Feliz Natal and Gledileg Jol

As most of you know, Brazil is the largest country in South America. And being located right below the equator, Christmas time is just another warm day.
Having a Christmas tree is very common for families and it is decorated with lots of festive colors and ornaments. A typical tradition for children on Christmas Eve is to place their shoes under the tree or beneath their beds for Papi Noel to fill with gifts.
Aside from that, children enjoy playing 'Petecas'. This game was created by a group of South American Indian tribes (the Tupians). Peteca is similar to badminton except there are no rackets involved, just the use of your hands. The Petecas look like a brightly color badminton birdie and tends to be quite entertaining as a spectator.
Some cultural traditions in Brazil include eating Brazilian chocolates, wearing festive masks just as they do during carnival and of course playing Petecas.


Moving North to Iceland, an island near the arctic circle with glaciers that cover a small percentage of the country. Daylight only lasts about 3 to 4 hours per day during the holiday season (December and January).

Yuletide Lads

Skipping right ahead to one of my favorite folklore tales is the Yuletide Lads which originated in Iceland. These lads are mischievous sons of trolls who live in a cave amongst the mountains and are always kept quiet...until Christmas time. They put small gifts (or potatoes if they're bad) into the shoes of children the 13 nights before Christmas Eve. Today it is believed that there are 13 individual lads. Some of their names are Gully Galk, Stump, Ladle Licker, Door Sniffer and Sausage picker.

leaf bread

Speaking of ladle licking and sausage picking, making leaf bread is a holiday tradition that comes from the northern part of Iceland where wheat is at a premium. The dough is rolled as thinly as possible, almost to where it's see through. The dough is then folded and cut into various shapes such as snowflakes and either given as gifts to eat or hardened to make ornaments for hanging on the tree.
Whether your shoes are being filled with presents, making intricate baked goods or hitting around a colorful birdie, having traditions such as these are what makes each and every place/ culture so unique and special. If we all did the same thing then life wouldn't be as interesting ya know?!.
Cheers.