By Avi Landau
It is customary for Japanese families with daughters to pack up and put away the Hina Doll sets they had been displaying for the March 3rd Doll festival on the VERY NEXT DAY after the festival (March 4th). You might notice how in a strangely similar fashion most of the Santa-Sans and other X-Mas decorations which could be seen around Tsukuba leading up to Christmas Day will have been whisked out of sight by the end of December 26th, as most Tsukubans ( and Japanese in general) start getting down to the very serious business of preparing for O-Shogatsu, the Japanese New Year’s festival.
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Iceland: A visit from the Yule Lads
Lurking amid Iceland s azure lagoons and steaming volcanoes are a long list of (possibly) mythological creatures, which range from tiny elves to enormous sea monsters.
And for 13 days before Christmas, tradition holds that a mischievous pack of troll-like figures known as the Yule Lads visit local children. According to lore, a different lad visits every night to reward or punish kids by leaving something behind in an empty shoe.
A lucky child might get presents or candy. If the Yule Lads disapprove, though, you ll find a shoe filled with rotten potatoes.
Bring it home: Leave an empty shoe by your bedroom window, and see what the Yule Lads leave during the night. A different Yule Lad visits on each of the 13 nights before Christmas, starting with the sheep-harassing Stekkjarstaur on December 12. The final lad, Kertasníkir, comes on Christmas Eve.