How Christmas is celebrated in 21 places around the world

Sophia MitrokostasJan 15, 2024, 16:30 IST

Christmas looks different all over the world.AP

People around the world celebrate Christmas differently.
Some people celebrate Christmas on December 25.

Christmas is a time of celebration and festivity around the world, and there are many vibrant and unique ways of celebrating the holidays. Of course, every individual family has their own holiday tradition, but many places have common customs.

From rum-soaked desserts and dazzling Christmas markets to live fish in bathtubs, here are the many fascinating ways that Christmas is celebrated around the globe.

People in the Philippines celebrate Christmas for five months.

Santa figures in the Philippines.DONDI TAWATAO/REUTERS

Many people in Japan like to eat Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas.

It's more of a romantic holiday.YouTube

One Christmas tradition in Poland involves keeping a fish in your bathtub.

Fish is eaten with the Christmas meal.AP

Many Finnish people celebrate Christmas with a crown of candles and a trip to the sauna.

They also have porridge.Reuters/LEHTIKUVA

In the UK, stockings are hung from the end of beds.

Christmas crackers are a common tradition.Shutterstock

Christmas in Croatia means cleaning your shoes and avoiding Krampus.

People release lanterns during a Christmas celebration.AP

Greek people might keep a fire burning during Christmas to ward off holiday goblins.

Christmas lights shine over a street in central Athens, with the Parthenon on top of the ancient Acropolis Hill seen in the background, on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005AP

Christmas in Australia is often celebrated on the beach.

It's not winter in Australia.AP

In Argentina, people celebrate Christmas with fireworks.

People watch as fireworks explode in the sky in Buenos Aires December 18, 2011, as part of Christmas and New Year festivities.Marcos Brindicci/REUTERS

Christmas in Ukraine is celebrated on January 7.

Ukrainian Orthodox believers attend the Christmas Eve Mass in the St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016.AP

In the United States, many children leave cookies for Santa.

Presents are also left under the tree.Pixabay

People in Spain open presents on Epiphany.

A man representing Gaspar, one of the three wise men or kings, waves during the "Cabalgata de Reyes," Epiphany parade, in Madrid, Friday, Jan. 5, 2018.AP

If you’re celebrating Christmas in Jamaica, expect a rum-soaked cake.

Rum-soaked cake.Shutterstock

People in Brazil usually get paid double in December.

Fireworks explode over a floating Christmas tree in Lagoa neighborhood, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010.AP

Hanging giant paper lanterns is a common Christmas tradition in India.

An Indian woman along with her children shops for Christmas decorations at a market in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017. Though Christians make up only about 2 percent of India's 1 billion-plus population, Christmas is a national holiday celebrated with much fanfare.AP

Father Frost visits Russian homes on New Year’s Eve.

In this Friday, Dec. 26, 2008 file photo, Father Frost, the Russian equivalent to Santa Claus, waves during a welcome ceremony near Red SquareAP

In Latvia, you might have to read a poem before getting your presents.

The Christmas tree may have originated there.AP

Christmas in Kenya is all about connecting with family.

In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 9, 2016, Dance Centre Kenya's artistic director Cooper Rust, left, from the United States, holds the hand of Kenyan ballet dancer Joel Kioko, 16, center, as they take a bow at the end of a performance of The Nutcracker in Nairobi, Kenya.AP

Christmas in Pakistan is a religious celebration filled with family activities.

Pakistani Christians attend a candlelight service ahead of Christmas at a church in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017.AP

Caroling is a big part of Christmas in Romania.

Children from Dofteana, northern Romania, some wearing bear furs, dance while performing a holiday season ritual in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2014. In pre-Christian rural traditions, dancers wearing colored costumes or animal furs, touring house to house in villages singing and dancing to ward off evil.AP

In France, Christmas markets are a popular place to shop.

People stroll along a Christmas market at the Trocadero gardens, near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013.AP

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