How Christmas is Celebrated Around the World? Top 8 Countries

Christmas is the most awaited and most widely celebrated festival among the Christian community around the globe. This event is celebrated as the day of birth of Jesus – the spiritual leader of Christians whose teaching laid the basis for the Christian religion. The Holly book of Bible was also revealed on Jesus which is now considered a religious manuscript among whole Christian Community. People around the world celebrate Christmas to pay tribute to the hardships bore by Jesus during his entire life and his services for the community. In different regions, the festival is celebrated differently based on local norms and traditions. In this blog, we will try to find out how Christmas is celebrated around the globe. Keep reading the blog till the end, you will find some exciting stuff and things that you may not be aware prior to reading this. Let’s dig deeper to discover different traditions across the globe as to how they celebrate Christmas? What are legal restrictions in several parts of the world? What are the famous things to look for on the eve of Christmas?

Let’s start from the European Region

How Christmas is celebrated in France

Like many other regions in Europe, the Christmas celebrations in France begin with the St. Nicholas day – 6th of December. Children would get sweets and little presents from the elders.  Streets are decorated, roads are illuminated with decorative lights. In the Alsace region, the tradition of decorating the streets with lights and Christmas trees goes back to the 14th century. On the night of Christmas, children would place their shoes in front of chimnies in the hope that the Father Christmas would fill the shoes with candies and sweets. Family gathering and large feasts are also observed on the eve of Christmas and gifts are exchanged.

How Christmas is celebrated in Italy

Italian people highly regard their history and customs. Due to which you would still observe people of Italia decorating their homes, streets, and churches with native sceneries. The most common is a nativity scene known as “Presepe” that is put up in churches, streets, town squares, and homes as well. It is considered the most important aspect of Christmas celebration across Italy. In Presepe they set up a crib filled with straws that are usually the stems from Italy.  In most families across Italy, the presents are still exchanged on the 6th of January –  the day of Epiphany. The local slang used to wish each other on the eve of Christmas is “Buon Natale”, the Italian translation of “Merry Christmas”.

 

How Christmas is celebrated in Germany

Markets and streets are decorated weeks before the festive occasion in Germany. People across Germany celebrate Christmas with full preparations. The festive Christmas markets are also set-up on different town-squares in the land of Hitler.  Although the houses, streets and towns are decorated days prior to the 25th day of December, however, the Christmas trees are only set-up on 24th of December. The festive celebrations of Christmas begin on the 24th of December in Germany which is a public holiday and lasts till the night of 26th December. Markets would close by the Lunchtime on the main day – 25th December.

How Christmas is celebrated in England

Most people in England start decorating their homes, streets and neighbouring places as early as the mid of November. You would observe most of the houses to be decorated with lovely illuminations and decorative lights. Another thing that is often observed in England is that the house owners who have decorated their homes and front lawns usually place an honesty box as well. So the visitors may want to slide in some pennies to honor the effort put in by the house owners and the spirit of Christmas as well.  The Nationwide holiday is observed on the day of Christmas i.e. 25th December and the following day is also observed as a holiday which is also a Bank holiday as well as Boxing Day. On the 26th December, families would visit each other to exchange gifts and wish Christmas to their loved ones.

Let’s go to Asia

How Christmas is celebrated in the Philippines

When you visit the Philippines, you would see that there is a tradition of having a Christmas lantern locally known as “Parol”. It is a star-shaped lantern which is illuminated in the remembrance of Bethlehem. The lantern is usually made from Bamboo and paper  The Philippines holds the honour to be the home to the most number of Christians by percentage in any country in Asia i.e. 86% of the total population is Christian. Thus the eve of Christmas is celebrated widely across the stretches of the country. People would decorate their houses, streets, and market places on this occasion. The formal Christmas celebrations start on 16th December when many people go the first of nine pre-dawn or early morning masses.

How Christmas is Celebrated in Singapore

Singapore a leased land from the Chinese Federation is one of the most advanced countries in the world. The country is also home to a large number of Christians along with people observing other religions. On an estimate, it is found that every 2 persons among 10 Singaporeans are Christians. That makes 20% of the entire population which is quite a significant number. In Singapore, the Christmas preparations are started prior to the main day. People would decorate their houses, shops, and markets. Christmas is celebrated with excitement as the visitors also visit the country in large numbers of the eve.  The roads, markets, streets and town square are kept decorated till the night of 26th December. People would visit each other to exchange gifts and enjoy feasts. Most of the countries in Asia have people belonging to different religions other than Christianity. So the Christmas eve is not very much widely observed in the Asian region.

 

Let’s head to Australia

In Australia, it is a tradition to enjoy Christmas gatherings weeks prior to the 25th day of December. The churches and charity foundations would organize various trips, picnics, and singing carols on the beaches. Since the country is abundant in the Christian population, therefore, the locals would organize various recreational trips.  As Australia is in the southern hemisphere, the festive season is during summertime and thus it is easy to understand that during Christmas time friends and family often gather at the beach.

How Christmas is celebrated in the United States of America

Christmas is most amazingly celebrated in the United States of America. People would decorate their houses with Christmas ornaments and lights. The Christmas is celebrated on 25th December, families would gather for festive feasts and exchanging gifts. It is also a tradition to send Christmas cards to the loved ones.  Families would go on trips across states and visit their loved one to meet and greet. Gifts are also exchanged on this occasion. Streets, houses, market places and parks are decorated with lights, lanterns, illuminations etc. Santa Claus would visit kids to give them sweets and candies. It is also a common thought among kids that the Santa would bring presents for them on the night of Christmas when they go to bed. Click here to find out how Christmas is celebrated in other regions as well.

 

Related Articles

Stay Up to Date With The Latest News & Updates

Join Our Newsletter

Don’t miss out on the latest and greatest from our brand. Join our newsletter today and stay in the know!

Follow Us

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to stay connected with US and be a part of our community. Follow us today and join the conversation!