Christian traditions

Christian traditions span the globe, from Ethiopian Orthodox fasts and Filipino Simbang Gabi to Swedish Lucia, Mexican posadas, Easter in Greece and the harvest services of Britain.

Christian traditions span the globe, from Ethiopian Orthodox fasts and Filipino Simbang Gabi to Swedish Lucia, Mexican posadas, Easter in Greece and the harvest services of Britain. They centre on Christmas, Lent, Holy Week and Easter, Pentecost, saints' days and the sacraments of baptism, communion, marriage and burial. Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Pentecostal churches each have their customs, and local cultures have shaped them in distinct ways. Here they are described with respect for the believers who keep them, and for the variety of ways of keeping them.

The church year

The year begins with Advent and builds to Christmas, then Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week and Easter, followed by Pentecost and the long season of ordinary time. Saints' days mark local patrons, and many towns have a patronal feast with a procession and fair. Orthodox churches keep their own calendar, so Christmas falls on 7 January in several countries. Fasting seasons shape food, and feasts follow.

Around the world

Christians in different countries have made the faith their own: the dawn masses of the Philippines, the carols of Wales, the gospel choirs of the American South, the white-clad pilgrims of Lalibela, the Corpus Christi carpets of flowers in Spain, and the Nativity scenes of Naples. These customs combine faith with local food, music and craft, and are among the most visible traditions of the world.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Christian (faith). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

🇮🇹 Rome, Italy and 4 moreChristmas A festival of Jesus's birth, kept on 25 December with gifts, lights and shared mealsFestival

🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 moreHalloween An annual observance on 31 October marking the eve of All Saints' Day, rooted in Christian tradition and Celtic heritageFestival · Sweets given and shared

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreValentine's Day A Christian feast day and cultural celebration of love kept on February 14 in many countries.Festival

🇦🇺 Australia and 5 moreGood Friday A solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.Spiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreMother's Day A worldwide annual celebration dedicated to mothers, maternal bonds and family careHome

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreChristmas tree A decorated evergreen or artificial tree placed indoors to mark the Christmas season.Festival

🇵🇭 Philippines and 5 moreHoly WeekἉγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς The solemn seven days leading to Easter, recalling the final week and Passion of JesusSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreChristmas Eve The evening before Christmas, marked by church services, family meals, and gift preparations across Christian cultures.Festival · Dinner

🇺🇸 New York, United States and 4 moreFeast of the Ascension The fortieth day of Easter, when Christians remember Jesus being taken up into heavenSpiritual 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 3 moreAs-salamu alaykumسَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ A traditional Arabic greeting of peace exchanged in daily life and prayerEtiquette

🇪🇸 Valencia, Spain and 5 moreFeast of Corpus ChristiCorpus Domini A Christian feast celebrating the presence of Christ in the bread and wine of the EucharistSpiritual

🇫🇷 France and 5 moreCandlemas A Christian feast of candle blessings marking the end of the Christmas seasonSpiritual

🇲🇽 Mexico City, Mexico and 1 moreDay of the DeadDía de Muertos A Mexican remembrance of deceased family and friends with altars, marigolds and feastsFestival · Sweets given and shared

🇵🇭 Manila, PhilippinesPasyon A Tagalog epic of Christ's passion, chanted without a break during Holy WeekSpiritual

🇮🇪 Galway, Ireland and 1 moreBrigid's crossCros Bhríde A cross of woven rushes or straw, made for Saint Brigid's Day on the first of FebruaryCraft 🇳🇿 New ZealandKarakia Māori incantations and prayers recited for spiritual guidance, safety and ceremonySpiritual

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreHoly FireἋγιον Φῶς A fire ceremony in Jerusalem each year, kept by Orthodox Christians before EasterSpiritual 🇼🇸 Samoa and 3 moreWhite SundayLotu Tamaiti A Samoan holiday honoring children with church services, white clothing, and family gatherings on the second Sunday of OFestival · Dinner

🇬🇪 Tbilisi, Georgia and 4 moreGeorgian polyphonic singing Several voices at once, sung without instruments at Georgian feasts and weddingsPerformance 🇩🇲 Dominica and 4 moreBéléBèlè A Caribbean drum, call-and-response song, and courtship dance traditionPerformance

🇳🇬 Calabar, NigeriaCalabar Carnival An annual December street festival and cultural gathering held in Calabar, NigeriaFestival

🇺🇸 New Orleans, United StatesKrewe Carnival clubs that stage parades, balls, and pageantry along the Gulf CoastFestival

🇮🇩 Jakarta, Indonesia and 2 moreMudik Indonesians head home to family before Lebaran, in the year's biggest journeyHome

🇦🇲 Yerevan, ArmeniaArmenian carpetՀայկական գորգ A handwoven textile tradition of knotted pile rugs and sacred geometric symbolsCraft

🇳🇿 New Zealand and 2 moreMarae A cleared, sacred gathering place at the heart of Māori and Polynesian community lifeSpiritual

🇺🇦 Kyiv, UkraineBanduraБандура A Ukrainian plucked string instrument played to accompany epic songs and folk balladsPerformance

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela, Spain and 7 moreCamino de SantiagoEl Camino de Santiago A Christian walking pilgrimage across Europe to the shrine of Saint James in SpainSpiritual

