Christmas is one of the most globally celebrated holidays in the world. But not everybody celebrates the same way—or even on the same day.
Beyond the familiar traditions like Santa Claus, a fir tree, caroling and gift-giving, a number of countries—including the U.S.—bring their own unique twists, both old and new, to the holiday.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]In the U.S., one such tradition began in 1966, when local New York broadcaster WPIX offered viewers, especially the many in dwellings without fireplaces, an opportunity to enjoy the idyllic coziness of sitting around the fire. It played a three-hour commercial-free video loop of flaming wood, accompanied by holiday music, to serve as a “Christmas card to our viewers,” according to a history of the “Yule Log” published by TIME in 2008. In the decades since, the burning desire for a TV fire has certainly not extinguished, and in the current streaming era, even companies like Disney and Netflix have joined in, offering Frozen, Squid Game, and other such themed versions of the uniquely American holiday fixture.
While Christmas is, at its core, a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, over the centuries different cultures have blended it with their own histories and values—and of course, consumerist tendencies. Perhaps nowhere epitomizes the latter better than America, where another mostly U.S.-specific sight these days is “SantaCon”—an annual event that started in San Francisco in 1994 but has since spread to other other cities, including New York, where hundreds of usually inebriated revelers dressed as Santa parade the streets, often resulting in multiple arrests for vandalism and disorderly conduct. (According to Vox, the original SantaCon was actually inspired by a performance art protest against greed and consumerism that had taken over the holiday, staged in Denmark in 1974 by an anarchist theater troupe, and today’s New York organizers solicit donations for charity and bill the event as a convention “to fund art & spread absurdist joy.”)
Indeed, quirky localizations of the festive season come from all over. Here’s a look at some of the foods, stories, and customs that shape how Christmas is observed around the world.
Australia
There’s no such thing as a “white Christmas” in the land down under. Given its location in the southern hemisphere, the country experiences its summer in December. According to the government, to commemorate Christmas, many locals head to the beach to enjoy the weather. “It’s very casual, everyone is in a good mood,” one person told Australian broadcaster SBS, which reported that popular Christmas Day activities include swimming, backyard barbecues, and walks in the park.
Austria
Holiday fiend Krampus may have already gained some notoriety in the U.S. thanks to pop-culture portrayals such as the eponymous 2015 cult holiday horror film, but the malevolent half-goat, half-man anti-Santa traces back to folklore from Austria’s Alpine region. Krampus actually predates Christmas—it is of pagan origin, according to History, appearing in early celebrations of the winter solstice—but since then, he has become a Christmas icon, accompanying the nicer St. Nicholas. “Adorned with horns, a lizard-like tail and a hideous black tongue, Krampus makes it his business to scare the living daylights out of children,” TIME reported in 1953, adding at the time that the head of Vienna’s kindergarten system tried to discourage the tradition out of concern that he’d scar young minds. But in Austria and parts of Germany, adults dressing as the demonic creature on Dec. 5 or 6 (Krampusnacht) to quiz children over their naughty behavior and frighten them—as well as Krampuslaufs, or Krampus runs, in which drunken adults dressed as Krampus run through the streets and which isn’t tied to a specific day, according to History—remains very much alive.
Belarus
“Due to the enduring influence of pagan traditions, Christmas celebrations in Belarus blend Christian customs with elements of folk rituals,” the national tourism agency says, noting that most celebrations take place in January, in line with Orthodox Christian practices though Dec. 25 is also a public holiday. “For Belarusians, Christmas is an occasion to gather with family and remember Christmas traditions passed down through generations.” Some traditions like a Christmas feast and caroling mirror those in other countries, but several Belarusian Christmas rituals and superstitions stand out, according to the tourism agency, such as: in customary house visits, a man should enter first, not a woman, so the homeowners will have a prosperous year; “melting wax in water to see the face of a future groom”; and “tying the legs of the dining table with a rope to protect the house from misfortunes.”
