Christmas Around the World: Traditions in 10 Countries

Christmas celebrates the same event everywhere — the birth of Jesus — but no two countries celebrate it the same way. In some places the season starts in September; in others it ends in January. Some families feast at midnight, some exchange books, some spend the day on the beach. Behind the variety is a shared idea: light in the darkest part of the year, and a birth that brought hope.

Germany: Christmas Markets and Advent

Germany gave the world many of its best-loved Christmas traditions From late November, town squares fill with Weihnachtsmärkte — Christmas markets selling ornaments, gingerbread, and hot spiced wine. Families light a candle on an Advent wreath each Sunday before Christmas, and on 5 December children polish a shoe and leave it outside for St. Nicholas.

Mexico: Las Posadas and Nochebuena

In Mexico, Christmas begins on 16 December with Las Posadas, nine nights of processions re-enacting Mary and Joseph's search for shelter in Bethlehem. Each night, neighbours go house to house singing, carrying candles, until a host welcomes them in. The season peaks on Christmas Eve, Nochebuena, with Midnight Mass and a feast of tamales and salted cod.

Philippines: The Longest Christmas

The Philippines has the longest Christmas season anywhere, beginning in September and running into January. The centrepiece is Simbang Gabi, nine dawn Masses, 16 to 24 December. In San Fernando, the Giant Lantern Festival fills the night sky with enormous glowing lanterns, built by hand.

Iceland: The Yule Lads

Iceland does not have one Santa Claus — it has thirteen. The Yule Lads are mischievous figures from folklore who visit children one by one on the thirteen nights before Christmas, leaving small gifts in shoes on windowsills. On Christmas Eve, families exchange books and spend the evening reading them with hot chocolate.

Sweden: St. Lucia's Day

On 13 December, Sweden celebrates St. Lucia's Day, which opens the Christmas season. A girl dressed as St. Lucia, wearing a crown of candles, leads a procession of singers in white, bringing saffron buns and coffee. The festival of light falls in the year's darkest week. Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas Day, is the main celebration, with a feast of ham and meatballs.

Italy: La Befana

In Italy, the Christmas season runs from early December to 6 January, the feast of Epiphany. Christmas Eve brings the Feast of the Seven Fishes, seven seafood dishes, followed by Midnight Mass. The season's most beloved figure arrives last: La Befana, a kindly witch who leaves sweets for good children on the eve of Epiphany.

Colombia: The Little Candles

Colombia opens Christmas on 7 December with Día de las Velitas, the Day of the Little Candles. Families place candles and paper lanterns in windows, on balconies, along streets to honour the Virgin Mary and welcome the season of light. The evening becomes a street party. The season continues with nine nights of novenas leading up to Christmas Eve.

Brazil: Midnight Mass and Feast

In Brazil, Christmas is a summer holiday, and the main celebration happens on Christmas Eve. Families gather for a late dinner called the ceia, with roast turkey, panettone, and many attend Missa do Galo, the midnight Mass whose name means "Rooster's Mass". At midnight, Papai Noel delivers gifts, and fireworks light up the warm night sky.

United Kingdom: Carols and Christmas Pudding

British Christmas centres on Christmas Day itself. Families pull paper crackers at lunch — each pops and contains a joke, a paper crown, and a small gift — and end the meal with Christmas pudding, made weeks ahead. Carol singing is everywhere, from village churches to city streets, Boxing Day, 26 December, is a public holiday.

Australia: Christmas on the Beach

Australia celebrates Christmas in the middle of summer, and the traditions show it. Many families eat a cold lunch or a barbecue — prawns, ham, and pavlova, meringue topped with cream and fruit — and some spend Christmas Day on the beach. Carols by candlelight are held outdoors in parks across the country. Santa sometimes trades his sleigh for a surfboard.

What the Traditions Share

For all their differences, these traditions point at the same things: light in darkness, food shared with family, music, and generosity. Whether a lantern in the Philippines, a candle in Colombia, or a book in Iceland, Christmas gathers people around something good and asks them to share it. To see how Christians celebrate the other great festival, read our guide to how Christians celebrate Easter around the world, and for the faith behind the celebrations, our guides to what faith means and Psalm 23.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has the longest Christmas season?

The Philippines, where the season begins in September and runs through early January.

Why do some countries celebrate on 24 December and others on 25 December?

In many European and Latin American countries, the main feast is Christmas Eve, after the evening Mass; in the United Kingdom and the United States, Christmas Day itself is the main event.

What is La Befana?

La Befana is a figure from Italian folklore: a kindly witch who delivers gifts to children on the eve of Epiphany, 6 January. Legend says she has been searching for the baby Jesus ever since.

Do all Christians celebrate on 25 December?

Most Western churches do, but some Orthodox churches celebrate on 7 January, following the older Julian calendar — in Ethiopia, Christmas, called Ganna, falls on 7 January.