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

🇮🇹 Rome, Italy and 4 moreValentine's Day A Christian feast day and cultural celebration of love kept on February 14 in many countries.Festival

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

🇪🇸 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 🇱🇹 LithuaniaVėlinės A Lithuanian remembrance day honouring deceased souls with cemetery prayers and candlesSpiritual

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

🇮🇪 Waterford, IrelandPatternpátrún A parish feast honoring a patron saint, marked by prayers at holy wells and local gatherings in Ireland.Spiritual

🇮🇪 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

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

🇪🇸 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

🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreName day A calendar tradition where people celebrate the feast day of the saint after whom they are named.Festival

🇪🇸 Seville, SpainHoly Week in SevilleSemana Santa de Sevilla A week of solemn processions and floats through the streets of Seville to mark the Passion of Christ.Spiritual

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela, SpainBotafumeiro A giant swinging censer of brass and silver that fills the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral with incense during solemn fSpiritual

🇸🇪 Sweden and 3 moreAdventadventus A four-week Christian season of waiting and preparation for Christmas and the Second Coming.Festival

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

🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreImbolcLá Fhéile Bríde A Gaelic festival heralding spring and honoring Saint Brigid with woven rush crossesSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreAdvent calendarAdventskalender A daily countdown to Christmas using doors, images, or small gifts.Festival

🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreSt John's Eve Bonfires, feasting and worship on the short night before John the Baptist's feastSpiritual

🇩🇪 Germany and 12 moreSt. Martin's DayMartinstag A November feast of lantern walks, bonfires, roast goose and new wineSpiritual

🇪🇸 Pamplona, SpainFestival of San FermínSanfermines An annual nine-day festival in Pamplona featuring bull runs, parades, and street music.Festival

🇩🇪 Hamburg, Germany and 2 moreAdvent wreathAdventskranz An evergreen ring of candles lit week by week in the lead-up to ChristmasSeasonal

🇸🇪 Stockholm, Sweden and 4 moreSaint Lucy's Day A December festival of light and song held across Scandinavia and Italy to honour a Christian martyr.Festival · Breakfast

🇮🇪 Ireland and 2 moreWake A gathering before a funeral, where family and friends keep watch over the deadRite of passage

🇧🇪 Belgium and 5 moreSaint Nicholas Day The feast day of Saint Nicholas, kept in Advent with gifts, shoes and church servicesSpiritual

🇮🇪 Ireland and 6 moreSaint Stephen's Day A Christian feast day celebrating the first martyr with feasts, rides and folk customs.Spiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine and 14 morePysankaписанка A wax-resist egg decorating tradition kept by Slavic communities for Easter and spring renewal.Festival

🇮🇹 Siena, ItalyPalio di SienaIl Palio A bareback horse race held twice a year in Siena's Piazza del Campo, representing the city's historic wards.Festival

🇷🇸 Serbia and 1 moreVidovdanВидовдан A Serbian church feast on 28 June, kept in memory of those who died at KosovoSpiritual

🇷🇸 SerbiaSlavaСлава An annual Serbian family feast honouring their patron saint with blessed bread and wineSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreWhit Monday The Christian feast and public holiday held on the day after PentecostSpiritual

🇺🇦 Kyiv, UkraineChristmas in UkraineРіздво (Rizdvo) A Ukrainian Christmas celebration with a twelve-dish vegan supper on Christmas Eve and observance on January 6 or DecembFestival · Supper

🇬🇧 Cardiff, United Kingdom and 1 moreSaint David's DayDydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant The national feast day of Wales, marked with parades, poetry contests and daffodilsFestival

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreTwelfth Night The closing evening of the Christmas season, kept with cake, carols and wassailSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇵🇱 Kraków, PolandKraków szopkaszopka krakowska Elaborate Christmas cribs modelled on historic Polish architecture in KrakówCraft

🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreMidnight MassMissa in nocte The first service of Christmas, kept late on Christmas Eve in many Western churchesSpiritual

🇭🇷 Dubrovnik, Croatia and 1 moreFestivity of Saint BlaiseFesta Svetog Vlaha An annual patron saint festival in Dubrovnik with processions, relics and dovesFestival

