Christmas Traditions Around the World
From roller-skating to mass in Venezuela and KFC feasts in Japan to the Yule Lads of Iceland and La Befana of Italy, discover how billions celebrate Christmas across 12 distinct cultures worldwide.
The Gävle Yule Goat
Since 1966, a giant 13-meter-tall straw goat is constructed in the center of Gävle's Castle Square each Advent — and nearly every year, someone tries (and often succeeds) to burn it down before Christmas.
The Gävle Goat has become one of Sweden's most beloved (and mischievous) traditions. The city officially erects the giant straw goat each December, and a informal, decades-long cat-and-mouse game has emerged between the goat's guardians and anonymous arsonists. By tradition, the goat survives some years and succumbs in others. Swedish families also celebrate Saint Lucia Day on December 13, when the eldest daughter wears a crown of candles and serves saffron buns (lussekatter) and coffee to her family.
Festive food: Saffron buns (lussekatter), gingerbread, glögg (mulled wine)
KFC Christmas Feast
An estimated 3.6 million Japanese families enjoy Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas Day — a tradition that began in 1974 when a 'Christmas chicken' marketing campaign turned fried chicken into the iconic Japanese Christmas meal.
Christmas is not a national holiday in Japan, where Christians make up about 1% of the population, but it has become a romantic and festive occasion. The KFC tradition began when a foreign customer requested fried chicken for Christmas because turkey was unavailable. KFC's 1974 'Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii!' (Kentucky for Christmas!) campaign made it a national phenomenon. Today, families pre-order their chicken buckets weeks in advance, and Christmas cake (a sponge cake with strawberries and whipped cream) is also essential.
Festive food: Fried chicken buckets, strawberry Christmas cake
Roller Skating to Christmas Mass
In Caracas, the capital, residents travel to early-morning Christmas mass on roller skates, and the city closes its streets to traffic so the tradition can continue safely each December.
The Patinatas de Navidad (Christmas skating) tradition sees thousands of Venezuelans roller-skating to the early-morning Christmas Mass between December 16 and 24. The streets are closed to cars before 8 a.m. to make way for the skaters. Children also tie a string to their big toe and hang it out the window the night before, so passing skaters can give it a playful tug to wake them for mass. It's a joyful, communal celebration unique to Venezuela.
Festive food: Hallacas (cornmeal parcels), pan de jamón, tamales
Weihnachtsmärkte & Advent Wreaths
Germany's historic Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte) fill town squares with spiced mulled wine (Glühwein), gingerbread (Lebkuchen), handcrafted ornaments, and the Advent wreath tradition originated here in the 19th century.
Germany gave the world both the Christmas market and the Advent wreath. The Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg, dating back to the 1600s, is among the oldest. Markets feature Glühwein (hot mulled wine), Lebkuchen (gingerbread), roasted almonds, and hand-carved nutcrackers from the Ore Mountains. The Advent wreath (Adventskranz) — four candles lit progressively through December — was invented by Protestant pastor Johann Hinrich Wichern in 1839. Children also open their shoes on Saint Nicholas Day (December 6) hoping for treats rather than twigs.
Festive food: Glühwein, Lebkuchen, stollen, bratwurst
The 13 Yule Lads & Jolabokaflod
13 mischievous Yule Lads visit children over the 13 nights before Christmas, leaving gifts (or a potato for the naughty). Families also exchange books on Christmas Eve for Jolabokaflod — the 'Christmas Book Flood' — and spend the night reading.
Icelandic Christmas blends Norse folklore with modern warmth. The 13 Yule Lads — each with a mischievous name like Spoon-Licker or Door-Slammer — descend from the mountains one by one in the days before Christmas, leaving small gifts in shoes. Their mother, Grýla, and the fearsome Yule Cat (who, legend says, eats those without new clothes) keep children on their toes. On Christmas Eve, the Jolabokaflod (Christmas Book Flood) tradition sees families exchange books and spend the night reading together with chocolate — a celebration of literacy that reflects Iceland's extraordinary literary culture.
Festive food: Brownderock cakes, leaf bread (laufabrauð), smoked lamb
Las Posadas & Star Piñatas
A nine-day celebration re-enacting Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem, Las Posadas culminates on Christmas Eve with star-shaped piñatas filled with sweets, fruit, and the breaking of the piñata symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.
