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Santa Claus Christmas Journey: Traditions Kris Kringle Must Face When Travelling Around The World (INFOGRAPHIC)

Unusual Christmas Traditions Around The World

He may be fictional, but when it comes to travel, Santa Claus sets the bar pretty high.

He may not get out to see the world much, but when he does, the guy moves fast — like I-can-travel-to-832-homes-a-second fast. It's a speed that's pretty much a requirement, given that 45 per cent of the world celebrates Christmas, according to an infographic made by the web designers at Webtise.

But that doesn't mean everyone celebrates the same way. As the infographic points out, certain countries have a tradition of putting their own twist on the holiday. Take the Czech Republic, for example, where unmarried women toss their shoes over their shoulder on Christmas Eve to find out if they'll get married after the New Year.

But Czechs aren't the only nationality with Christmas-footwear-tied traditions. In Venezuela's capital of Caracas, city roads are closed so that locals can roller skate to mass en masse. Then there's Japan, where Christmas means a special time to eat Kentucky Fried Chicken. It would seem that the Japanese like their KFC.

And some organizations have their own practices as well. Every Christmas Eve, NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command launches their NORAD Tracks Santa feature, a program that has both Canadians and Americans tracking Santa as he journeys on his annual flight.

It's a practice that harkens back 55 years "to share goodwill and holiday spirit across the globe," says General Charles H. Jacoby, Jr, NORAD's current commander. For more unusual Christmas traditions around the world, check out the infographic below.

Do you have your own personal take on Christmas tradition? We'd like to hear about it in the comment section below.

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