Around the world

Christmas traditions around the world

Updated 3 November 2026 · 7 min read

Most of the world celebrates on 25 December, but what actually happens on the day, and in the weeks before it, changes a lot from country to country. Some places put the main meal on Christmas Eve. Some wait until January for presents. A few have customs that sound made up until you meet someone who grew up with them.

Here are fifteen of our favourites, roughly in the order they happen through the season.

Netherlands: Sinterklaas comes first

Dutch children get their big present night early. Sinterklaas arrives by steamboat in mid-November, supposedly from Spain, and his arrival is broadcast on national television. Children leave a shoe by the fireplace, often with a carrot in it for his horse, and find small sweets in it the next morning. The main event is pakjesavond, "present evening", on 5 December. Presents usually come with a short, teasing poem written by the giver.

Germany: Advent wreaths and Christmas markets

Germany gave the world a lot of what we now think of as Christmas, including the decorated tree. Christmas markets have filled town squares there since the late Middle Ages; Dresden's Striezelmarkt dates back to 1434. People go after work for mulled wine, roasted almonds and gingerbread.

At home, families light one more candle on the Advent wreath each Sunday before Christmas. Children open a door of their Advent calendar each morning from 1 December, and many still put a boot outside on the night of 5 December for Saint Nicholas to fill.

Sweden: Saint Lucia's Day

On 13 December, in the darkest part of the Nordic winter, a girl dressed in white with a red sash and a crown of candles leads a procession of singers. Schools, churches and offices hold their own Lucia processions, and everyone eats saffron buns called lussekatter with coffee or mulled wine. Most crowns now use battery candles, which parents of small children appreciate.

Iceland: the thirteen Yule Lads

Instead of one Father Christmas, Iceland has thirteen Yule Lads, troll-like brothers with names like Spoon-Licker, Door-Slammer and Sausage-Swiper. Starting on 12 December, one comes down from the mountains each night. Children leave a shoe on the windowsill, and a well-behaved child finds a small gift in it. A naughty one finds a potato.

On Christmas Eve, Icelanders give each other books and spend the evening reading. They call it Jólabókaflóð, the Christmas book flood, and a large share of the country's books are sold in the weeks before.

Mexico: Las Posadas

For nine nights, from 16 to 24 December, neighbourhoods act out Mary and Joseph's search for somewhere to stay. A procession goes from house to house singing, and is turned away until the last house lets everyone in. Then there's a party: warm fruit ponche, tamales, and a star-shaped piñata whose seven points are said to stand for the seven deadly sins.

Venezuela: roller skates to church

In the run-up to Christmas, many Venezuelans go to early-morning masses called Misas de Aguinaldo. In Caracas, some people roller-skate there, and in some neighbourhoods streets are closed to cars in the early morning so they can do it safely.

Philippines: the longest Christmas season

Filipinos start early. Christmas songs come on in September, the first of the "ber" months, and decorations go up soon after. From 16 December, many people go to Simbang Gabi, nine masses held before dawn; finishing all nine is said to bring a wish. Windows glow with parol, star-shaped lanterns traditionally made from bamboo and paper. The main family feast, Noche Buena, starts late on Christmas Eve.

Poland: Wigilia and the empty chair

In Poland the big meal is Christmas Eve supper, Wigilia. Traditionally nobody eats until the first star appears in the sky, and the meal is meat-free, often twelve dishes, with carp and beetroot soup among them. Families share a thin wafer before eating and wish each other well. An extra place is laid at the table for an unexpected guest or a stranger in need.

Ukraine: spider-web decorations

Many Ukrainian families hang small spider-web ornaments on their trees. The story behind it is of a poor widow who couldn't afford to decorate her tree; on Christmas morning, she woke to find spiders had covered it in webs that shone silver and gold in the sunlight. Ukraine officially moved its Christmas from 7 January to 25 December in 2023.

Norway: hiding the brooms

An old Norwegian custom says witches and mischievous spirits come out on Christmas Eve looking for brooms to ride. So, in some homes, every broom and mop is hidden before bedtime. These days it's done more for fun than out of fear, but it's still done.

Catalonia: Caga Tió

In Catalonia, families keep a small log with a painted face, a red cap and a blanket, called Caga Tió. Children "feed" it scraps every night through December. On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, they hit it with sticks while singing a song, and when the blanket is lifted, the log has left sweets and small presents. The name translates roughly as "poo log", which children find as funny as you'd expect.

Japan: fried chicken and strawberry cake

Christmas isn't a national holiday in Japan, and Christmas Eve is more of a romantic evening for couples than a family day. One custom has become very popular: after a 1974 advertising campaign, ordering fried chicken for Christmas became so common that people book it weeks ahead. Dessert is a "Christmas cake", a light sponge with whipped cream and strawberries.

Australia: Christmas in summer

South of the equator, Christmas lands at the start of summer holidays. Lunch is as likely to be prawns and salads as a roast, often eaten outside, and dessert is frequently pavlova with summer fruit. Many families head to the beach in the afternoon. Melbourne's Carols by Candlelight has been held on Christmas Eve since 1938.

Italy: La Befana

Italian children get presents on Christmas Day now, but the older tradition is La Befana, a kind old woman on a broomstick who arrives on the night of 5 January, the eve of the Epiphany. She fills stockings with sweets for good children and coal, often now made of black sugar, for naughty ones. Before then, nativity scenes are everywhere; Naples' Via San Gregorio Armeno is lined with workshops making figures all year round.

Ethiopia: Ganna on 7 January

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church follows the older Julian calendar, so Christmas, called Ganna or Genna, falls on 7 January. Many people fast beforehand and attend services that run through the night, often dressed in a white cotton shawl called a netela. Boys and young men traditionally play a hockey-like game, also called ganna, on the day.

What they have in common

Look past the details and most of these customs do the same few things: they bring light into the darkest weeks of the year, they put food and family at the centre, and they stretch the celebration out so there's something to look forward to. Which, when you think about it, is what a countdown is for.