of publishing more books per capita than any other country. Iceland also has some fascinating Christmas folklore including the Yule Cat, a vicious feline who roams the countryside looking to eat children who didn't receive new clothes to wear on Christmas.

Leave the milk and cookies for the kids. In Ireland, Santa gets a bottle of Guinness and mince pies. Some Irish households also put a large candle in their window on Christmas Eve, letting it burn all night to symbolically welcome Mary and Joseph.

If you’ve ever felt that fear and dread were missing from your yuletide revelry, look no further than Austria’s Krampus Parade. Participants dress up as the mythological goat-beast who beats children that are on the naughty list and march through the streets.

It's a common tradition to give apples during this time of year because the Chinese word for Christmas Eve (Ping An Ye) is similar to their word for apple (Ping Guo.)

A giant straw sculpture of a Swedish Yule Goat is created each year in Gävle, Sweden at the start of the holiday season. According to local folklore, the Yule goat is an invisible spirit who oversees people’s Christmas preparations. It has also become a bit of a tradition for vandals to try and destroy the Gävle Goat throughout the month. The have succeeded 37 times since the first Gävle Goat appeared in 1966.

Eggnog has nothing on Feuerzangenbowle (fire-tongs punch.) This festive German cocktail is made by setting fire to a rum-soaked sugarloaf (essentially a giant sugar cube) and letting it drip into mulled wine.

In some regions of Spain, people often include a character to provide some levity to their Christmas nativity. The caganer is a statue (sometimes of a famous person) who is...pooping. The figure represents fertility and good fortune. The tradition has also spread to parts of Portugal and Southern Italy as well.

The Welsh custom Mari Lwyd involves a group carrying decorative horse skulls while going from door to door (or pub to pub) requesting access to people’s homes through song. If they are granted entry, they can enjoy tasty apps, but if they’re denied, they keep trying until one side backs down. The horse is likely an homage to Epona, a goddess of fertility in medieval Welsh folklore who was also known as the protector of horses and is depicted riding a shimmering white one.

Life-sized advent windows have become annual traditions in some Swiss towns. Houses take turns decorating one of their windows each day leading up to Christmas and when your house’s day comes up, you're expected to host a party for the villagers.

Finnish people like to sweat it all out for the holidays. It's a common practice for people to unwind in a sauna on Christmas Eve after a long day of festivities.

KFC ran an ad campaign in Japan in 1974 with the slogan “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!” (meaning "Kentucky for Christmas!") and the people were into it. The chain offers a full holiday dinner (complete with a commemorative Christmas plate) for around 3,980 yen or $39.

Some Children in England burn their letters to Santa in the fireplace instead of mailing them. The note travels out the chimney all the way to the North Pole where the big guy reads the message in the smoke.

Norwegian children believe that Santa gets a little assistance delivering gifts from gnomes called Nisse. Some even leave a bowl of rice porridge for the Nisse who guards the farm animals.

Night of the Radishes is an annual holiday tradition in Oaxaca, Mexico, held on December 23 in the town’s Christmas market. It involves people carving scenes out of oversized radishes and competing for prizes.

Costa Rica’s Festival de la Luz has only been a holiday tradition for 20 years, but people come from all over the world to be part of the luminous parade with spectacular floats and lanterns on display.

Children in South Africa are told the ghastly story of a little boy named Danny who was killed by his own grandmother for stealing cookies left out for Santa. Danny’s ghost haunts people’s homes on Christmas.

Bulgaria takes caroling very seriously. Carolers, called koledari, are usually groups of young men (led by one elder) dressed in traditional attire who travel from house to house starting at midnight on Christmas Eve. The local myth is that these singers possess the power to chase away demons and bad energy through song on this one night each year. They don’t stop singing until sunrise.

Some homes in the United States have adapted a tradition of hiding a pickle ornament in their Christmas tree. It's believed to bring good fortune to whoever finds it. The idea of the Christmas pickle comes from a story about an American Civil War soldier who was being held captive on Christmas Eve and was given a pickle by a guard who took pity on him.

People in Venezuela get in a little Christmas cardio between December 16 and December 24. Roads are closed in Caracas (the capital of Venezuela) so people can rollerskate to early morning mass.

It’s all about lunch in Denmark. The Julefrokost is a gathering of friends or colleagues that centers around festive food, drinks, and songs. One Julefrokost staple is a rice pudding dessert that has an almond inside. Whoever finds the almond wins a prize.

December 25 may be Christmas, but most of the holiday fun in Holland happens on Sinterklaas Avond (December 5,) or St. Nicholas Eve. Sinterklaas leaves presents for all of the children that night.

Children in the Czech Republic are not allowed to open their gifts until they hear the Christmas bell ring, which signifies that baby Jesus has come and left presents for them.

