South America
In this country, Christmas Eve is celebrated with a big family meal, often including turkey, and midnight mass called 'os pastores'.
What is Brazil?
Families in this country attend midnight mass and enjoy festive meals featuring tamales and roast pork during Christmas.
What is Honduras?
In this country, families celebrate Noche Buena with a festive feast after midnight mass, and colorful star-shaped lanterns called parol are popular decorations.
What is the Philippines?
In this country, Christmas dinner often includes turkey, mince pies, and Christmas pudding, and many families enjoy pulling “crackers” at the table, which contain a small gift, a joke, and a paper hat.
What is the United Kingdom?
In this country, Christmas falls during summer, and families often celebrate outdoors with barbecues called braais, attend church services, and enjoy carol singing.
What is South Africa?
In this country, families begin the Christmas season with a December 7th celebration honoring the Virgin Mary, lighting candles that line streets, windows, and sidewalks.
What is Colombia?
Children in this nation are told that gifts come from Niño Dios rather than Santa Claus, and homes are decorated with Christmas trees, nativity scenes, and lights.
What is Costa Rica?
Although Christmas is not widely religious in this country, families celebrate with festive lights and decorations, exchange gifts, and many eat KFC as a traditional Christmas meal.
What is Japan?
Famous for its Christmas markets, this country also celebrates St. Nicholas Day on December 6th, when children receive small gifts, and decorations often include candles, nutcrackers, and ornaments.
What is Germany?
Christmas in this country involves church services, large family meals featuring jollof rice, chicken, and fried plantains, and many people travel back to their hometowns to celebrate.
What is Nigeria?
In this country, Christmas celebrations often include Misa de Gallo and the making of pan de pascua and cola de mono, a holiday drink similar to spiced eggnog
What is Chile?
This country starts its Christmas season with La Quema del Diablo (“Burning of the Devil”), and families display elaborate nacimientos in homes and churches.
What is Guatemala?
n this country, Christians decorate mango or banana trees, attend midnight mass, and share traditional sweets like kalkalsand neureos during Christmas celebrations.
What is India?
In this country, the nativity scene (presepe) is central to the holiday, families attend midnight mass, feast on panettone, and gifts are sometimes delivered on Epiphany (January 6th) by the witch-like La Befana.
What is Italy?
Following the Orthodox calendar, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th in this East African country, where the holiday is called Ganna and includes fasting, church services, and communal meals.
What is Ethiopia?
In this country, people celebrate Christmas with Aguinaldos, traditional folk songs performed with drums, cuatro, and maracas, and families often prepare hallacas, a corn dough dish wrapped in plantain leaves.
What is Venezuela?
Celebrations in this country include La Purísima and La Gritería, honoring the Virgin Mary with singing and community events before families enjoy large meals and tres leches cake on Christmas Eve.
What is Nicaragua?
In this nation, the nine-day series of early morning masses called Simbang Gabi leads up to Christmas Eve, culminating in family gatherings and the traditional Noche Buena feast.
What is the Philippines?
In this region of Europe, Lucia Day on December 13th is celebrated with processions led by a “Lucia bride” wearing a crown of candles. Traditional meals include fish, meats, and baked goods like gingerbread.
What is Scandinavia?
In this North African country, Christmas is also celebrated on January 7th according to the Orthodox calendar, and families share a traditional bread called qurban during the holiday.
What is Egypt?
In this nation, Christmas Eve often includes an outdoor asado, and the night sky is filled with fireworks and floating “globos,” paper lanterns released into the air. Gifts are not opened until after midnight.
What is Argentina?
n this country, Christmas Eve is known as Nochebuena; families gather for traditional foods like tamales and ponche, fireworks light the sky, and meticulously crafted nativity scenes are central to homes and churches—a tradition that blends indigenous, Spanish, and Catholic customs.
What is Guatemala?
In this Southeast Asian country, Christmas is celebrated mainly by the Christian minority. Cities and homes are decorated with lights and Christmas trees, and communities hold church services and carol competitions, blending local culture with Western traditions.
What is Indonesia?
In this Eastern European country, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th by Orthodox Christians, with a strict fast leading up to the holiday, church services, and a traditional festive meal featuring kutia, a sweet grain pudding, and fish dishes.
What is Ukraine?
In this West African country, Christmas is celebrated with church services, community gatherings, and special foods such as spiced rice dishes and roasted meats, often accompanied by traditional music and dance.
What is Ghana?