If you have lived through at least five Christmases, odds are you understand how special the holiday season is. Whether or not you let religion impact your approach to the holiday, Christmas is still a season of perpetual joy with decorations, music, gifts, parties, and dining room tables that would make Hogwarts feasts jealous. There is so much to love about the holidays that annual traditions begin to take shape. Caroling, hanging Christmas lights, baking cookies etc.. But with the world being so massive and the holidays being so important to so many of us, it is no surprise that a collection of strange, bizarre, and downright insane Christmas traditions have been discovered in other parts of the world. This list is dedicated to those unique traditions that send a shiver down old Kris Kringle's spine.

4. Children of Yugoslavia Tie Up Their Mother The Week Before Christmas

Before I moved out, my siblings and I would always try to make our mother breakfast in bed to start Mother's Day. She was always a light sleeper, though, so she would have to act surprised when we came into her room and “woke her up” with eggs cooked over easy (just the way she liked,) a glass of freshly made orange juice (just the way she liked,) and a bouquet of her favorite flowers- gardenias. She loved it and I know we all loved it, too. The children of Yugoslavia, however, don't mess around. That tender moment of breakfast in bed doesn't fly in Yugoslavia. Oh no, instead of picking flowers, they tie knots. Instead of squeezing oranges to make orange juice, they squeeze the life out of their mother. Instead of eggs over easy, Yugoslavian children prefer their mothers... scrambled.

Okay, it isn't that severe, but in Yugoslavia, their Christmas tradition occurs the Sunday before Christmas (referred to as “Mothering Sunday,”) in which they wake mother up from a deep sleep by tying her to the bed and forcing her to present them with gifts. After tying their mother down, the children would recite a rhyme-

“Mother's Day, Mother's Day, what will you pay to get away?”

At this moment, the mother would then tell the children where their gifts were hidden so she could be freed. It's all in good fun with both children and mother smiling and embracing the tradition. Fathers of Yugoslavia, don't you think you're safe from this. The week after, children do the exact same thing to their fathers.

Possibly with the help of all of the vengeful mothers who watched as their significant other did nothing but laugh when they were tied up.

3. The Legend of the Spider and the Christmas Tree

If you were to step inside of any random household in Ukraine right now, odds are you would see a family that could drink you under the table decorating their Christmas tree with a spider web. If you are anything like me, the second you see a household Christmas tree covered in spider web, you'd hop on the next plane to any place where the spiders can't get to you as you question why such an awful creature can actually exist. Not the Ukrainians, however, they adore spider web. The reason stemming from an old Ukrainian folk tale.

The story goes that a poor widow lived in a small hut with her children. Outside of their home stood a very large pine tree that the children liked to play under. One summer day, a pine cone fell from the tree that began to grow in the soil. Having never owned a Christmas tree before due to the family's poor financial status, the children were beyond thrilled at the idea of having this new tree they could care for. The children would take care of the tree from the summer until the winter time when they chopped it down, brought the tree inside, and rejoiced at the sight of their very first Christmas tree. Unfortunately, with no money, the mother was unable to purchase decorations for the family to decorate the tree with. The children, while still happy of the prospect of owning a tree, were understandably sad with how bare it looked and went to sleep on Christmas Eve believing that their tree was not a real Christmas tree. Their mother, feeling like a failure, went to sleep that Christmas Eve devastated that she was unable to provide for her family. Without her husband by her side, the poor mother tried her hardest to provide, knowing her hardest wasn't good enough. Her children were grateful for the attempts, but their happiness was always followed by heartache. This Christmas would be another one without dad, without gifts, without joy.

The next morning, however, the children excitedly woke up their mother, demanding that she get out of bed to see the tree. A very confused mother left her bed and was escorted to the tree. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the once bare tree consumed in spider web that a spider had weaved as the family slept. Moments after this discovery, the approaching morning sun began to shine on to the spider web, transforming the web into silver and gold. As the family looked on in disbelief, the mother became overwhelmed with emotion, sobbing as she realized that her family would never live in poverty again. The family began to dance and celebrate underneath their tree as they realized they would live a full, happy, wealthy life from that day forward.

While its origins are unknown, that story is a common Christmas legend in the Ukraine as families decorate their own trees in spider web for good luck. It's a powerful legend that unites all that believe in it through the power of miracles and the bond that is family, and above all else, makes me forget how terrible spiders are for a few brief, perfect moments.

2. The Caganer- A Defector Hidden In The Nativity Scene

Well, there is simply no way around this one. “The Caganer” is a tiny figurine added to The Nativity Scene that... uh, does his business... 10 feet away from the birth of Jesus Christ. Now before people get up in arms about the potential offensive nature of this tradition, The Caganer has increased in popularity over the centuries and is even included in the Nativity scenes at local Catholic Churches. The reason being that The Caganer represents good luck and fertility. Let me back up a bit.