🇩🇪 Cologne, Germany and 3 moreRosenmontag The peak of German carnival, celebrated with satirical street parades and sweetsFestival

🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreClean MondayΚαθαρά Δευτέρα The Monday that opens Great Lent, kept with fasting, forgiveness and kite-flyingSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇬🇷 Athens, Greece and 1 moreCelebration of the Greek RevolutionΕορτασμός της Ελληνικής Επανάστασης του 1821 An annual civic holiday of parades and church services marking Greek independenceCeremony

🇪🇸 Seville, SpainHoly Week in SpainSemana Santa Annual Catholic penitential processions across Spain featuring floats, robes and music to mark the Passion of Christ.Spiritual

🇪🇸 Barcelona, SpainLa Mercè Barcelona’s main annual city festival, honoring the Virgin of Mercy each September.Festival

🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreHandfastingceangal na lámh (Irish); pòsadh-bliadhna (Scottish Gaelic) A couple's promise made with joined or bound hands, kept from betrothal to weddingRite of passage 🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland and 3 moreLittle ChristmasNollaig na mBan A January feast day marking the close of the twelve days of ChristmasSeasonal · Dinner

🇵🇹 Porto, PortugalFesta de São João do Porto Porto's midsummer festival of street feasts, fireworks and playful hammer tapsFestival

🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreKoulourakiaΚουλουράκια Sweet butter pastries baked for Greek Easter and shaped into rings and braidsTable custom · Sweets given and shared

🇷🇴 Romania and 1 moreColindă A Romanian and Moldovan Christmas carol tradition where village groups sing Nativity songs door to door.Festival

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
Christmas in Ukraine: Halyna Kuchmanych, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Christmas: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Public domain, source
Imbolc: Culnacreann, CC BY 3.0, source
Saint Lucy's Day: Fredrik Magnusson, CC BY 2.0, source
St John's Eve: Jules Breton, Public domain, source
Slava: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Festival of San Fermín: SanchoPanzaXXI, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Advent calendar: Andrea Schaufler, CC BY 2.5, source
Palio di Siena: Mirco, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Kraków szopka: user:cancre, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Rosenmontag: Aymx, Public domain, source
Saint David's Day: National Assembly for Wales, CC BY 2.0, source
Celebration of the Greek Revolution: Stefanos Kofopoulos, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Colindă: Post of Moldova, Public domain, source
Festa de São João do Porto: Hugo Cadavez, CC BY 2.0, source
Conclave: User Maus-Trauden on de.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Saint Nicholas Day: Chmee2, CC BY 3.0, source
Christmas carol: Prathyush Thomas, GFDL 1.2, source
Twelfth Night: Hablot Knight Browne: scanned by Steven J Plunkett, Public domain, source
Camino de Santiago: stephenD, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Pontifical Swiss Guard: The White House, Public domain, source
Handfasting: Sander van der Wel, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Holy Week in Seville: Sevilla Congress & Convention Bureau, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Advent: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Botafumeiro: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez ( Lmbuga Commons )( Lmbuga Galipedia ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Koulourakia: foodistablog, CC BY 2.0, source
Name day: Sendker, Public domain, source
Pattern: code poet, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Holy Week in Spain: Rodelar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Pysanka: Lubap, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Christmas Eve: Carl Larsson, Public domain, source
Festivity of Saint Blaise: August Dominus, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
St. Martin's Day: Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Public domain, source
La Mercè: larry&flo, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Feast of Corpus Christi: Fennec ., Public domain, source
Vidovdan: Радосав Стојановић at Serbian Wikipedia, Public domain, source
Saint Stephen's Day: Carlo Crivelli, Public domain, source
Clean Monday: Перов, Public domain, source
Whit Monday: Eloquence, Public domain, source
Candlemas: Andrea Mantegna, Public domain, source
Valentine's Day: Upload: Chordboard, Public domain, source
Wake: Julio Romero de Torres, Public domain, source
Advent wreath: Burkhard Mücke, CC BY 4.0, source
Midnight Mass: Atleett, CC0, source