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.

🇮🇪 Dublin, IrelandBarmbrackbairín breac A sweet Irish fruit loaf with charms baked in, eaten at Halloween and on New Year's EveTable custom · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 6 moreSaint George's Day A saint's feast on 23 April, kept by churches and patron nations from England to GeorgiaSpiritual

🇩🇪 Germany and 3 moreVisitation A Christian feast commemorating Mary's journey to visit her cousin ElizabethSpiritual

🇩🇪 Wittenberg, Germany and 5 moreReformation Day An annual Christian observance marking the start of the Protestant ReformationSpiritual

🇬🇧 St Andrews, United Kingdom and 10 moreSaint Andrew's DayLà Naomh Anndrais The feast of Andrew the Apostle, kept on 30 November and Scotland's national daySpiritual

🇷🇺 Russia and 3 moreOld New YearСтарый Новый год (Russian), Стара Нова година (Macedonian), Српска Нова година (Serbian), Hen Galan (Welsh) An informal holiday marking the start of the Julian calendar year, celebrated on 14 January in the Gregorian calendar.Festival · Dinner

🇮🇹 Rome, Italy and 4 moreMarian feast days Holy days across the liturgical year celebrating the life and veneration of Mary.Spiritual

🇱🇹 Lithuania and 5 moreNativity of John the Baptist A Christian feast day on June 24 that marks the birth of John the Baptist and anticipates Christmas.Festival

🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreGrandparents' Day A single-day holiday kept on different dates in many countries to honour grandparentsFestival

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreTwelve Days of Christmas A festive Christian liturgical season linking Christmas Day to the eve of EpiphanySeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇩🇰 Denmark and 1 moreQuinquagesima The last Sunday before Lent in Western Christianity, marking the start of Carnival and Shrovetide.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇪🇸 Spain and 4 moreDay of the Holy InnocentsDía de los Santos Inocentes A 28 December day of pranks and fake news, kept in the Spanish-speaking worldFestival

🇵🇱 Kraków, Poland and 5 moreDozhinkiDożynki A Slavic harvest festival of the last sheaf, a woven wreath and a shared mealSeasonal

🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreAnastenariaΑναστενάρια A barefoot firewalking and dance rite honouring Saint Constantine and Saint HelenSpiritual

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreTranslation of relicsTranslatio The ceremonial transfer of holy remains or relics to a new church or shrineSpiritual

🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreCavalcade of Magi A parade of the Three Magi through town on Epiphany Eve, with sweets thrown to the crowdFestival

🇮🇹 Rome, Italy and 8 moreSaint Joseph's Day A 19 March feast honouring Jesus' earthly father, kept with altars and processionsSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreKoledariколядники A Slavic winter caroling custom of visiting homes with songs, masks and blessingsFestival

🇫🇷 FranceLa soule A rough medieval ball game from Normandy and Picardy played between parishes on religious holidays.Game

🇮🇹 Italy and 6 morePatronal festivalFiesta patronal A town's yearly feast for its patron saint, with processions, a fair and shared foodFestival

🇺🇦 Ukraine and 10 moreEgg decorating Decorating eggs with dye, wax and carving, kept at Easter, Nowruz and springCraft

🇵🇱 Zakopane, PolandKulig A traditional Polish winter sleigh ride party celebrated during the Carnival seasonFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreSaint Sylvester's Day A Christian feast day and year-end celebration marked across Europe and beyondSeasonal · Dinner

🇧🇬 Plovdiv, Bulgaria and 8 moreDay of Slavonic Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and CultureДен на българската просвета и култура и на славянската писменост Bulgaria's public holiday for its alphabet, schools and culture, kept each 24 MayFestival

🇧🇪 Geraardsbergen, BelgiumKrakelingen and Tonnekensbrand A bread throw and a hilltop bonfire that close the winter in GeraardsbergenFestival 🇦🇱 Gjirokastër, Albania and 5 moreDodola and Perperuna A rainmaking ritual kept across Southeast Europe, where children dressed in greenery lead processions to call for summerSpiritual

🇧🇦 Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina and 1 moreMedjugorje International Youth Festival A six-day August gathering of Catholic youth in Medjugorje, Bosnia and HerzegovinaFestival

🇷🇴 Bucharest, Romania and 2 moreCaloian A Romanian rainmaking and fertility ritual centered on the creation, funeral, and rebirth of a clay effigy.Festival

🇵🇱 Poland and 3 morePodłaźniczka A decorated evergreen branch hung over the Christmas Eve table in Poland and SlovakiaFestival

🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreRäucherkerze A scented incense cone burned in German and Czech homes during the Christmas season to fill rooms with fragrance.Festival

🇮🇹 Avezzano, ItalyFeast of the Madonna di PietraquariaMadonna di Pietraquaria A three-day spring festival in Avezzano marked by neighborhood bonfires, a street fair, and a mountain-to-city processioFestival

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreSaint Nicholas Boots out on 6 December: sweets for good children, a switch for the restFestival · Sweets given and shared