Catalonia
In the autonomous Spanish community of Catalonia, the pessebre, or the nativity scene, would feature all the usual characters with one addition: a person wearing a traditional red-colored barretina hat who is called el caganer, or “the pooper.” And in the scene, they’re doing just that. It’s unclear why, but the Barcelona City Council says the caganer has existed since the late 17th to early 18th centuries—during the Baroque period, when realism was a key element in art—and today, figurines of celebrities pooping have become a popular tourism trinket. Poop also seems to be a recurring holiday theme in Catalonia: the Tió de Nadal or Caga tió, Christmas log or pooping log, is a chunk of wood with a painted face and a barretina that can be found in supermarkets across the region in December. It is traditionally “fed” and covered with a blanket for weeks, so that come Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, when children batter it with a stick and sing it a song, it “poops” out candies. Catalonia’s Tourism Board says the log symbolizes the spirit of the forest, as well as protection and fertility, and helps to teach children patience.
China
Most of China has no religious affiliation, according to the U.S. State Department, and Christmas is not a public holiday, though it is still celebrated by some and has gained popularity since the 1990s. “Christmas is commercialized in China, much like other Western festivals in China,” an American residing in China told the state-run Global Times in 2015. But the holiday has made some adaptations: Santa Claus in China almost always has a saxophone, and a new tradition, according to the Confucius Institute for Scotland, is the gifting of “peace apples”—the Chinese word for apple is píngguǒ, and Christmas Eve is the similar-sounding píng’ān yè (“peaceful night”).
Czechia
While turkey or ham may be the centerpiece of the Christmas meal elsewhere, in Czechia—and Slovakia—it’s carp. According to the Czech Tourist Authority, the fish has become “an indispensable symbol of Czech Christmas,” and even those who don’t wish to eat it can partake by buying one and keeping it in the bathtub for a few days before letting it go. Another carp-related practice is to put one or two scales in your wallet to ensure there will always be money in it throughout the year. A less fishy but just as traditional Czech superstition, according to the tourism agency, involves women throwing a shoe on Christmas Day: if the tip points toward the door, she’s destined to be married within a year.
Denmark
In Denmark, families do rock around the Christmas tree. “It’s a tradition in Danish houses to dance around the Christmas tree, holding hands as a family while you sing Christmas songs, before you start opening presents,” according to VisitDenmark. And that tree is typically adorned with real candles. According to Atlas Obscura, also on Christmas Eve, some families believe in appeasing the nisser—barn-dwelling house elves that are said to help residents survive tough winters—and many children continue to leave a bowl of risengrød, or sweet porridge, for the folkloric creatures. But the general festivities begin a lot earlier than Dec. 24. According to VisitDenmark, julebrygsdag, or J-Day, a holiday manufactured in 1990 by the Danish beer company Tuborg, marks the beginning of the holiday season on the first Friday of November. Some Danish will also countdown to Christmas by burning a large kalenderlys candle each day of December.
Ethiopia
Some 44% of Ethiopians are members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, according to the U.S. State Department, and, like many Orthodox denominations, they celebrate Christmas in January. According to The Week, in Ethiopia, which was one of the first countries to adopt Christianity, the holiday doesn’t involve Santa or an exchange of gifts and is instead more religion-oriented. Fasting is a big part of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and many practitioners participate in Tsome Nebiyat (The Fast of the Prophets), a 43-day abstention from eating meat, fat, eggs and dairy products, ending on Ethiopian Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, which next falls on Jan. 7 and is known as Ganna (or Genna), people dress in white to go to mass in the morning. Also part of the Christmas tradition in Ethiopia, particularly in rural areas, is a field hockey-type game called Ye Genna Chewata. According to the state-owned Ethiopian News Agency, legend has it that the game originated after Ethiopian shepherds heard the news of Jesus’ birth and, in their jubilee, began flinging things with their crooks.
Finland
According to the government-produced site ThisisFINLAND, about 75% of Finnish families traditionally visit the cemetery during the festive season, usually on Christmas Eve, to place candles on the graves of their deceased loved ones. Another custom is joulusauna, or Christmas sauna. “In fact, Christmas sauna is perhaps one of the oldest Christmas traditions in Finland. Traditionally, all the family members bathe in a sauna on the Christmas Eve in the afternoon,” according to regional tourism agency Visit Jyväskylä, adding also: “Having enjoyed Christmas dinner, don’t forget to bring some Christmas treats to the sauna elf. According to Finnish beliefs, every sauna has its own sauna elf, or saunatonttu, whom you should take care of and respect.”
