Traditions Facts

91% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving.

Some Taiwanese funerals feature exotic dancers performing on electric flower cars to attract crowds and give the deceased 'one last hurrah.'

When you speak of good or bad luck, many people knock on wood to ward off misfortune or preserve good fortune. While popular folklore attributes this to ancient Celtic beliefs in wood spirits, the practice most likely evolved from a 19th-century British children's game called 'tiggy touchwood,' where touching wood made players safe from being tagged.

Gold-wrapped chocolate coins commemorate St Nicholas who gave bags of gold coins to the poor.

In 1911, pigtails were banned in China because they were seen as a link with its feudal past.

According to widespread superstition, once a wedding ring has been placed on the finger, removing it brings bad luck to the marriage.

If one walks underneath an open ladder it is said to bring bad luck. Sometimes it is said that this can be undone by immediately walking backwards back underneath the ladder.

Opening an umbrella indoors is said to result in 21 days of bad luck. Some traditions hold that it is only bad luck if the umbrella is placed over the head of someone while indoors.

Kite flying is a professional sport in Thailand.

In the Ukraine, if you find a spider web in the house on Christmas morning, it is believed to be a harbinger of good luck! There once lived a woman so poor, says a Ukrainian folk tale, that she could not afford Christmas decorations for her family. One Ch

It is a recognized practice in some communities in Southern India for a man to marry his elder sister's daughter, a form of cross-cousin marriage, though its prevalence is declining.

Instead of a birthday cake, many children in Russia are given a birthday pie.

The tradition of putting tangerines in stockings traces back to legends of St. Nicholas and 16th-century French nuns who left socks filled with fruit, nuts, and coins at the homes of the poor, symbolizing the gold that Bishop Nicholas reportedly tossed through a window to save three sisters from poverty.

The first Christmas card was designed in 1843 by J.C. Horsley.

People in parts of Western China put salt in their tea instead of sugar.

In many households, part of the fun of eating Christmas pudding is finding a trinket that predicts your fortune for the coming year. For instance, finding a coin means you will become wealthy. A ring means you will get married; while a bachelor's button or thimble predicts a year of single blessedness.

Pretzels were originally invented for Christian Lent.

Christmas trees become popular in the UK from 1841 when Prince Albert erected a tree in Windsor Castle following a German tradition. Fir trees have been decorated at Christmas time in Germany since the 8th century.

The 26th of December is traditionally known as St Stephen's Day, but is more commonly known as Boxing Day. The reason it was called this is either alms boxes in church were opened and the money distributed to the poor, or alternatively it was named from the tradition of giving 'Christmas boxes' of gifts or bonuses to servants and employees on the day after Christmas.

At Christmas, it is traditional to exchange kisses beneath the mistletoe tree. In ancient Scandinavia, mistletoe was associated with peace and friendship. That may account for the custom of "kissing beneath the mistletoe".

In Tibet it is considered good manners to stick out your tongue at someone.

In Mexico, the Tooth Fairy is known as the 'Tooth Mouse'.

All the swans in England are property of the Queen.

In Greek legend, mischievous goblin-like creatures called Kallikantzaroi emerge during the Twelve Days of Christmas to play troublesome pranks. To repel them, traditions include burning salt or an old shoe, as the pungent smoke and crackling sounds are believed to drive them away or at least discourage their mischief.