Las Posadas (December 16–24) is a deeply meaningful nine-day celebration re-enacting the biblical journey of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter in Bethlehem. Each night, a procession of families travels to a different home, singing and requesting lodging (posada) until they are welcomed in for prayer, food, and song. The traditional piñata is a seven-pointed star — each point representing one of the seven deadly sins, and breaking it symbolizes triumph over temptation. Tamales, atole, and warm punch (ponche) are shared, and children receive aguinaldos (small bags of treats) on Christmas morning.
Festive food: Tamales, atole, ponche (warm fruit punch), buñuelos
Giant Lantern Festival
The Philippines hosts one of the world's longest Christmas seasons — beginning in September — with the Giant Lantern Festival in San Fernando, where parols (star-shaped lanterns) up to 40 feet wide light up the night sky.
The Philippines celebrates Christmas for four months — from September to January — earning the longest holiday season in the world. The centerpiece is the parol, a star-shaped lantern symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem. San Fernando's Giant Lantern Festival (Ligligan Parul) features intricate electric parols up to 40 feet wide, illuminated with thousands of bulbs choreographed to music. Filipino families also attend the nine-day Misa de Gallo (dawn masses starting December 16) and feast on Noche Buena, the midnight Christmas Eve dinner, with lechón (roast pig) as the centerpiece.
Festive food: Lechón, bibingka, puto bumbong, queso de bola
Lutefisk & Hidden Broom
Norwegian families gather for a Christmas Eve feast of lutefisk (dried fish soaked in lye) and ribbe (pork ribs), while an old folklore tradition warns of witches stealing brooms on Christmas Eve — so Norwegians historically hid their brooms.
Norwegian Jule (Christmas) blends Viking-era midwinter customs with Lutheran tradition. The main feast is on Christmas Eve (Julaften), featuring either ribbe (seasoned pork belly) or lutefisk — the polarizing dried cod reconstituted in lye. A whimsical folklore tradition holds that witches and evil spirits emerge on Christmas Eve, so Norwegian households historically hid their brooms to prevent them from being stolen for midnight rides. Rice porridge (risengrynsgrøt) is served, with a hidden almond — the finder traditionally wins a marzipan pig.
Festive food: Ribbe, lutefisk, rice porridge with almond, multekrem
Beach BBQ & Carols by Candlelight
Because Christmas falls in the Australian summer, families celebrate with beach barbecues, seafood feasts, and outdoor 'Carols by Candlelight' concerts — a sun-drenched inversion of the snowy Northern Hemisphere Christmas.
Australians celebrate Christmas during the height of their summer, so the traditional roast dinner often gives way to seafood, salads, and backyard or beach barbecues. Prawns are the iconic centerpiece, with millions of kilograms consumed each December. The beloved Carols by Candlelight tradition — a nationwide outdoor concert held on Christmas Eve — began in Melbourne in 1938. Some families attend in Christmas hats and board shorts, and many spend the afternoon at Bondi Beach or their local beach, where the temperatures regularly top 30°C (86°F). Boxing Day brings the Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race and the cricket Test match.
Festive food: Prawns, cold seafood platters, pavlova, mince pies
Feast of the Seven Fishes & La Befana
Italian-American families celebrate La Vigilia (Christmas Eve) with the Feast of the Seven Fishes, while in Italy the gift-bringer is often La Befana — a kind old witch who delivers presents on Epiphany, January 6, riding a broomstick.
Italy's Christmas spans the entire season from Advent through Epiphany on January 6. The most famous tradition is La Vigilia di Natale — the Christmas Eve fast broken with a seafood feast, traditionally seven fishes representing the seven sacraments or the days of creation. Dishes include baccalà (salt cod), calamari, and linguine with clams. In southern Italy, the gift-bringer is not Santa Claus but La Befana — a kindly old witch who, legend says, missed following the Magi to Bethlehem and has been delivering gifts to children every Epiphany ever since, flying on her broomstick. Panettone and pandoro, the iconic sweet breads of Milan and Verona, are essential Christmas treats.
Festive food: Baccalà, calamari, panettone, pandoro, torrone
Ganna on January 7
Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate Ganna (Christmas) on January 7, following the ancient Julian calendar. Festivities include a solemn midnight mass, traditional white robes, and the fast-paced game of ganna (similar to field hockey).
