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 moreMarian feast days Holy days across the liturgical year celebrating the life and veneration of Mary.Spiritual

🇦🇲 ArmeniaHoly TuesdayMegali Triti A day of church services in Holy Week that remembers biblical parables about vigilance and readiness.Festival

🇬🇧 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

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

🇪🇸 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

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

🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreEpiclesisἐπίκλησις The liturgical calling upon the Holy Spirit to bless the bread and wine during communionSpiritual

🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreAnastenariaΑναστενάρια A barefoot firewalking and dance rite honouring Saint Constantine and Saint HelenSpiritual 🇬🇷 Greece and 2 moreAdelphopoiesisἀδελφοποίησις A historical Christian church ceremony creating a spiritual bond of brotherhoodSpiritual

🇮🇹 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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreRogation days Springtime Christian days of prayer, fasting, and parish boundary walks.Spiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇷🇺 RussiaAsperges The Christian liturgical ceremony of sprinkling the faithful with blessed waterSpiritual

🇪🇸 Toledo, SpainFeast of the Holy Name of Mary A Catholic feast day honouring the name and intercession of the Virgin MarySpiritual

🇮🇹 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

🇫🇷 FranceMos Teutonicus A medieval European funerary custom of boiling bones to return nobles home for burialRite of passage

🇫🇷 France and 5 moreFeast of the Sacred HeartSollemnitas Sacratissimi Cordis Iesu A Catholic holy day honoring Christ's love and mercy, observed in early summerSpiritual 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreFeast of the Holy Name of Jesus A Christian observance honoring the name of Jesus, celebrated on various dates across different traditions.Spiritual

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

🇸🇪 SwedenElevationēlevātiō The ritual lifting of the bread and chalice during the Christian EucharistSpiritual

🇦🇲 Armenia and 5 moreFeast of the TransfigurationՊայծառակերպութիւն A Christian holy day marking the revelation of Christ's divine glory on Mount TaborSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreIncubationἐγκοίμησις The sacred practice of sleeping in holy shrines to seek divine healing and dreamsSpiritual 🇺🇸 United StatesRumspringaRumshpringa An adolescent period of courtship and social exploration in Amish communities.Rite of passage

🇨🇴 ColombiaLittle Candles DayDía de las velitas Candles and paper lanterns across Colombia on the night before the Immaculate ConceptionSpiritual

🇸🇾 Syria and 2 moreAd orientem The Christian practice of facing eastward during personal prayer and communal liturgySpiritual

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

🇧🇦 Bosnia and HerzegovinaDay of Republika SrpskaДан Републике Српске An annual civic holiday observed across Republika Srpska on 9 JanuaryCeremony

🇪🇬 EgyptHermetic Qabalah A Western esoteric tradition blending Kabbalah, astrology, tarot and classical mythSpiritual

🇧🇴 San Ignacio de Moxos, BoliviaIchapekene Piesta A four-day festival of dance, feathers and procession in San Ignacio de Moxos, BoliviaFestival

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreRemoval of footwear indoors The widespread custom of leaving outdoor shoes at the door for cleanliness and respectEtiquette 🇦🇱 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

🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala, GuatemalaHoly Week in GuatemalaSemana Santa Street processions of floats, purple-robed penitents and sawdust carpets in GuatemalaSpiritual

🇩🇪 Wittenberg, Germany and 1 moreVersus populum A liturgical stance where the priest celebrates Mass facing the congregation from the opposite side of the altar.Spiritual

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

🇸🇾 Syria and 3 moreMystery of Crowning A ritual where crowns are placed on the heads of the bride and groom during marriage in Eastern Christian churches.Rite of passage

🇷🇸 Serbia and 3 moreLazariceлазарице A spring procession of girls in flower wreaths, singing door to door before Palm SundaySpiritual

🇨🇱 Tarapacá, ChileFestival of San Lorenzo An annual festival of religious dance and pilgrimage honoring Saint Lawrence in TarapacáSpiritual

🇵🇸 al-Khader, PalestineFeast of Saint George An annual gathering of Palestinian Christians and Muslims honouring Saint GeorgeSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇨🇱 ChileFiesta de La Tirana A week-long pilgrimage and dance festival in northern Chile honoring the Virgin of Mount Carmel.Festival 🇬🇧 United KingdomJack o' Lent An English Lenten custom of abusing and burning a straw figureSeasonal

🇷🇸 Serbia and 2 moreZapisзапис A consecrated village tree marked with a cross, venerated in Serbian folk traditionSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇷🇸 SerbiaVertepвертеп A Serbian Orthodox Christmas Eve custom, named for the cave of the NativitySpiritual

🇮🇹 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

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

🇪🇸 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

🇮🇹 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

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

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
Removal of footwear indoors: Sarang, Public domain, source
Medjugorje International Youth Festival: Piotr Frydecki, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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
Little Candles Day: CarUno, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Saint Joseph's Day: Guido Reni, Public domain, source
Ichapekene Piesta: Viaje al corazón de Bolivia, CC BY 2.0, source
Twelve Days of Christmas: Giotto, Public domain, source
Quinquagesima: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Anastenaria: Artkostov, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Asperges: Ian42, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Rogation days: Ray Trevena, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Translation of relics: User:Vmenkov, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Feast of the Holy Name of Mary: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY 3.0, source
Feast of the Transfiguration: Unknown artist, Public domain, source
Elevation: Vojtěch Slovák, CC BY 3.0, source
Day of Republika Srpska: Ministry of Defence of Republic of Serbia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Hermetic Qabalah: Jean-Louis Durant (1654-1718), Public domain, source
Versus populum: Stebunik, CC BY 4.0, source
Mystery of Crowning: Shakko, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Holy Week in Guatemala: derivative work: Sir James ( talk ) VolcanAguaPascuas.jpg :Infrogmatio, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Räucherkerze: Richard Huber, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Ad orientem: Joachim Specht, Public domain, source
Mos Teutonicus: Cryx thypex, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Patronal festival: Ranieljosecastaneda, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Holy Tuesday: Brothers Dalziel / John Everett Millais, CC0, source
Feast of the Sacred Heart: José de Páez, Public domain, source
Saint Sylvester's Day: Unknown medieval artist in Rome, Public domain, source
Lazarice: Svetlina bov at Bulgarian Wikipedia, Public domain, source
Epiclesis: Nheyob , cropped by Tahc, 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
Zapis: Zblagojevic, 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