CATALAO, Brazil (AP) — Santa Claus braved the sticky heat of the Amazon rainforest this weekend, taking two boats to bring gifts to children in a village near the Brazilian city of Manaus.

The visit was arranged by Amigos do Papai Noel, a Brazilian charity that has been taking gifts to children in the Amazon rainforest for the past 26 years.

“For the children of the rivers, the people of the countryside, nothing new happens,” said Raimunda Ferrera Vieira a community leader in the village of Catalao, which received Santa on Saturday. “This here for us was a gift from God.”

More than 600 children from different villages gathered in Catalao to receive presents from Santa, who dressed in his traditional nightcap, white gloves and red suit, while enduring the stifling jungle heat.

To get to the kids, the Brazilian Santa sailed on a large boat down the Amazon river, then paddled a canoe along a swampy tributary.

Dozens of volunteers formed a line to Santa’s boat to help him unload his holiday cargo of stuffed animals, dolls and soccer balls. And two of the helper even had to carry Santa off his boat to prevent his boots from getting wet, due to the lack of a pier.

According to Amigos do Papa Noel, changes in the weather have complicated gift deliveries.

This year, the water levels of the two largest rivers in the area, the Amazon and the Rio Negro, are still low. So children had to gather in a community where the river was deep enough for Santa’s boat to arrive.

“We knew this would be difficult” said Pedro Carvalho Filho, a computer programmer who manages Amigos do Papai Noel. “Usually on this day we make three deliveries to the riverside communities.”

Still, Santa said all the sweat and toil was worth it.

“Every child in every community always smiles back” said Santa impersonator Jorge Alberto Moreira. “Wherever you go there’s a smile, it’s a great joy.”

When it comes to holiday traditions, Santa and his reindeer are being upstaged by some quirky and unexpected traditions around the world.

From a gift-pooping log in Spain to a mythical cat that punishes lazy Icelanders, these traditions show just how creative and wild the holiday spirit can be.

Catalonia’s pooping log

This might be one of the most bizarre holiday traditions out there: The “Tió de Nadal” or pooping log. This beloved Catalan custom involves a wooden log decorated with a face that is fed treats throughout December and kept warm under a blanket. On Christmas Eve, children beat the log with sticks and sing traditional songs to coax it into pooping candy and gifts.

You’re not alone if you’re thinking, “What the heck?” But for Catalan families, the Tió de Nadal is a cherished part of the holiday season, blending humor, joy and a unique sense of festive creativity.

The Yule cat: Iceland’s giant feline enforcer

In Iceland, Christmas comes with a furry twist – and it’s not the cuddly kind. Meet the mythical Yule cat, said to prowl the snowy countryside looking for anyone who hasn’t received new clothes before Christmas.

According to the legend, workers who finished processing the autumn wool before Christmas would receive new garments as a reward. If they failed, the Yule cat would eat them up. This beloved but slightly ominous holiday legend adds a unique and somewhat eerie flavor to Icelandic holiday traditions.

Befana the Witch: Italy’s gift-giving crone

In Italy, Santa isn’t the only one handing out gifts. Befana, a broomstick-riding witch, delivers candy and presents to children on Jan. 5, Epiphany Eve. Legend has it she missed the birth of Jesus and has been searching for him ever since, leaving treats for kids as a sort of cosmic apology.

Befana is especially popular in Southern Italy, where she’s celebrated with warmth and humor. Her grandmotherly image and unconventional story make her a standout in the holiday pantheon – less ho-ho-ho, more hocus pocus.

The Mari Lwyd: Wales’ singing horse skull

Wales might win the award for the creepiest Christmas custom. The Mari Lwyd is a centuries-old tradition featuring a horse skull dressed up with ribbons and mounted on a pole.

Accompanied by a group of singers and performers, the Mari Lwyd visits homes, pubs and other gathering places, challenging those inside to a humorous and clever rhyming competition, almost like a rap battle. The Mari Lwyd’s goal is to win entry into the house and to be welcomed with food, drinks and merriment.

The origins of the Mari Lwyd predate Christianity, but in Wales, it’s a beloved tradition now intricately linked to Christmas. Quirky and uniquely Welsh, it brings communities together in good-natured, if a bit creepy, fun.

Chinese food: The Jewish Christmas ritual that delivers

Did you ever wonder why so many American Jewish families chow down on dan dan noodles and broccoli beef on Christmas Day? This tradition dates back to the early 20th century when Jewish and Chinese immigrants were often neighbors in urban areas. Chinese restaurants were likely the only places open on Christmas, so they became a natural gathering spot for Jews who had nothing else to do while their Christian neighbors went to church, opened gifts and ate holiday ham.

Today, many American Jewish families spend Christmas Day enjoying a meal at their favorite Chinese restaurant. They’ll likely skip the non-kosher char siu and Szechuan shrimp, but fill up on salt and pepper chicken, stir-fried egg noodles and sesame beef.

Roller skating to church in Caracas

Forget sleighs. People in Caracas, Venezuela, celebrate Christmas morning on skates. In answer to the problem of congested roadways on a day when everyone is trying to get to early morning Mass, the streets are closed to cars and many families don roller skates to get to church. Music fills the air and the city buzzes with laughter and joy as people glide to Christmas services.

