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

🇱🇹 Lithuania and 5 moreNativity of John the Baptist A Christian feast day on June 24 that marks the birth of John the Baptist and anticipates Christmas.Festival

🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreGrandparents' Day A single-day holiday kept on different dates in many countries to honour grandparentsFestival

🇬🇧 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

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

🇩🇰 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 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

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

🇪🇸 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

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreTranslation of relicsTranslatio The ceremonial transfer of holy remains or relics to a new church or shrineSpiritual

🇮🇹 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

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

🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreKoledariколядники A Slavic winter caroling custom of visiting homes with songs, masks and blessingsFestival

🇫🇷 FranceLa soule A rough medieval ball game from Normandy and Picardy played between parishes on religious holidays.Game

🇫🇷 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

🇮🇹 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 🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreIncubationἐγκοίμησις The sacred practice of sleeping in holy shrines to seek divine healing and dreamsSpiritual

🇵🇱 Zakopane, PolandKulig A traditional Polish winter sleigh ride party celebrated during the Carnival seasonFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇺🇦 Ukraine and 10 moreEgg decorating Decorating eggs with dye, wax and carving, kept at Easter, Nowruz and springCraft

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

🇧🇬 Plovdiv, Bulgaria and 8 moreDay of Slavonic Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and CultureДен на българската просвета и култура и на славянската писменост Bulgaria's public holiday for its alphabet, schools and culture, kept each 24 MayFestival

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

🇧🇪 Geraardsbergen, BelgiumKrakelingen and Tonnekensbrand A bread throw and a hilltop bonfire that close the winter in GeraardsbergenFestival

🇧🇦 Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina and 1 moreMedjugorje International Youth Festival A six-day August gathering of Catholic youth in Medjugorje, Bosnia and HerzegovinaFestival 🇦🇱 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

🇩🇪 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

🇷🇴 Bucharest, Romania and 2 moreCaloian A Romanian rainmaking and fertility ritual centered on the creation, funeral, and rebirth of a clay effigy.Festival

🇵🇱 Poland and 3 morePodłaźniczka A decorated evergreen branch hung over the Christmas Eve table in Poland and SlovakiaFestival

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

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

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

🇷🇺 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

🇫🇷 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 KingdomChurch parade A formal military procession held to attend a religious serviceCeremony

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

🇮🇪 Ireland and 2 moreEmber daysQuatuor Tempora A quarterly Western Christian rhythm of fasting, prayer and seasonal thanksgivingSeasonal · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇬🇧 United KingdomRacial Justice Sunday A day of prayer and action for racial justice observed by British Christian churches in February.Spiritual

Photo credits on this page

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

Day of Slavonic Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Medjugorje International Youth Festival: Piotr Frydecki, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Grandparents' Day: Wendy Berry, CC BY 2.0, 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
Saint Joseph's Day: Guido Reni, Public domain, source
Egg decorating: L.Kenzel, CC BY 3.0, source
Nativity of John the Baptist: Brakeet, CC0, 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
Koledari: Mikhail Germashev, Public domain, source
La soule: Unknown author Unknown author illustrator (based on a sketch by M.J.L., Public domain, source
Elevation: Vojtěch Slovák, CC BY 3.0, source
Kulig: various, Public domain, source
Day of Republika Srpska: Ministry of Defence of Republic of Serbia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Versus populum: Stebunik, CC BY 4.0, source
Caloian: Costică Acsinte Archive, No restrictions, 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
Räucherkerze: Richard Huber, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
George's Day in Autumn: Sergey Ivanov, 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
Mos Teutonicus: Cryx thypex, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Scottish folk music: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Krakelingen and Tonnekensbrand: Jan Coppens at nl.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 1.0, source
Patronal festival: Ranieljosecastaneda, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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
Podłaźniczka: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Epiclesis: Nheyob , cropped by Tahc, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ember days: Richard Symonds, CC BY 3.0, source
Racial Justice Sunday: Unknown author, Public domain, source