Christmas Traditions Around the World

Europe: markets, saints and spooky visitors

• Germany. Germany gave the world the decorated Christmas tree and the Advent calendar. Christmas markets, or Weihnachtsmärkte, fill town squares with mulled wine, gingerbread and wooden ornaments, and the oldest go back to the late Middle Ages. Many families open presents on Christmas Eve.
• Netherlands. The big gift day is December 5, when Sinterklaas brings presents on pakjesavond. Children leave shoes out with carrots for his horse in the weeks before.
• Austria. On December 5, Krampus, a horned, hairy creature, roams the streets of Alpine towns to scare naughty children before St. Nicholas arrives the next day. Krampus runs are a lively, slightly frightening tradition.
• Italy. Italians build elaborate presepi (nativity scenes). Many families eat fish on Christmas Eve, and on the night of January 5, La Befana, a kind old woman on a broomstick, fills children's stockings with sweets or, for naughty kids, a lump of coal.
• Spain and Catalonia. Spain's big lottery draw, El Gordo, takes place on December 22. In Catalonia, children feed a smiling wooden log called the Caga Tió for weeks, then hit it with sticks on Christmas to make it "deliver" sweets.

Scandinavia and Iceland: light in the dark

• Sweden. On December 13, St. Lucia's Day, girls in white gowns with candles in their hair lead processions and serve saffron buns. In the town of Gävle, a giant straw Yule goat has been built each year since 1966. On Christmas Eve, millions of Swedes watch the same Disney cartoon special on television in the afternoon, a habit that goes back decades.
• Norway. An old custom involves hiding brooms on Christmas Eve, from a folk belief that witches and spirits came out that night looking for something to ride. Norway also sends the famous tree to London's Trafalgar Square each year.
• Iceland. Instead of one Santa, Iceland has 13 Yule Lads, mischievous characters who visit one by one in the nights before Christmas and leave small gifts in shoes on windowsills. Icelanders also love Jólabókaflóð, the Christmas book flood, when new books are given on Christmas Eve and people spend the night reading.

The UK and Ireland: crackers and candles

• United Kingdom. Christmas dinner usually means roast turkey with all the trimmings, followed by Christmas pudding. Families pull Christmas crackers, wear paper crowns and read out terrible jokes. Many tune in to the monarch's Christmas broadcast at 3 p.m., a tradition started by King George V on the radio in 1932. Boxing Day on December 26 is a public holiday.
• Ireland. A lit candle is traditionally placed in the front window on Christmas Eve, a sign of welcome often linked to Mary and Joseph seeking shelter. January 6 is sometimes called Nollaig na mBan, Women's Christmas, when women traditionally rest and celebrate together after the busy season.

Poland and Ukraine: the first star and twelve dishes

• Poland. Wigilia, the Christmas Eve supper, begins when the first star appears in the sky. Families share opłatek, a thin wafer, exchanging wishes as they break it. Traditionally the meal is meatless, often with twelve dishes, and an extra place is set for an unexpected guest.
• Ukraine. Holy Supper on Christmas Eve also traditionally has twelve meatless dishes, starting with kutia, a sweet wheat dish. In 2023, Ukraine officially moved its national Christmas holiday from January 7 to December 25.

The Americas: posadas, roller skates and Noche Buena

• Mexico. From December 16 to 24, Las Posadas reenacts Mary and Joseph's search for shelter. Groups walk from house to house singing and asking for lodging until they are welcomed in for food and a piñata. The main celebration is Nochebuena, Christmas Eve, often with tamales and a late-night meal after Mass.
• Venezuela. In Caracas, it's a well-known custom for people to roller skate to early morning Christmas Masses in the days before Christmas, with some streets closed to traffic for them.
• United States. American Christmas mixes traditions from many immigrant groups: stockings, Santa, outdoor light displays, cookies left for Santa and big family dinners. The lighting of the Rockefeller Center tree in New York is a national TV event.

Asia and Africa: KFC, lanterns and Genna

• Philippines. Asia's largest Christian-majority country has one of the world's longest Christmas seasons, with decorations going up as early as September. Simbang Gabi is a series of nine dawn Masses from December 16 to 24, and homes glow with parols, star-shaped lanterns.
• Japan. Only a small share of Japanese people are Christian, so Christmas is mostly a secular, romantic holiday. A KFC dinner on Christmas Eve became popular after a marketing campaign in the 1970s, and many families eat a strawberry and cream sponge cake called Christmas cake.
• Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas, called Genna or Ledet, on January 7. Many people fast beforehand, attend services that last through the night and dress in white. A traditional stick-and-ball game, also called genna, is played around this time.

Australia: Christmas in summer

In the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas falls in early summer. Australians often spend Christmas Day at the beach or around a barbecue, with seafood such as prawns on the table and pavlova for dessert. Carols by Candlelight in Melbourne, held on Christmas Eve, is one of the country's best-loved events. Santa sometimes shows up in board shorts.

Want to bring some of these ideas home? Try hosting a world-themed party with tips from our Christmas party ideas.