Because the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church follows the ancient Ge'ez calendar, Christmas — called Ganna or Lidet — falls on January 7 rather than December 25. The celebration begins with an all-night mass on Ganna Eve, with worshippers dressed in traditional white netela robes and carrying candles. A game called ganna (resembling field hockey) is traditionally played by young men — legend says the shepherds played it to celebrate Jesus's birth. The twelve-day Timkat festival, celebrating Epiphany and the baptism of Jesus, follows in January, making the Ethiopian Christmas season a weeks-long, deeply spiritual celebration.
Festive food: Doro wat (spicy chicken stew), injera, tej (honey wine)
Santa's Workshop & Christmas Sauna
Finnish families believe Santa Claus (Joulupukki) lives in the mountains of Korvatunturi in Lapland — and the traditional Finnish Christmas Eve includes a family sauna, a solemn declaration of Christmas Peace, and cemetery visits to honor ancestors.
Finland claims Santa Claus as a native son: Joulupukki (the 'Yule Goat') is said to live in the remote fell of Korvatunturi in Finnish Lapland, and Lapland's Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi receives hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Finnish Christmas Eve is anchored by the family sauna — a cleansing ritual before the festive meal — and by a visit to the cemetery to light candles at the graves of ancestors, a solemn and beautiful tradition with thousands of candles glowing in the snow. The Declaration of Christmas Peace is read in Turku each year, a tradition dating to the 1320s. The festive table features ham, rutabaga casserole, and gingerbread.
Festive food: Christmas ham, rutabaga casserole, gingerbread, glögi
One Holiday, Countless Celebrations
Christmas is observed in more than 160 countries by billions of people, and while the religious celebration of the birth of Jesus is shared across the Christian world, the way it is observed varies enormously. The date itself differs: most Western churches follow the Gregorian calendar and celebrate on December 25, while many Orthodox churches — including those in Ethiopia, Russia, and Serbia — follow the ancient Julian calendar and observe Christmas on January 7. The length of the season varies too: from the four-month Philippine celebration that begins in September to the focused twelve-day Christmastide that runs through Epiphany.
What unites these traditions is the spirit at their heart: light in the darkness, generosity toward strangers, family gathered around a table, and the quiet hope that the returning sun represents. Whether the centerpiece is fried chicken in Tokyo, a star-shaped lantern in Manila, a straw goat in Sweden, or a midnight seafood feast in New York's Italian-American neighborhoods, the message is the same — that even at the darkest time of the year, warmth and joy are worth gathering to celebrate.
❓ Christmas Traditions FAQ
How do different countries celebrate Christmas?
Christmas is celebrated in over 160 countries, each with unique traditions. In Japan, families eat KFC; in Venezuela, people roller-skate to mass; in the Philippines, the season lasts from September; in Ethiopia, Christmas (Ganna) falls on January 7 following the Julian calendar. While the religious observance is shared, the food, folklore, and customs vary enormously from culture to culture.
Which country has the longest Christmas celebration?
The Philippines has one of the longest Christmas seasons in the world, beginning as early as September and lasting through the first week of January. The season is marked by dawn masses (Misa de Gallo), parol lanterns, and culminates in the Noche Buena feast on Christmas Eve.
When do Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas?
Many Orthodox Christian churches — including those in Ethiopia, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine that follow the Julian calendar — celebrate Christmas on January 7, twelve days after the December 25 date observed by most Western churches using the Gregorian calendar.
Why do Japanese people eat KFC at Christmas?
The Japanese tradition of eating Kentucky Fried Chicken at Christmas began in 1974, when a KFC marketing campaign promoted fried chicken as a Christmas meal because turkey was difficult to find in Japan. Today an estimated 3.6 million Japanese families enjoy KFC at Christmas, with buckets often pre-ordered weeks in advance.
What is Jolabokaflod?
Jolabokaflod ('the Christmas Book Flood') is an Icelandic tradition where families exchange books on Christmas Eve and spend the night reading together with chocolate. It reflects Iceland's deep literary culture and the country's extraordinary per-capita book publishing.
Who is La Befana?
La Befana is a kind old witch from Italian folklore who, according to legend, delivers gifts to children on Epiphany (January 6) riding a broomstick. The story goes that she missed following the Magi to Bethlehem and has been searching for the Christ child ever since, leaving presents for good children along the way.