France
In France, as in many places, Christmas festivities culminate on Jan. 6—the Epiphany, which celebrates the Three Magi’s visit to baby Jesus. To observe this day in culinary fashion, the French partake in a flaky dessert called Galette des Rois (king cake), a cake layered with frangipane and sold with a paper crown, according to France24. But there’s more to this cake than just confection: inside hides a ceramic trinket called the fève, and whoever gets the slice with it can now wear the paper crown as they are to be treated like royalty for the day. The tradition of the fève dates back to Ancient Rome: according to UNToday, during the festival commemorating the god Saturn, slaves were freed for a day and a “king” would be selected at random.
Greece
The traditional symbol of Christmas in Greece isn’t a tree but rather a boat. According to the state-run Greek News Agenda, the Christmas tree wasn’t brought to Greece until 1833, so before then, Greeks would decorate a karavaki, or small boat, in a nod to the country’s relationship with the sea and mariners. According to the Greek Herald, the boats are usually decorated on Dec. 6, the feast of St. Nicholas, who in addition to his Christmas connections also happens to be the patron saint of sailors. Greece also has its own folkloric malevolent Christmas creatures—the Kallikantzaroi—who, according to Greek News Agenda, are said to dwell underground all year round, surfacing only during the 12 days of Christmas (Dec. 25 through Jan. 6) to bring trouble to mortals.
Greenland
“Christmas in Greenland always starts with a beloved tradition: In every home in the entire country, they light an orange Christmas star that shines beautifully from the windows,” according to travel agency Greenland Travel: “A typical Christmas star is folded in paper. It is orange and yellow and beams in the most beautiful, golden and orange glow.” According to the Greenland National Museum & Archives, the Christmas festivities kick off “on the last working day before Advent Sunday” when “Christmas stars are lit in the windows of all the town’s workplaces.” On Advent Sunday itself, families put up their own Christmas decorations, including lighting their Christmas stars. The museum adds: “Traditionally December 24th is dedicated to children, December 25th—the main day of Christmas—to adults and the elderly, and December 26th to young people,” with the Christmas season ending and decorations coming down on the Epiphany (Jan. 6). Food is also an important part of the holiday, and the traditional Greenland Christmas dinner features some meats that may seem unusual to the rest of the world, including mattak (made of whale skin and blubber), kiviak (little auks fermented in seal carcass), and—run away, Rudolph—tuttu (reindeer meat).
Guatemala
In Guatemala, the start of the Christmas season is marked by la quema del diablo, or the burning of the devil, on Dec. 7, the eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Guatemala City’s patron saint. At exactly 6 p.m. that day, according to National Geographic, Guatemalans burn devil effigies, as well as other items they want to dispose of as part of a larger spiritual cleansing, though the pyromaniac’s dream event has been criticized for causing pollution, and the country’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has pushed for greener alternative celebrations.
Iceland
The traditional 12 days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day and end on the Epiphany, but in Iceland there are 13 extra days of Christmas, and they lead up to Christmas Eve. Why? Well so each of the Jolasveinar, or Yule Lads, can have their own day, according to travel agency Guide to Iceland. In Icelandic folklore, there is no Santa but there is the ogress Grýla, her lazy troll husband Leppalúði, their 13 children (the Yule Lads), and their cat Jólakötturinn (the Christmas Cat). Grýla is said to eat naughty children, while the cat eats anyone who doesn’t receive a new item of clothing (so make sure to gift your friends at least a pair of socks), and the Yule Lads (each named for their tendencies, like Spoon Licker or Sausage Swiper) are traditionally mischievous pranksters, though they are said to leave children small gifts (or rotten potatoes for those who are naughty) in shoes left on windowsills. The folkloric characters are all well documented in historic Icelandic literature, and the bibliophilic country is also well-known for its tradition of gifting books for Christmas. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the national publishing industry relies heavily on holiday-season sales, or Jólabókaflóð, the “Christmas Book Flood,” which originated during World War II, when paper was one of the few items not rationed in Iceland and books became the holiday gift of choice.