Haitian children wait until nightfall on Christmas Eve to light up Pi detwal (translated as “rain of stars”) which are sparklers or other fireworks.

Argentinian Christmas begins with the launch of paper lanterns on Christmas Eve which turns into an all-night affair as revelers celebrate with family and friends into the wee hours.

Children in South Korea love Grandpa Santa (or Santa Harabujee). Businesses hire people to dress as Santa to greet customers and give out treats. However, when it comes to exchanging gifts with loved ones, money is actually the most popular gift every year.

Toronto kicks off the holiday season with their annual Santa Claus Parade, which has been going on since 1913. More than 500,000 people attend this televised event.

The advent wreath is a huge part of Croatian Christmas. The wreaths are usually made of straw or twigs and candles symbolizing hope, joy, love, and peace are added to the display once a week during the 25 days leading up to Christmas.

Some Hungarian parents have a little tradition of decorating the Christmas tree while the children are away and telling the tykes that the ornaments were a gift from the angels.

There’s no curfew on Christmas in Chile. Children open up their presents at midnight and then show off their new toys to friends throughout the early morning hours.

Christmas in India is known as “Bada Din” which means "big day." Besides traditional Christmas trees, it's common to see banana and mango trees decorated.

San Fernando has earned the nickname “Christmas Capital of the Philippines” thanks to its annual Giant Lantern Festival every December. People compete to create oversized bright-colored lanterns that light up the night.

People burn the branches of a rowan tree on Christmas Eve to symbolize setting aside their differences with family and friends. If the fire goes out before Christmas Eve ends, bad luck will follow.

Christmas Eve dinner in Italian families is all about the Feast of the Seven Fishes. The meal commemorates the wait for Baby Jesus’s birth.

Christmas is a summer holiday down is Australia, which means fun in the sun. Folks often head to the beach and throw their dinner on the grill. Many towns also host large gatherings, where carols are sung by candlelight.

Like Australia, summer is in full swing when Christmas comes around in New Zealand. The holiday is celebrated as it is many other places with Santa parades, store displays, and Christmas music. Popular Christmas songs in New Zealand include "Sticky Beak the Kiwi" and "A Pukeko in a Ponga Tree."

Christmas in Portugal is all about the Nativity. Children usually take on the task of gathering all of the figures except for baby Jesus, who is placed in the manger by parents while the kids aren’t paying attention. Presents aren't opened until the baby is in the manger.

Polish Christmas trees are sometimes decorated to look like they’re covered in spider webs. The webbing is symbolic of the spider-woven blanket made for the Baby Jesus according to Polish folklore.

Brazil is home to the world's largest floating Christmas tree. The tree is 85 meters tall and features over three million light bulbs.

The annual light festival in Medellín is a tradition that puts most Christmas light displays to shame. The attraction brings in around four million visitors each year and has been going on since 1955.

Russians celebrate Orthodox Christmas on January 7. Some people fast all day on Christmas Eve until the first star appears in the night sky. A sweet drink called Vzvar is popular on Christmas as it's traditionally served to celebrate birth.

Côte d'Ivoire's Abidjan is home to an annual festival of lights called Perle des Lumiéres. The gorgeous displays are lit on December 19 and stay on until mid-January.

In accordance with the Julian calendar, Christmas in Ukraine falls on January 7. Families sit down for 12-course meal on Christmas Eve, which begins when the youngest of the family sees the evening star. Each course represents Jesus’s 12 disciples.

Santa Claus goes by the name Mos Nicolae in Romania. Children leave their shoes by the door on December 6 and he goes from house to house filling them up with small gifts and treats. Mos Nicolae sometimes drops by again on Christmas Eve if the children haven't been put on the naughty list.

Different regions of Indonesia have their own Christmas traditions. In Bali, the celebration is heavily influenced by Hinduism. Roads are decorated with yellow coconut leaves to symbolize the mythical Antaboga serpent. Their Christmas trees are also made from chicken feathers.

Posadas, or celebrations, starting on December 16 involve a procession of people using lanterns to guide them as a symbol of Mary and Joseph’s journey to find shelter. They happen on the nine nights leading up to Christmas to represent the nine months Jesus was in the womb.

Belgian children receive their gifts on St. Nicholas Day (December 6) while enjoying Smoutebollen (fried sweet dumplings) and adults sip Glühwein (hot wine.) December 25 has more of a religious focus.

Christmas in the DR is a time for cleaning house. This time of year, there's a focus on organization and decluttering to make space for new gifts and necessities. Marie Kondo would be proud.

Christmas has only been an official holiday in Iraq since 2008. Christians gather at their local church and pray next to a large bonfire. The service ends with the Bishop blessing the congregation and touching one of the congregants. The congregant touches someone next to them and the process continues until every attendee has gotten the "Touch of Peace."