Christmas Traditions Around the World — 20 Beautiful Ways to Celebrate

Every culture that celebrates Christmas has shaped the season in its own image. The shared core — feast, family, light in the darkness — appears everywhere. But the specific traditions vary in fascinating ways. This is the editorial guide to 20 of them, plus the ones worth borrowing for your own family.

The 20 traditions worth knowing

1. Italy — Feast of the Seven Fishes (Vigilia)

Christmas Eve dinner with seven seafood courses, representing the seven sacraments (or the seven hills of Rome, depending on who you ask). Often: marinated anchovies, baccalà (salt cod), linguine alle vongole, fried calamari, grilled shrimp, baked branzino, seafood risotto.

Worth borrowing: even three seafood courses adapted for your family creates the Italian Christmas Eve feeling. See our Christmas Eve dinner ideas for the full setup.

2. Mexico — Las Posadas

A nine-night procession from December 16-24 reenacting Mary and Joseph's search for shelter. Each night, a different home opens its doors, becoming the "inn." Includes prayer, music, food, and the breaking of piñatas filled with candy and small gifts.

Worth borrowing: the slow-build-up of Las Posadas is the antidote to one-day Christmas exhaustion. Stretch your celebration across multiple evenings.

3. Sweden — Saint Lucia's Day

December 13. The oldest daughter of each family wakes the household wearing a white gown and a crown of candles, serving saffron buns and coffee. Marks the start of the Swedish Christmas season.

Worth borrowing: a single "light bringer" tradition early in December (with battery candles for safety) creates a beautiful family moment before the busyness.

4. Germany — Adventskalender (Advent Calendar)

24 small windows or pockets, one for each day from December 1 to 24, each containing a small gift, chocolate, or activity. German originating; now globally adopted.

Worth borrowing: almost universal now. The discipline of one small thing per day stretches Christmas's magic across the entire month. See our Christmas Eve box ideas for the related tradition.

5. Iceland — The Yule Lads (Jólasveinar)

13 mischievous trolls who visit children one at a time over the 13 nights leading up to Christmas. Children put a shoe on the windowsill each night; well-behaved kids get a small gift, badly-behaved kids get a potato.

Worth borrowing: a more whimsical alternative to Elf on the Shelf. See Elf on the Shelf ideas for the closest American equivalent.

6. Netherlands — Sinterklaas (December 5)

The original Santa figure. Sinterklaas arrives by steamboat from Spain in mid-November, then leaves gifts in children's shoes (left out with a carrot for his horse) on the night of December 5. The actual December 25 is a quieter family day.

Worth borrowing: separating the "gift exchange" from "Christmas Day" can take the pressure off either event.

7. Norway — The hidden brooms

Brooms are hidden on Christmas Eve to prevent witches and evil spirits from stealing them to ride through the night. A delightful piece of pre-Christian folk magic woven into the modern Christmas.

Worth borrowing: the small, almost-secret rituals of this kind add texture to family Christmases — "our family hides the brooms; we don't remember why, but we always have."

8. Poland — Wigilia (Christmas Eve)

The wait for the first star, then an opłatek (Christmas wafer) shared with each family member with personal wishes. An empty place setting is always left at the table for the unexpected guest. Twelve meatless dishes follow, representing the twelve apostles.

Worth borrowing: the "empty place setting for the unexpected guest" tradition is one of the most beautiful in any culture. Easy to adopt; lands hard.

9. Russia and Ukraine — Sviata Vecheria (Holy Supper)

Twelve meatless dishes served on Christmas Eve, the meal symbolic of the twelve apostles. Hay is sometimes placed under the tablecloth to represent the manger. The meal begins with the appearance of the first star.

Worth borrowing: the "first star" rule gives Christmas dinner a sacred quality even in non-religious households.

10. Philippines — Simbang Gabi (Nine Dawn Masses)

Nine consecutive early-morning masses from December 16 to 24, often attended in the dark just before sunrise. The Filipino Christmas season is one of the longest in the world, beginning as early as September.

Worth borrowing: even non-religious households can adopt a "daily morning ritual" through Advent — a cup of coffee in the quiet, a reading, a moment alone.

11. Spain — El Gordo

The Spanish Christmas Lottery, drawn on December 22, is the largest lottery in the world by total payout. The drawing is broadcast live and is a national event. Entire towns sometimes win together (a single bar may buy a ticket pool).

Worth borrowing: a low-stakes family lottery pool can be a fun pre-Christmas ritual. Each family member buys a $5 lottery ticket together; the winnings (if any) go to a shared family fund.