Indonesia
Though Indonesia is known for having the largest Muslim population in the world, it also has long had a sizable Christian population—over 10% of its 280 million people, according to the U.S. State Department. Hence, many communities in the Southeast Asian country celebrate Christmas with their own unique traditions. North Sumatrans have the Marbinda, which, according to the Ministry of Tourism, involves the purchase of animals for ceremonial sacrifice using communal savings. The Ministry of Tourism also says some residents of Jakarta still perform the rabo-rabo, a 100-year-old ritual that involves wiping others’ faces with powder as a form of cleansing, and that Balinese Christians decorate their homes with penjor, a long bamboo adorned with coconut leaves, while Balinese of all faiths practice Ngejot—”bringing home-made dishes to neighbors, friends, and family as a way of expressing gratitude” and “to commemorate their heartwarming religious tolerance.”
Ireland
In Ireland, two relatively new annual Christmastime traditions are the Late Late Toy Show, which has aired since 1975, and the Christmas Day swim, which began some 40 years ago, according to the government. The Late Late Toy Show, usually broadcast in late November or early December, is a special edition of the nation’s longest-running late-night talk show and features children giving their honest opinions on the year’s in-demand toys. The beloved staple of Irish television features celebrity guests and raises money for charity. Meanwhile, the Christmas Day sea swim typically takes place on—you guessed it—Dec. 25, when families and friends gather at beaches and lakes across the island to take a dip in waters that usually are hovering around 10°C (50°F). While some advocates claim there are health benefits to the cold plunge, most take part purely for the camaraderie, and several localities also use the event to raise money for charity. One of the famous spots for a Christmas Day swim is Sandycove’s Forty Foot swimming area in County Dublin, which has recently been popularized by the Apple TV+ show Bad Sisters.
Italy
Italians may have their Father Christmas in Babbo Natale, but he’s not the only one giving out gifts during the holiday season: La Befana, a benevolent witch-like figure on a broom, also takes to the skies on the eve of the Epiphany. La Befana’s origin mixes paganism and religion: she has links to the Three Wise Men parable and the pre-Christian Roman festival of Saturnalia, according to Sky HISTORY. A municipality in the region of Marche has its own festival for La Befana in January: the whole area undergoes a magical transformation, replete with sweets for children and some revelers dressed up as the famous witch. Christmas in Italy is also known for the distinct sound of the zampognari, holiday bagpipers. According to Italy Magazine, the zampognari—usually found in the regions of Abruzzo, Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, Molise, Puglia, and Lazio—were traditionally shepherds residing in the mountains who went down to their town’s market square to perform to earn extra cash. They are based on the legend that some of the shepherds who visited baby Jesus felt compelled to play their bagpipes.
Japan
Despite only 1.1% of the Japanese population being Christian, according to the U.S. State Department, post-World War II Japan has largely observed Christmas, in part due to the large U.S. military presence ever since. But today, the country’s Christmas is best known for its popular holiday meal: KFC. According to Smithsonian Magazine, “thanks to the successful “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!” (Kentucky for Christmas!) marketing campaign in 1974”—which the American fast-food chicken chain says it got the idea for after a foreign customer who visited a Tokyo KFC on Christmas Day said, “I can’t get turkey in Japan, so I have no choice but to celebrate Christmas with Kentucky Fried Chicken”—KFC is now so in demand that the restaurant takes orders in advance to ensure everyone can get their fix.
Latvia
One of the more popular wintertime traditions in Latvia that coincides with Christmas are the ķekatas, or masked processions. According to the Baltic Times, some of the common masks include a bear, goat, horse, and wolf, and sometimes even gypsies or the living dead. Ķekatas are believed to bring prosperity and blessings to households visited by the processioners and was even once a fertility rite, according to Public Broadcasting of Latvia.