🇪🇸 Pamplona, Spain and 3 moreRunning of the bullsencierro Runners sprint ahead of loose bulls through barricaded town streets in summerFestival

🇹🇻 TuvaluMusic of Tuvalu Rhythmic storytelling dances and choral singing from the Polynesian atolls of TuvaluPerformance

🇲🇬 MadagascarValiha A bamboo tube zither from Madagascar, played for recreation and spirit ritualsPerformance

🇳🇬 NigeriaMmanwuMmanwụ An Igbo masquerade tradition invoking ancestral spirits through masked performanceSpiritual

🇺🇸 United StatesFeast of the Seven FishesFesta dei sette pesci An Italian-American Christmas Eve seafood dinner marking abstinence from meat.Table custom · Dinner

🇮🇹 Naples, Italy and 5 moreGreasy pole A slippery pole climbed, walked or crossed to win a prize at the top or the far endGame

🇮🇪 Ireland and 2 moreJack-o'-lantern A carved pumpkin lantern lit with a candle to brighten and protect Halloween nightsFolklore

🇩🇰 Copenhagen, DenmarkFaroese chain danceFøroyskur dansur A living medieval chain dance guided by sung ballads in the Faroe IslandsPerformance

🇵🇭 PhilippinesPandanggo A lively Philippine folk dance of quick steps, clapping and balanced lightsPerformance

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreBarn raising A communal tradition where neighbours assemble to erect a farm barn in a few daysCraft · Lunch 🇳🇬 Ibadan, Nigeria and 1 moreYoruba naming ceremonyÌkòlọ́pọ̀ Orúkọ Yorùbá A rite of passage where a newborn receives a destiny name through divination and family celebration.Rite of passage · Feasts and festival meals

🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreFriday the 13th A Western folk superstition regarding the unluckiness of a Friday falling on the 13th.Folklore

🇻🇦 Vatican City and 1 morePontifical Swiss GuardPontificia Cohors Helvetica The Swiss military corps charged with guarding the Pope and the Apostolic PalaceCeremony

🇨🇱 ChileNgillatun A communal Mapuche rite of prayer, sacrifice and dance to maintain cosmic balanceSpiritual 🇱🇹 LithuaniaVėlinės A Lithuanian remembrance day honouring deceased souls with cemetery prayers and candlesSpiritual

🇪🇪 EstoniaJaanipäev Estonia's midsummer night of bonfires, song and fortune-telling, on 23 and 24 JuneFestival

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreChristmas carol Festive songs and hymns sung during the Christmas season and door to doorPerformance

🇵🇭 Marinduque, PhilippinesMoriones Festival A Holy Week reenactment in Marinduque where masked participants search for the Roman centurion Longinus.Festival

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro, BrazilRio CarnivalCarnaval do Rio de Janeiro Five days of samba parades, costumes and street parties in Rio, ending at LentFestival

🇻🇦 Vatican City and 1 moreConclave Cardinals sealed in the Sistine Chapel, voting until two thirds agree on a new popeSpiritual

🇼🇸 Samoa and 1 morePeʻa The traditional Samoan rite of full-body tattooing for men, tapped by master artistsRite of passage

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Jack-o'-lantern: Toby Ord, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Bandura: Julianhayda, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Moriones Festival: EMMAN A. FORONDA, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Friday the 13th: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
Peʻa: Thomas Andrew (1855-1939), Public domain, source
Good Friday: Bellina 09, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Christmas tree: Lechhansl, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Marae: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Christmas: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Public domain, source
Imbolc: Culnacreann, CC BY 3.0, source
Valentine's Day: Upload: Chordboard, Public domain, source
Mother's Day: Dave Parker, CC BY 2.0, source
Holy Week: Anonymous ( Maasland ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
Running of the bulls: The original uploader was Bernard bill5 at Dutch Wikipedia . Later ver, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Chichilaki: Mostafameraji, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Rio Carnival: Sergio Luiz, CC BY 2.0, source
Pasyon: Judgefloro, CC0, source
Feast of Corpus Christi: Fennec ., Public domain, source
Mudik: Arie Basuki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Candlemas: Andrea Mantegna, Public domain, source
Holy Fire: William Holman Hunt, Public domain, source
Jaanipäev: Jaan Künnap, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Barn raising: Alexander W. Galbraith, Public domain, source
Greasy pole: Andrepoiy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Conclave: User Maus-Trauden on de.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Feast of the Seven Fishes: GW Fins, CC BY 2.0, source
Christmas carol: Prathyush Thomas, GFDL 1.2, source
Music of Tuvalu: Avenue, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Faroese chain dance: Eileen Sandá, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Calabar Carnival: Raji kunle, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ngillatun: Francisco Cavallo, Public domain, source
Camino de Santiago: stephenD, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Krewe: Tim Ross, Public domain, source
Pontifical Swiss Guard: The White House, Public domain, source
Armenian carpet: VincentKeers, Public domain, source
Pandanggo: John Charlton, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Valiha: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Mmanwu: Northcote Whitridge Thomas, Public domain, source
Feast of the Ascension: Gebhard Fugel, Public domain, source
Christmas Eve: Carl Larsson, Public domain, source
Day of the Dead: RubeHM, CC BY-SA 4.0, source