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.

🇬🇷 GreeceKalanta ChristougenonΚάλαντα Χριστουγέννων A Greek Christmas carol, sung around the feast with triangle and guitarPerformance

🇫🇷 Cayenne, FranceCarnival of French Guiana A weeks-long carnival of masked balls and parades, from Epiphany to Mardi GrasFestival

🇮🇹 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

🇪🇸 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

🇭🇷 Hvar, CroatiaZa križen A night procession on Hvar island where six villages walk simultaneously to honor the cross.Spiritual 🇷🇸 SerbiaVertepвертеп A Serbian Orthodox Christmas Eve custom, named for the cave of the NativitySpiritual

🇮🇳 Mumbai, IndiaWeddings in India Marriage rites and festive gatherings celebrated across the diverse communities of India.Rite of passage

🇮🇳 Chennai, IndiaIndian Christian DayYeshu Bhakti Divas An annual Indian day of remembrance for the arrival of Christianity in 52 AD and the life of Jesus Christ.Festival

🇪🇸 Madrid, Spain and 4 moreFeast of Saint Isidore the LaborerFiestas de San Isidro Labrador A May festival honoring the patron saint of farmers, marked by processions and harvest gratitude in Spain and former colFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇩🇪 Weingarten, Germany and 1 moreBlutritt An equestrian pilgrimage across southern Germany honoring a relic of the Holy BloodSpiritual

🇮🇹 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

🇷🇺 Russia and 3 moreGeorge's Day in AutumnЕгорий Осенний (Yegoriy Osenniy), Юрьев день (Yuriev den); Serbian: Ђурђиц (Đurđic) The autumn feast of Saint George, kept at harvest's end in Slavic landsFestival

🇸🇬 Singapore and 2 moreAldersgate Day A Methodist observance on 24 May marking the spiritual turning point of John Wesley.Festival

🇹🇳 La Goulette, TunisiaOur Lady of Trapani procession (Tunis) A Catholic festival in La Goulette honoring the Virgin Mary, once shared by Christians and Muslims.Festival

🇫🇷 Paris, FranceParis CarnivalCarnaval de Paris An annual street celebration and costume procession across ParisFestival

🇪🇸 Valencia, Spain and 2 morePeineta A curved decorative comb worn by women beneath a lace mantilla in the Hispanic worldDress

🇮🇹 Palermo, ItalyFeast of Saint RosaliaFestino di Santa Rosalia An annual July festival in Palermo honouring the patron saint who ended the plague.Festival

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreScottish folk music Traditional ballads, fiddle tunes and bagpipe melodies from Scotland and its diasporaPerformance

🇮🇳 IndiaIndian wedding clothes Traditional attire worn by couples and guests during Indian wedding ceremonies across various regions.Dress

🇮🇹 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

🇭🇷 CroatiaBadnjakBadnji dan A Christmas Eve oak log burned in the hearth across Croatia to welcome the holiday.Festival · Fasting and breaking the fast 🇨🇱 ChileFiesta de La Tirana A week-long pilgrimage and dance festival in northern Chile honoring the Virgin of Mount Carmel.Festival 🇭🇷 Metković, CroatiaŽudije Dalmatian guardians who watch the tomb of Christ from Holy Thursday to Easter VigilSpiritual

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

🇷🇸 Serbia and 5 moreĐurđevdanЂурђевдан A spring festival and feast of Saint George kept across the Balkans and Eastern EuropeFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇸 Skálholt, IcelandThorlak's MassÞorláksmessa Iceland's feast of its patron saint on 23 December, the last day before ChristmasSpiritual 🇮🇸 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

🇧🇪 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

🇬🇧 United KingdomHarvest Festival An autumn thanksgiving for the crops, kept in churches and schools across the UKSeasonal · Supper

🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreArab weddingزفاف or عرس A series of ceremonies marking marriage in Arab culture, blending religious rites with regional customs.Rite of passage · Feasts and festival meals

🇲🇬 Antananarivo, MadagascarSavika Traditional Betsileo zebu wrestling and courtship rite in MadagascarGame

🇮🇳 Mumbai, IndiaAgeraआगेरा Mumbai's East Indian Catholics give thanks for the harvest on the first Sunday of OctoberFestival 🇸🇪 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

🇨🇱 Tarapacá, ChileFestival of San Lorenzo An annual festival of religious dance and pilgrimage honoring Saint Lawrence in TarapacáSpiritual 🇮🇹 Montepulciano, ItalyBravio delle botti An annual uphill wine barrel race between the eight historic districts of MontepulcianoGame

🇮🇸 IcelandChristmas in IcelandJól A winter festival of mountain folklore, family feasts and thirteen mischievous visitorsFestival · Dinner

🇨🇻 Cape Verde and 1 moreKola San Jon A Cabo Verdean street festival of dance, drumming, and devotion to Saint JohnFestival 🇸🇰 SlovakiaName days in SlovakiaMeniny The Slovak tradition of celebrating personal name days alongside birthdaysSeasonal

🇵🇸 al-Khader, PalestineFeast of Saint George An annual gathering of Palestinian Christians and Muslims honouring Saint GeorgeSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

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

🇵🇹 PortugalMissas do Parto Nine morning Masses in Madeira that follow Mary through the last days of her pregnancySpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreFeast of Saint Thomas Aquinas An annual Christian feast day honouring the medieval theologian Saint Thomas AquinasSpiritual

🇳🇬 Uyo, NigeriaAkwa Ibom Christmas Carols Festival A large annual gathering of carol singers in Nigeria that holds a Guinness World Record for the largest assembly.Festival 🇸🇰 SlovakiaJasličkári A Slovak Christmas custom of young men acting out the Nativity from house to houseFestival

🇵🇭 Philippines and 1 moreMass of the Lord's Supper An evening liturgy marking the start of the Easter Triduum and recalling Jesus' final meal with his followers.Spiritual

Photo credits on this page

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

Zajal: 13th century artist, Public domain, source
Mass of the Lord's Supper: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
Our Lady of Trapani procession (Tunis): IssamBarhoumi, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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
Thorlak's Mass: Orf3us, Public domain, source
Christmas in Iceland: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
Kola San Jon: Dvfernandes, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Missas do Parto: Porto Bay Events, CC BY 2.0, source
Feast of Saint Mark: No machine-readable author provided. Cremedia assumed (based on copyri, Public domain, source
Za križen: E.mil.mil, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Weddings in India: Jaisingh Rathore, CC BY 2.5, source
Indian Christian Day: Aadhanvendhan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Feast of Saint Isidore the Laborer: Ángel Lizcano Monedero, Public domain, source
Blutritt: Joseph Bayer, Public domain, source
George's Day in Autumn: Sergey Ivanov, Public domain, source
Aldersgate Day: Man vyi, Public domain, source
Paris Carnival: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Peineta: Hiart, CC0, source
Feast of Saint Rosalia: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Scottish folk music: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Indian wedding clothes: Lee Jordan, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Carnival of French Guiana: Didwin973, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Akwa Ibom Christmas Carols Festival: MediaMOF, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Festival of San Lorenzo: Freddy Alexander Bugueño Tolmo, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Feast of Saint George: Onceinawhile, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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
Savika: Obiniaina RANDRIANADRASANA, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Agera: Tiven Gonsalves, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Feast of the Madonna di Pietraquaria: Marica Massaro, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Saint Nicholas: Chmee2, CC BY 3.0, source
Oktav: Daderot, CC0, source
Harvest Festival: Derek Harper, CC BY-SA 2.0, source