To those unaware, the Nativity is an artistic depiction of the birth of Jesus Christ. Set in a stable in Bethlehem, Christ lies in a manger with mother Mary, father Joseph, three wise men with gifts, and animals surrounding him. Some depictions also include angels or other religious imagery to enhance the scene. The Caganer is said to have been introduced into the Nativity in the early 18^th century during the Baroque Period as a symbol of humor. The Caganer character was depicted as a man with his pants down and squatting over a patch of land. His personality was mischievous and playful and locals absolutely loved him. As time went on, The Caganer grew in popularity, eventually becoming a tradition found in Catalonia, Spain, and even in some parts of Europe. As Nativity sets grew in scale and production, it has since become a tradition in which locals challenge one another in seeing who can spot The Caganer. Even in local homes, The Caganer can be found invading Nativity scenes with his inopportune moment of relief. Even today, step inside the town of Catalonia, Spain and you may be greeted with the little guy. This tradition in huge and it does not seem to be going away any time soon. With support from locals and even the Catholic Church's approval, The Caganer might be here to stay. The only catch to the game is that The Caganer must not take center stage to the Nativity scene itself. Off in the distance is fine, but anywhere near the actual set itself is cause for concern.

Maybe The Caganer just enjoys his privacy.

1. Mari Lwyd- An Undead, Rap Battling Horse

Mari Lwyd (or Grey Mare in its English translation) is a zombie horse. Originating as a Welsh tradition, the story begins in the late 18th century where devastating winters would wreck havoc on the villages of South Wales. With the days being shortened and the nights seemingly lasting forever, fire was implemented to an almost gratuitous amount. These fires and lights would be seen as a literal metaphor for light found in darkness, and a festival of lights was created. These festivals would see townspeople dressing in costumes, children receiving treats, dancing, and being as merry to each other as possible. The literal light found in darkness became a metaphorical light found in darkness as the village could forget about the hardships facing them and enjoy the night ahead of them. As if the overwhelming happiness was not enough, the festival took it one step further and used the light to symbolize the act of rebirth. With death still looming in the terror of the weather, the villagers refused to have their spirits broken. The rebirth from the fire would symbolize the burning passion from the villagers to continue to fight for survival no matter the impending destruction.

Oh, and the reincarnation of a dead horse.

This dead horse became known as Mari Lwyd. A puppeteer would operate Mari Lwyd with a real horse skull (now retired for a fake one) attached to a pole, and draped over with a white cloth. The idea being that if Mari Lwyd could be brought back to life, that the fear of death could be subsided, if only temporarily. Make no mistake, however, while this was a tradition built on hope, Mari Lwyd was a tough spirit to appease.

Once reincarnated, this creature gathers a collection of followers and makes a bee-line to the nearest inhabited house with the explicit intention of getting inside. Should you be the "lucky" owner of the house Mari Lwyd encounters, you have one shot to make that spirit go away. How? By making up a song on the spot as to why Mari Lwyd should leave you alone. After you produce your lyric, Mari Lwyd then makes up a retort with why whatever you said was not a good enough reason to send it away. You are then challenged with then having to give another reason why it needs to leave you alone, with it then retorting why it needs to come in. Imagine an intense rap battle but instead of the risk of "getting owned," you risk inviting an unwanted spirit inside. If you end up outwitting Mari Lwyd, the spirit would calmly congratulate you and move on to the next house. Should you lose, however, Mari Lwyd would have to come inside and enjoy some of your refreshments. Yes, the intense battle you just endured might end with a loss, but ultimately, that loss would turn into a small get-together in your house with some local villagers, eating pudding, telling stories, and continuing an already fun night into a tender moment of town unity.

Here is a link to the opening lyrics to the song the Mari Lwyd and its followers would sing outside of your house- http://www.omniglot.com/soundfiles/songs/yfarilwyd.mp3

Mari Lwyd has changed significantly throughout the years. Traditions have changed, costumes have been altered, and the festivals have taken new forms. Later down the line, Mari Lwyd became a New Year's Eve tradition and it spent a lot of its time in the town square rather than people's homes. The story of Mari Lwyd has even been altered and depending on who you hear it from, he or she might tell you something different. Regardless of all of the changes and how it appears nowadays, the Mari Lwyd once stood for hope in the darkest of times and even with how bizarre of a tradition it was, it should be remembered as a shining example of what can be done when creative people get together to face despair head on.

They create a zombie Christmas horse.