DID you know the Welsh greet Christmas morning by opening their windows to invite the drizzle in? These bizarre Yuletide traditions come from around the UK:
England
Aware the monarch gives an address on Christmas Day, the English upper-classes consider it gauche to speak before their ruler and so remain completely silent until 3.10pm. The time is spent ignoring each other, drinking neat gin and not opening presents because they already have everything.
London
In order to show pride in their multicultural city, residents are obliged to leave the house and purchase yams from a cheerfully ethnic shopkeeper of a different faith on Christmas morning. The starchy tubers are placed in a ceremonial bowl, where everyone remarks how wonderful it is they can be obtained at short notice, before being thrown away.
Wales
Moisture in the air is a Welshman’s constant companion so on Christmas morning the doors and windows are thrown wide to invite it in. It is set a place at the table, thanked for its valuable role in stopping the English moving in en masse, served a pint of Brains, wished a Nadolig Llawen and then asked to leave.
Scotland
Following a breakfast of haggis, Scottish children are invited outside to collect their gifts from the branches of a 40ft pine tree. Only the bravest climbers reach the high-value gifts at the top, anyone who falls loses the lot and all uncollected gifts are retrieved with a pole and returned to Argos.
Northern Ireland
The final episode of To The Manor Born in 1981 was seen by 24 million Britons – but not in Northern Ireland, where Thatcher spitefully banned it. It was not shown until the Good Friday agreement which stipulated it would be shown every Christmas Day at 7pm as a mark of peace. It still attracts an audience of a million a year.
