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.

🇵🇭 Manila, PhilippinesHoly Week in the PhilippinesMahal na Araw An eight-day observance of the Passion, death, and resurrection of Christ in the Philippines.Spiritual 🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreCompadre A ritual kinship made at a child's baptism, binding parents and godparents for lifeSpiritual

🇦🇲 Armenia and 1 moreTrndezտրնդեզ An Armenian fire feast forty days after Christmas, kept with bonfires and shared sweetsSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇵🇱 PolandEaster in Poland A spring holiday of family breakfasts, blessed baskets, decorated eggs, and water games.Festival · Breakfast

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

🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 1 moreBuheቡሄ An Orthodox feast day celebrated with neighborhood torches, songs, and gifts of breadSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇷🇺 Moscow, RussiaChristmas in RussiaРождество Христово An Orthodox winter feast marked by church vigils, fasting suppers and festive mealsSpiritual · Supper 🇮🇪 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

🇵🇭 Iloilo City, PhilippinesDinagyang FestivalDinágyang An annual festival of drumming, street dance and devotion to the Santo Niño in Iloilo.Festival

🇵🇭 Philippines and 3 moreManoPagmamano A Filipino greeting where a younger person bows and asks an elder for a blessingEtiquette

🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoPassion Play of Iztapalapa A community passion play staged across Iztapalapa during Holy WeekSpiritual

🇵🇱 PolandWigilia Poland's meatless Christmas Eve supper, begun when the first star appearsTable custom · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇳 Mumbai, India and 1 moreDhoti A long unstitched cloth men wrap like trousers, for worship and formal daysDress

🇮🇹 Venice, ItalyFesta del RedentoreFesta del Redentor Venice's July festival of fireworks over the water, kept in thanks for the plague's endFestival

🇷🇺 Moscow, Russia and 5 morePalm Sunday A Christian Sunday feast marking Jesus's entry into Jerusalem with blessed branches.Spiritual

🇪🇸 Spain and 2 moreLas arras Thirteen gold coins, blessed at a wedding and given by the groom to the brideRite of passage

🇮🇹 Naples, Italy and 5 moreNativity scene A seasonal set of figures showing Jesus's birth, put up by Christians at ChristmasFestival

🇷🇺 RussiaRussian wedding traditions A Russian wedding runs two days to a week, with ransom games, crowns and toastsRite of passage

🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 moreWedding cord A loop of white cord laid over a kneeling bride and groom in Catholic weddingsRite of passage

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreMothering Sunday A mid-Lent Christian observance and family celebration of mothers and mother churchesSeasonal · Breakfast

🇨🇳 China and 5 moreAncestor worship Honouring dead relatives with offerings and prayers, kept in many cultures worldwideSpiritual

🇪🇬 Cairo, Egypt and 1 moreNayrouzالنيروز (Arabic); ⲡⲓⲭⲗⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ ϯⲣⲟⲙⲡⲓ (Coptic) A Coptic feast marking the new year and honoring martyrs, kept in Egypt and Ethiopia.Festival

🇲🇽 Papantla, Mexico and 1 moreDanza de los Voladores A Mesoamerican rite of dance and rope, flown from a tall pole to ask for rainSpiritual

🇬🇹 Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala and 3 moreMaximón A folk saint of the Guatemalan highlands, asked for health, crops and protectionFolklore

🇪🇨 Quito, EcuadorFanesca Ecuador's Holy Week soup of grains, beans and salt cod, made for Good FridayTable custom · Lunch

🇧🇪 Antwerp, Belgium and 2 moreOmmegangommegang (Dutch) Medieval town processions of the Low Countries, with giants, guilds and horsesCeremony

🇲🇽 Mexico City, MexicoOfrenda A home altar of food, flowers and candles that welcomes the dead home at Día de MuertosSpiritual

🇮🇹 Rome, Italy and 2 moreAssumption of Mary A feast on 15 August, when Christians remember Mary taken up into heavenSpiritual

🇬🇧 London, United KingdomRoyal Maundy A Church of England service where the monarch gives silver Maundy coins to older peopleSpiritual

🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreEpiphany A January feast of the Magi, the Jordan baptism and the Cana miracle, kept by ChristiansSpiritual

🇧🇷 Salvador, BrazilLavagem do Bonfim An annual inter-religious procession and cleansing ritual in Salvador, BrazilSpiritual

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreEasterΠάσχα The day Christians mark the resurrection, kept with vigils, feasts and eggsSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreWinter solstice The shortest day and longest night of the year, marked with fire, feasting and poetrySeasonal