12. Catalonia — Caga Tió (the pooping log)

A wooden log with a smiling face and a small blanket. Children "feed" the log nuts and oranges from December 8 onward. On Christmas Eve, the kids beat the log with sticks, singing a song that asks it to "poop" sweets and small gifts (hidden under the blanket by adults).

Worth borrowing: probably not literally — but the "beat the log to get presents" ritual is a great example of how every culture has weird, lovely Christmas customs.

13. France — Le Réveillon

The long, leisurely Christmas Eve meal that runs into Christmas Day. Foie gras, oysters, capon or turkey, cheese, bûche de Noël. The meal can stretch 4-6 hours, often with family members coming and going.

Worth borrowing: a Christmas dinner that explicitly stretches over hours rather than a single sitting. Let people pause, walk, return.

14. Greece — The Christ Child's ship (Karavaki)

Greek children traditionally carved small wooden boats and carried them through the village on Epiphany. Lighting and decorating a small boat (instead of, or alongside, a tree) is still common in coastal Greek households.

Worth borrowing: a non-tree decorating tradition, especially for households where trees are impractical.

15. Japan — KFC Christmas

A 1974 marketing campaign created an enduring tradition: many Japanese families eat fried chicken from KFC on Christmas Eve. Reservations are made months in advance.

Worth borrowing: the lesson is that Christmas traditions don't have to be ancient. Even a 1974 invention can become a beloved family ritual within decades.

16. Australia — Christmas at the beach

Christmas falls in mid-summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Australians celebrate with beach barbecues, cold prawns, mango pavlova, and Santa surfing. The Christmas tree is sometimes a beachside fir made of driftwood.

Worth borrowing: the climate doesn't have to dictate the mood. Even a Northern Hemisphere household can borrow Australian tradition for an "outdoor Christmas" tradition on a warm December day.

17. Argentina — Globos at midnight

Paper lanterns lit and released at midnight on Christmas Eve, drifting into the sky over the city. A beautiful, ephemeral tradition that turns the night sky into the celebration.

Worth borrowing: sky lanterns require care for fire safety and may be illegal in many U.S. jurisdictions — but the spirit (a midnight tradition that involves looking up) can be borrowed.

18. Ethiopia — Genna (January 7)

Ethiopian Christmas falls on January 7 according to the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar. Marked by all-night church services, fasting before, and a feast of doro wat (chicken stew) and injera bread.

Worth borrowing: marking the "extended Christmas" — Twelfth Night and beyond — keeps the season's magic alive past December 26.

19. Finland — Christmas peace (Joulurauha)

In Turku, Finland, the official "declaration of Christmas peace" is read aloud at noon on Christmas Eve. The reading dates from the Middle Ages and is broadcast nationally. After it, Finland is officially "at peace" for the holiday.

Worth borrowing: a small family moment marking the official "start" of Christmas Eve — a reading, a candle lighting, a moment of silence — creates structure.

20. Venezuela — Roller skating to mass

In Caracas, the streets are closed to cars early on Christmas Eve so that people can roller-skate to early morning mass. Children tie a string to their toe before bed, leaving the other end hanging out the window, so skaters can give the string a tug as they go past.

Worth borrowing: it's the spirit, not the literal practice. The Venezuelan tradition shows that Christmas customs can have whimsical, joyful, very local flavor.

How to start borrowing traditions

Three rules for adding traditions to your family Christmas:

1. Start with one

Pick ONE new tradition. Don't try to add five at once. The Polish empty-place-setting, the Mexican multi-night posada-style buildup, the Italian Feast of Seven Fishes — any of these alone is enough.

2. Repeat for three years before judging

Traditions become traditions through repetition. A new ritual feels forced the first year, awkward the second year, and natural by the third. Commit to three years before deciding if it works for your family.

3. Let it evolve

The Italian Feast of Seven Fishes started as seven specific seafood dishes; your version might be three, with personal favorites. The Polish empty place setting is for the unexpected guest; your version might be for someone specific who's gone. Adapt, don't copy.

What makes a tradition stick

The best Christmas traditions share three traits:

• A specific moment in time — "After dinner Christmas Eve" not "sometime during the holidays"
• A specific action — "Light the candle and read the poem" not "reflect"
• A specific story behind it — "We started this in 2018 when Grandma was sick and we wanted her to feel close"

Traditions with all three become heirlooms across generations.

Still want more?

See our Christmas Eve traditions, Christmas Eve box ideas, or kids' Christmas activities.