This vibrant tradition reflects Venezuela’s sense of community and love of celebration. It’s proof that even sacred rituals can have a playful side – and that roller skating is a lot more festive than sitting in traffic.

KFC: Japan’s finger-lickin’ holiday feast

In Japan, Christmas dinner is all about Kentucky Fried Chicken. Every December, millions of Japanese families line up for KFC, a tradition that started with a 1970s marketing campaign called Kentucky for Christmas, which really hit the mark. According to KFC Global, nearly a third of the chain’s annual sales in Japan come in December. Fried chicken may not scream Christmas to you, but in Japan, it’s as iconic as a holiday sweater.

Naked Santa: San Francisco’s bare-it-all holiday antics

Leave it to San Francisco to add a cheeky twist to holiday celebrations. The city’s annual SantaCon event attracts hordes of Santas for a day of merriment. In true San Francisco fashion, naughty Santas wasted no time seizing on the opportunity to show off their gifts – all of them – as they joined the otherwise innocent celebration in the nude.

While not everyone is ready to deck the halls in nothing but a Santa hat, Naked Santa has become an iconic part of the city’s holiday lore, perfectly capturing San Francisco’s playful spirit and penchant for pushing boundaries. Just don’t forget the sunscreen – even in December, it’s sunny in California.

Why these traditions matter

From pooping logs to giant cats, these quirky customs remind us that there’s no right way to celebrate the holidays. The best traditions are those that bring people together. And if they happen to involve a horse skull or a giant mythical cat? Even better. Because let’s face it: Weird, wonderful and wildly unexpected customs are what make the season truly magical.

Robin Donovan is the author of more than 40 cookbooks and the founder and creator of All Ways Delicious, a food site loaded with easy recipes for the best dishes from around the world. Her writing and recipes have been featured in major media outlets including MSN, Associated Press, Buzzfeed, Cooking Light, PopSugar, Chicago Sun-Times, Fitness, Parade, San Jose Mercury News and many others.

ROVANIEMI, Finland (AP) — Shuffling across icy ground on a cold December afternoon, lots of tourist groups poured into Santa Claus Village, a winter-themed amusement park perched on the edge of the Arctic Circle.

They frolic in the snow, take a reindeer sleigh ride, sip a cocktail in an ice bar or even meet Saint Nick himself in the capital of Finnish Lapland, Rovaniemi, which happily calls itself the “official hometown of Santa Claus.”

The Santa Claus Village theme park, which attracts more than 600,000 people annually, is especially popular during the holiday season.

“This is like my dream came true,” beamed Polish visitor Elzbieta Nazaruk. “I’m really excited to be here.”

Tourism is booming in Rovaniemi — which has hotel and restaurant owners, as well as city officials, excited as it brings lots of money to the town.

However, not everyone is happy about the onslaught of visitors, 10 times the town’s population, each year at Christmas time.

“We are worried about the overgrowth of tourism. Tourism has grown so rapidly, it’s not anymore in control,” said 43-year-old Antti Pakkanen, a photographer and member of a housing network that in September organized a rally through the city’s streets.

It’s a feeling that has been echoed in other popular European travel destinations, including Barcelona, Amsterdam, Malaga and Florence.

Across the continent, locals have protested against “over-tourism” — which generally describes the tipping point at which visitors and their cash stop benefiting residents and instead cause harm by degrading historic sites, overwhelming infrastructure and making life markedly more difficult for those who live there.

Now, it seems to have spread north, all the way to the edges of the Arctic Circle.

Rovaniemi counted a record 1.2 million overnight visitors in 2023, almost 30 percent growth on 2022, after rebounding from pandemic travel disruptions.

“Nordic is a trend,” Visit Rovaniemi CEO Sanna Karkkainen, said as she stood in an ice restaurant, where snow carvers were working nearby.

“People want to travel to cool countries to see the snow, to see the Northern Lights, and, of course, to see Santa Claus,” she added.

Thirteen new flight routes to Rovaniemi Airport opened this year, bringing passengers from Geneva, Berlin, Bordeaux and more. Most tourists come from European countries like France, Germany and the UK, but Rovaniemi’s appeal has also spread further.

Hotel availability is scarce this winter, and Tiina Määttä, general manager of the 159-room Original Sokos Hotel, expects 2024 to break more records.

Local critics of mass tourism say many apartment buildings in Rovaniemi’s city center are also used for accommodation services during peak season and are thus no longer available for residential use. They say the proliferation of short-term rentals has driven up prices, squeezed out long-term residents, and turned its city center into a “transient space for tourists.”

Finnish law prohibits professional accommodation services in buildings intended for residential use, so campaigners are calling on authorities to act.

“The rules must be enforced better,” said Pakkanen.

Not everyone agrees. Mayor Ulla-Kirsikka Vainio notes some make “good money” on short-term rentals.

Either way, stricter regulations likely won’t be in place to impact this winter season, and despite the unease expressed by locals, mass tourism to Rovaniemi is probably only going to grow in 2025 — as visitors want to experience the unique atmosphere up north, especially during the holiday season.

“It’s Christmas time and we would love to see the Northern Lights,” says Joy, a visitor from Bangkok. “Rovaniemi seems to be a good place.”