🇪🇹 Lalibela, Ethiopia and 1 moreEthiopian Christmasገና The Christian Nativity feast, marked by night vigils, white garments and field hockeySpiritual

🇪🇹 Lalibela, Ethiopia and 1 moreTimkatጥምቀት The Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Epiphany celebrating the baptism of JesusSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇧🇪 Bruges, BelgiumProcession of the Holy BloodHeilig Bloedprocessie An annual sacred parade and historical pageant through the streets of Bruges, Belgium.Spiritual

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 6 moreAsh WednesdayDies Cinerum A solemn Christian holy day of prayer, fasting, and the placing of ashesSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreEvil eye A belief in harm cast by envious glares, met with protective charms and spoken blessingsFolklore

🇱🇺 Echternach, LuxembourgDancing procession of EchternachIechternacher Sprangprëssioun A Roman Catholic hopping pilgrimage honouring Saint Willibrord in eastern LuxembourgSpiritual

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

🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreZaduszkiZaduszki, Dzień Zaduszny A Polish day of prayer for the dead on 2 November, kept with candles at the gravesSpiritual 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreCarol service A Christmas church service of seasonal hymns, scripture readings and candlelightSpiritual

🇵🇭 Philippines and 6 moreMaundy ThursdayDies Cenae Domini A Christian feast marking the start of Easter observances with foot washing and communion services.Spiritual 🇮🇹 Florence, ItalyScoppio del Carro An Easter Sunday fireworks display ignited by a flying dove in FlorenceFestival

🇫🇷 Lyon, FranceFestival of LightsFête des lumières A four-day festival in Lyon marking December 8 with illuminated windows and light artFestival

🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 moreSaint Patrick's DayLá Fhéile Pádraig An annual Irish holiday of parades, church services, green dress and shamrocksFestival

🇱🇧 Beirut, Lebanon and 7 moreEid il-Burbaraعيد البربارة A winter feast of costumes, sweet boiled wheat, and sprouting seeds across the LevantFestival · Feasts and festival meals

Photo credits on this page

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

Ash Wednesday: Oxh973, Public domain, source
Colindă: Post of Moldova, Public domain, source
Dinagyang Festival: Bernardo 'Berniemack' Arellano III, CC BY 3.0, source
Festa de São João do Porto: Hugo Cadavez, CC BY 2.0, source
Christmas in Russia: Gzen92, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Buhe: Woyne, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Easter in Poland: Silar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Holy Week in the Philippines: LMP 2001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Maundy Thursday: Benedetto Caliari, Public domain, source
Trndez: Armineaghayan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Koulourakia: foodistablog, CC BY 2.0, source
Wigilia: Przykuta, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Dhoti: Redaloes at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
Festa del Redentore: Photographer: Riccardo Speziari, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Las arras: penny, CC BY 2.0, source
Nativity scene: Yvonne Bentele, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Russian wedding traditions: GeorgeLouis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Wedding cord: Phil! Gold, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Ancestor worship: Lyn Gateley, CC BY 2.0, source
Nayrouz: Rafael Tuck & Sons, Ltd., CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Danza de los Voladores: A01333649, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Maximón: Sapfan (Jan Pesula), Public domain, source
Fanesca: Agencia de Noticias ANDES, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Ommegang: Zorro2212, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ofrenda: Eneas de Troya, CC BY 2.0, source
Royal Maundy: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Assumption of Mary: Jebulon, CC0, source
Epiphany: Gentile da Fabriano, Public domain, source
Easter: Piero della Francesca, Public domain, source
Winter solstice: Image by Przemyslaw " Blueshade " Idzkiewicz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Evil eye: FocalPoint, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Whit Tuesday: David Edgar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Eid il-Burbara: Durziil89, CC0, source
Saint Patrick's Day: rannṗáirtí anaiṫnid ( coṁrá ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Festival of Lights: Corentin Eustacchi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Procession of the Holy Blood: Cbl62, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Timkat: Jean Rebiffé, CC BY 4.0, source
Ethiopian Christmas: Tanjagari, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Lavagem do Bonfim: Adenilson Nunes/ AGECOM, CC BY 2.0, source
Mothering Sunday: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Passion Play of Iztapalapa: Eneas De Troya, CC BY 2.0, source
Palm Sunday: Pietro Lorenzetti, Public domain, source
Zaduszki: Ivan Mrkvička, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mano: TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO, Public domain, source