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.

🇭🇷 CroatiaBadnjakBadnji dan A Christmas Eve oak log burned in the hearth across Croatia to welcome the holiday.Festival · Fasting and breaking the fast 🇮🇹 Montepulciano, ItalyBravio delle botti An annual uphill wine barrel race between the eight historic districts of MontepulcianoGame

🇮🇹 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

🇦🇲 Armenia and 4 moreBlessing of the Throats A Christian prayer rite touching throats with crossed candles for protection from illnessSpiritual 🇽🇰 Kosovo and 2 morePodruga A Balkan custom in which a childless wife agreed to a second wife joining the householdRite of passage

🇹🇳 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

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

🇪🇸 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

🇮🇹 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 🇬🇧 United KingdomJack o' Lent An English Lenten custom of abusing and burning a straw figureSeasonal 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreKingdomtide An autumn liturgical season focusing on Christ's reign in heaven and on earthSpiritual 🇨🇱 ChileFiesta de La Tirana A week-long pilgrimage and dance festival in northern Chile honoring the Virgin of Mount Carmel.Festival

🇩🇪 GermanySeven Sleepers' DaySiebenschläfertag A German feast day on June 27 where the weather predicts the next seven weeks of summer.Seasonal

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelSong of Ascentsשיר המעלות Fifteen Hebrew psalms sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem and by monks at prayerSpiritual 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreQuaker wedding A silent marriage ceremony in a Quaker meeting, with no priest and no set orderRite of passage

🇷🇺 RussiaRussian folk music The village songs, choirs and instruments of Russia's ethnic Russian peoplePerformance 🇬🇪 GeorgiaTheodore's Saturday The first Saturday of Lent, kept with boiled wheat and visits to the gravesSpiritual · Sweets given and shared

🇮🇸 Skálholt, IcelandThorlak's MassÞorláksmessa Iceland's feast of its patron saint on 23 December, the last day before ChristmasSpiritual 🇮🇹 Rome, Italy and 2 moreInsufflation A ritual of blowing and breathing, used at baptism to drive out evil and breathe in graceSpiritual 🇷🇸 SerbiaVertepвертеп A Serbian Orthodox Christmas Eve custom, named for the cave of the NativitySpiritual

🇮🇹 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 🇭🇷 Metković, CroatiaŽudije Dalmatian guardians who watch the tomb of Christ from Holy Thursday to Easter VigilSpiritual

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

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

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

🇭🇷 Hvar, CroatiaZa križen A night procession on Hvar island where six villages walk simultaneously to honor the cross.Spiritual

🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom and 1 moreMarriage vows The promises a couple speak to each other as they marryRite of passage

🇵🇹 Lisbon, PortugalGraça Procession of the Lord of the PassionProcissão do Senhor dos Passos da Graça Lisbon's Lenten walk of seven Passion stops, kept every year since 1587Spiritual

🇬🇧 United KingdomChurch parade A formal military procession held to attend a religious serviceCeremony

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

🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 3 moreDupattaदुपट्टा A traditional South Asian scarf worn across the shoulders, chest, and headDress

🇮🇳 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

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

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

🇫🇷 Lyon, France and 2 moreWeek of Prayer for Christian Unity An eight-day international period of shared prayer for reconciliation among churchesSpiritual

🇪🇸 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

🇮🇱 IsraelProfession of Faith A public declaration of religious belief across Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditionsSpiritual

🇵🇭 PhilippinesPatadyong A traditional Philippine wrap skirt and versatile woven cloth from the VisayasDress

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

🇷🇺 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

🇮🇹 Benevento, ItalyWitches of Benevento A southern Italian tradition of walnut-tree gatherings and protective folk charmsFolklore

🇮🇪 Ireland and 2 moreEmber daysQuatuor Tempora A quarterly Western Christian rhythm of fasting, prayer and seasonal thanksgivingSeasonal · Fasting and breaking the fast 🇸🇰 SlovakiaJasličkári A Slovak Christmas custom of young men acting out the Nativity from house to houseFestival

🇧🇪 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

🇵🇭 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.

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
Seven Sleepers' Day: either an unknown master or „Frater Rufillus“, Public domain, source
Song of Ascents: No machine-readable author provided. Amoruso~commonswiki assumed (base, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Russian folk music: Лобачев Владимир, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Thorlak's Mass: Orf3us, Public domain, 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
Marriage vows: Tumi-1983, Public domain, source
Graça Procession of the Lord of the Passion: Franciscomendia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Weddings in India: Jaisingh Rathore, CC BY 2.5, source
Dupatta: Kinshuk Sunil, CC BY 2.0, source
Indian Christian Day: Aadhanvendhan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: Kaihsu Tai, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Feast of Saint Isidore the Laborer: Ángel Lizcano Monedero, Public domain, source
Blutritt: Joseph Bayer, Public domain, source
Profession of Faith: Westminster Assembly, Public domain, source
Patadyong: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
Witches of Benevento: Guglielmo della Porta, CC0, 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
Church parade: Boris Kustodiev, Public domain, source
Scottish folk music: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Indian wedding clothes: Lee Jordan, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Badnjak: Vidonjac, CC BY 2.0, source
Marches of Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse: Hoebele, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Feast of the Madonna di Pietraquaria: Marica Massaro, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ember days: Richard Symonds, CC BY 3.0, source