Netherlands
The Netherlands celebrates Sinterklaas on Dec. 6, in honor of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children who is believed to have inspired Santa Claus. According to Euronews, the country has been celebrating the holiday for more than 700 years. A benevolent tradition associated with Sinterklaas is poem-gifting, but the holiday is also controversial because of the figure Zwarte Piet (Black Pete), who accompanies St. Nicholas and helps to distribute gifts though is often portrayed with blackface. The origins of the character—“a very old-fashioned and, to many, offensive caricature of a black man,” according to BBC’s History Extra—aren’t clear: some say he’s a Moorish servant, others a freed Ethiopian slave, while some claim his dark features come from the soot of chimneys. Whatever the case may be, after years of campaigns protesting the portrayal of Black Pete, many local celebrations now, according to Dutch News, have replaced the blackface character with Sooty Piet, who can be portrayed clearly showing the natural skin of the actor.
Norway
In Norway, no Christmas is complete without juleøl (Yule ale). “Historically, brewing one’s own beer was expected, and gathering to drink it was considered an almost sacred act,” says visitnorway.com, the government’s official travel guide. At one point, according to the University of South-Eastern Norway, the drink—which traces back to the pre-Christian pagan midwinter festival but was later adopted to honor Mary and Jesus—was mandatory. “Today it’s still a central and common part of enjoying the festive period,” says the university. And while Norway does have Santa Claus, it also has its own Fjøsnissen (barn santas), who, according to visitnorway.com, are small, shy, elf-like mythical creatures who like animals more than people and, if not left a bowl of Nissegrøt (rice porridge) on Christmas Eve, may be offended and get up to some mischief. A Fjøsnisse was depicted in the 2023 Norwegian-American comedy-horror holiday film There’s Something in the Barn, which visitnorway.com says helped to show the world that he’s “a funny, but most of all scary fellar!”
Philippines
The festive season in the Philippines spans what’s locally known as the Ber Months (September, October, November, December) and are heralded on Sept. 1 by the sounds of Jose Mari Chan—the Southeast Asian country’s answer to Mariah Carey—blaring in malls and the sales of holiday decorations such as parols (star-shaped lanterns). As in some Latin American countries, it’s traditional in the Philippines to celebrate Christmas Eve with a Noche Buena feast, and some devout Catholics—in a country where 4 in 5 practice the religion—will head for the Midnight Mass. After Christmas Day, there’s no clear date on when the season ends, but some consider the Epiphany in January as the last day.
Poland
“No Christmas Eve supper in Poland can pass without the Christmas wafer or opłatek, a thin slice of bread made of white flour,” according to the Polish government, which says the tradition dates back centuries and is practiced elsewhere in Europe, too, though “it’s in Poland that it is most closely associated with Christmas Eve.” Family members offer wishes for each other before eating the wafer, which is said to symbolize forgiveness, reconciliation, friendship, and love.
Portugal
In Portugal, it is traditional to have a special supper, or Consoada, on Christmas Eve. For those who are religious, the meal, which usually consists of salted cod and other dishes, can take place either before or after the Missa do Galo (midnight mass, or literally “rooster’s mass”) and marks the end of a fasting period before Christmas. “It is the custom for people to reserve places at the table set for the Consoada supper for those relatives who have recently passed away, or else to leave the table laid and a candle or lamp lit throughout the night to comfort and warm their souls,” according to the national tourist board.
Slovakia
According to Conde Nast Traveller, the head of a household in Slovakia may participate in the superstitious holiday practice of pudding throwing by taking a spoonful of loksa—a mixture of bread dough, poppy seeds, and honey—and flinging it toward the ceiling: “The more pudding that sticks, the more luck and prosperity the family will receive in the new year.” The tradition is recounted by a Slovakian-American family that posted a loksa recipe online, noting: “It does add quite a bit of excitement to your Christmas Eve dinner, but it does raise an additional question. Can the person who agrees to let you do this really be considered a ‘responsible adult[?]’”
Syria
The camel is the star of Syria’s Christmas. According to Middle East Eye, the camel takes the place of Santa in bringing gifts to well-behaved children, tracing back to the legend that camels carried the Three Magi to Bethlehem to see baby Jesus, who then blessed the creatures with eternal life. “To welcome him, children fill shoes with hay and put out bowls of water on Christmas Eve,” according to the report, which also notes that some Syrians—as well as Iraqi Christians— also traditionally, after a reading of the nativity story under candlelight, burn a bonfire of dried thorned branches, with the belief that if the thorns disintegrate completely into ash, the incoming year will have good fortune.
