JSランゲージスクールブログ | Christmas characters
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Today I would like to write about some different Christmas characters from all over the world. Since each of us grows up in our native country usually, we don't really know about other countries traditions.
First of all, I would like to talk about Christmas in the US and other English-speaking countries. Usually in these countries, Santa Claus comes on Christmas eve. Children will leave cookies and milk for Santa, and usually carrots or some other snack for the reindeer. They place the snacks on the table, somewhere where they think Santa will find it. Usually this is by the tree, or in the kitchen. In my family, my dad would write a note pretending to be Santa. He would also eat the cookies. The next day, we would find the notes and the eaten cookies and we would be really excited. On Christmas day, most people open presents from the morning. However, some families open them on Christmas Eve.
One other Christmas myth, that I think is really interesting, is called Krampus. Krampus is a half-goat half-demon monster that comes to punish children who have been bad. This myth is popular in places like Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Austria.
In Ireland, there are tales of the Gryla. This is an ogress who lives in the mountains and comes down to terrorize children who have been bad during the year. In the past, the stories of the Gryla also included her eating children, not just scaring them.
It is interesting to me that in many countries there are actually characters created to scare children into being good instead of characters like Santa Claus, who only brings joy (or coal if you are naughty). Have you heard of any interesting Christmas characters?