🇧🇪 BelgiumMarches of Entre-Sambre-et-MeuseMarches de l'Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse Folk processions with armed escorts in Belgian villages, kept from May to OctoberSpiritual · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇷🇸 SerbiaVertepвертеп A Serbian Orthodox Christmas Eve custom, named for the cave of the NativitySpiritual 🇮🇸 IcelandIcelandic weddings A blend of church rites and long feasts, where guests sit by family lines and gifts are saved for the morning.Rite of passage · Dinner

🇭🇷 CroatiaBadnjakBadnji dan A Christmas Eve oak log burned in the hearth across Croatia to welcome the holiday.Festival · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇫🇷 Cayenne, FranceCarnival of French Guiana A weeks-long carnival of masked balls and parades, from Epiphany to Mardi GrasFestival 🇬🇷 GreeceKalanta ChristougenonΚάλαντα Χριστουγέννων A Greek Christmas carol, sung around the feast with triangle and guitarPerformance

🇱🇺 Luxembourg City, Luxembourg and 3 moreOktavMuttergottesoktav A two-week annual Marian pilgrimage and festival in Luxembourg CitySpiritual · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇷🇸 Serbia and 5 moreĐurđevdanЂурђевдан A spring festival and feast of Saint George kept across the Balkans and Eastern EuropeFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇸🇪 Sweden and 2 moreSaint Knut's DayTjugondag Knut A Nordic holiday marking the twentieth and final day of Christmas each JanuarySeasonal · Sweets given and shared

🇬🇧 United KingdomHarvest Festival An autumn thanksgiving for the crops, kept in churches and schools across the UKSeasonal · Supper 🇮🇹 Montepulciano, ItalyBravio delle botti An annual uphill wine barrel race between the eight historic districts of MontepulcianoGame 🇸🇰 SlovakiaJasličkári A Slovak Christmas custom of young men acting out the Nativity from house to houseFestival

🇮🇹 Turin, Italy and 5 moreMary Help of ChristiansSancta Maria Auxilium Christianorum A Christian feast and devotion honouring Mary as a protector, observed on 24 MaySpiritual

🇪🇸 Córdoba, Spain and 5 moreFiesta de las Cruces A May festival where communities decorate crosses with flowers and crafts to celebrate faith and local heritage.Festival

🇮🇹 Venice, Italy and 2 moreFeast of Saint MarkFesta di san Marco Saint Mark's day on 25 April, kept with rosebuds in Venice and harvest care in LithuaniaSpiritual

🇮🇹 Gubbio, Italy and 1 moreSaint Ubaldo DayFesta dei Ceri A May procession in Gubbio where three teams carry tall wooden ceri to a hilltop basilicaSpiritual

Photo credits on this page

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

Reformation Day: 95Thesen.jpg : User:Shizhao derivative work: 6birc ( talk ), Public domain, source
Mary Help of Christians: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Fiesta de las Cruces: Michelangelo-36, Public domain, source
Saint Ubaldo Day: Marco Riccardini, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Day of Slavonic Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Barmbrack: Solo Beckett, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Saint George's Day: Raphael, Public domain, source
Medjugorje International Youth Festival: Piotr Frydecki, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Grandparents' Day: Wendy Berry, CC BY 2.0, source
Day of the Holy Innocents: Attributed to Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Public domain, source
Dozhinki: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Cavalcade of Magi: Diario de Madrid, CC BY 4.0, source
Saint Joseph's Day: Guido Reni, Public domain, source
Egg decorating: L.Kenzel, CC BY 3.0, source
Old New Year: ceridwen, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Nativity of John the Baptist: Brakeet, CC0, source
Twelve Days of Christmas: Giotto, Public domain, source
Quinquagesima: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Anastenaria: Artkostov, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Translation of relics: User:Vmenkov, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Koledari: Mikhail Germashev, Public domain, source
La soule: Unknown author Unknown author illustrator (based on a sketch by M.J.L., Public domain, source
Kulig: various, Public domain, source
Feast of Saint Mark: No machine-readable author provided. Cremedia assumed (based on copyri, Public domain, source
Caloian: Costică Acsinte Archive, No restrictions, source
Räucherkerze: Richard Huber, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Krakelingen and Tonnekensbrand: Jan Coppens at nl.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 1.0, source
Saint Andrew's Day: Henryk Siemiradzki, Public domain, source
Patronal festival: Ranieljosecastaneda, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Visitation: Giotto, Public domain, source
Saint Sylvester's Day: Unknown medieval artist in Rome, Public domain, source
Podłaźniczka: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Oktav: Daderot, CC0, source
Carnival of French Guiana: Didwin973, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Badnjak: Vidonjac, CC BY 2.0, source
Đurđevdan: Anonymous Russian icon painter (before 1917) Public domain image (acco, Public domain, source
Marches of Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse: Hoebele, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Harvest Festival: Derek Harper, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Feast of the Madonna di Pietraquaria: Marica Massaro, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Saint Nicholas: Chmee2, CC BY 3.0, source