Tanzania
In the East African country of Tanzania—where almost two thirds of its 66 million people are Christian, according to the U.S. State Department—Andariya reports that Christmas is celebrated much like it is in other parts of the world, with religious traditions and gift-giving, though family reunions and food are especially significant: “Most families use this time of the year to visit their villages up country and the most notable are the Chaga and the Haya tribes. The two are mainly from the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Kagera region respectively, and some people joke about the mass upcountry travel by referring to it as ‘the great migration.’ Public means like buses going to Kilimanjaro region are fully booked on the days leading to Christmas, while some families use private cars and others share rides with those who are traveling in the same direction.” According to local tour companies, Tanzanian families will often buy a goat or cow in January to fatten it all year so that it can be slaughtered and eaten as the traditional dishes of supu (offal) and makorongo (legs) on Christmas Eve. According to a 2009 paper in the academic journal Ethnology, “Christmas is also the time when the Christian Chagga perform sacrificial rituals (mitambiko) for the ancestors.”
Ukraine
According to the Ukrainian government, public Christmas festivities have been toned down because of the ongoing war with Russia, but the holiday is still celebrated by families: “The main house decoration that you’ll see is the didukh (a sheaf of wheat stalks) that symbolizes our ancestors’ spirits. It is believed that during these holy days—our ancestors return to spend time with their families.” According to the International Rescue Committee, “Another Ukrainian Christmas tradition is to decorate the tree with spiders (pavuchki) and spiderwebs. The Legend of the Christmas Spider is an Eastern European folktale which explains one possible origin of tinsel on Christmas trees.” Reader’s Digest reports there are several Christmas fables involving spiders and spiderwebs, including one in which a poor family did not have the means to embellish their Christmas tree, and a spider kindly decided to adorn it with its webbing on Christmas Eve—only for it to turn gold and silver by Christmas morning.
Venezuela
In a detailed 2021 report on “the best holiday tradition you’ve never heard of,” Catholic publication America Magazine recounts the history of Venezuela’s las patinatas (the skating), which began in the 1950s but has grown less common due to safety concerns from escalating violence and political turmoil in the country. (However, Atlas Obscura said in 2022 that it could be making a comeback.) According to America, from Dec. 16 leading up to Christmas, Venezuelans would—across the country, but especially among poorer communities—celebrate nine days of masses at dawn, heading to church with their families via rollerskates while singing aguinaldos (Venezuelan Christmas hymns). “It’s like a mini-festival. There’s just loads of people that turn up in a park, and there’s music. Imagine Central Park, with its paths and so on, and you skate around and sing Christmas songs,” a U.K.-based Venezuelan told the magazine, noting also: “It’s not like people roller skate all the time. … It’s just a Christmas thing.”
Wales
Since the 19th century in Wales, “Christmas Day marked the beginning of the three week period of holidays (Y Gwyliau) during which farm work was suspended,” according to the website of textile shop Welsh Otter. The Welsh have a number of traditions for this period, including Plygain, an early-morning service of carols on Christmas Day. According to the government: “Plygain churchgoers had often stayed up all Christmas Eve, or as it was known in some areas, Noson Gyflaith (Toffee Night). Slabs of toffee would be made around the fire as games were played, and tall stories told. Noson Gyflaith was also the night for decorating houses with holly and mistletoe, before the pre-dawn procession to church began.” The Welsh also have their own name for Santa Claus: Siôn Corn (Chimney Pot John), who was first described in a 1922 Welsh poem as a “benevolent spook,” though he’s not the most famous Welsh holiday figure. That would be Mari Lwyd (Grey Mare or Grey Mary), made of a real horse’s skull draped in white cloth and adorned with baubles and streamers, which would be paraded around villages, according to the government and Amgueddfa Cymru (Museum Wales). The Mari and her party would visit houses to sing traditional Welsh songs—wassails—and engage in the ritual of pwnco: a rap-battle of sorts in which the inhabitant and the Mari exchange mischievous improvised rhymes, usually ending with the Mari winning entry, which is said to bring the household good luck for the year.
