See Christmas traditions from around the world

See how Advent traditions vary widely around the world

Advent is celebrated in distinct ways across countries—Chinese Christians hang colorful lanterns, Mexicans reenact Las Posadas processions, Germans light weekly wreath candles, and Hungarians attend dawn matins—reflecting how local cultures shape the season’s preparation.

See what people around the world eat for Christmas

Christmas meals vary widely around the world: the British serve roast turkey and Christmas pudding, many Italians celebrate with seafood-only feasts, Filipinos eat whole spit-roasted pigs, and Mexican families enjoy tamales.

Check out Valentine's Day traditions from around the world

Valentine's Day is a holiday all about romance, but the way that's expressed differs depending on where the celebration takes place. This list breaks down some interesting takes on the holiday from across the globe, including mass weddings in the Philippines and Japan's gender-specific chocolate exchanges.

Thirty weird facts about Christmas trees

From its fascinating origin to how yours is grown today, these incredible Christmas tree facts will add a little bit more wonder to your holiday season.

Norse Yule solstice rituals inspired many modern Christmas decorations

Scandinavian Vikings celebrated Yule during the winter solstice, burning massive, decorated logs to protect their homes and ensure good harvests, while hoping for the sun's return. The festival included evergreens, mistletoe, holly, and ivy.

Day of the Dead is celebrated across the world

While almost all celebrations involve cemeteries and altars, many countries also have their own unique traditions, including Bolivia’s staircase-shaped bread to help lead souls to heaven, and Haiti’s voodoo-influenced rituals.

Christmas carols evolved from medieval folk songs to modern holiday staples

Christmas carols began as communal folk songs in medieval Europe, and were later adapted into religious hymns. Revived in England in the 19th century, they have become a core holiday tradition around the world.

A brief history of Christmas tree design

A celebration of the Christmas tree in all its festive glory. Get a glimpse into its intriguing background and the lore that accompanies it.

The winter solstice has been celebrated globally for millennia

From gatherings at Stonehenge in the UK to celebrations of the triumph of Mithra in Iran, cultures around the world have marked the shortest day of the year in a variety of ways for a very long time. Here are eight known to us today that endure.

Track Santa and his industrious elves

Starting in December, you can follow along with Santa’s trek across the globe. Spend time on the map, play games, and even translate your holiday messages into other languages.

Firework-related celebrations include an annual summer celebration in El Salvador, where residents throw kerosene-soaked balls to commemorate a 1658 volcanic eruption.

The solstice has been celebrated globally for millennia.

Santa Claus is the result of centuries of evolving traditions

Originating from Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop celebrated for his generosity, Santa's story merged with European folk legends like Sinterklaas and Father Christmas. By the 1800s, American culture redefined him, thanks to Clement Clarke Moore’s poem "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and Thomas Nast’s illustrations.

Unique Hanukkah traditions exist globally, thanks to the global spread of Judaism

In Mexico, they smash dreidel-shaped piñatas, while in Morocco, children make bonfires from the leftover candles. And in Tunisia, Hanukkah overlaps with the Festival of Daughters, during which women are freed from doing any labor and gather to snack on doughnuts and honey cookies.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert popularized the Christmas tree in 1840s Britain

An 1848 engraving of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert around a decorated Christmas tree sparked a trend across Britain and the US. Their German-inspired custom quickly became a fashionable centerpiece of holiday celebrations.

A list of Carnival celebrations from around the world

Mardi Gras might be associated with New Orleans, but cities across the globe also celebrate Carnival with similar festivities. This list breaks down nine of the most popular, including masquerade balls in Venice, Creole celebrations in Cape Verde, and the Battle of the Flowers in France.

Countries that celebrate Easter

Easter is observed as a national holiday in more than 95 countries, with traditions varying wildly—from water fights in Hungary to crime novel reading in Norway—reflecting how thoroughly Christian practice has mixed with local culture.

Dutch immigrants to America brought 'Sinterklaas,' a tradition of gift-giving to children

Dutch settlers brought Sinterklaas—their tradition of celebrating Saint Nicholas on Dec. 6 with gifts for children—to 17th-century New Amsterdam (now New York), where American culture eventually reimagined the bishop into our modern portrayal of Santa Claus.

A look at some of the world's most unique churches

From a skeleton-adorned church in the Czech Republic to wooden churches built without nails in Russia, this video explores some of Christianity's most intriguing architectural feats. These places of worship were built in remote areas throughout history, and show amazing innovation. See a fascinating glimpse into the overlooked structures, along with stories of how and why they came to be.

Many Christians observe a different theme for each week of Advent

Many churches structure Advent around weekly themes—often hope, peace, joy, and love—which shape sermons, prayers, Scripture readings, and the lighting of candles on the Advent wreath. The specific themes vary widely across denominations and communities.

Many New Year's Eve traditions came from German immigrants

While it’s hard to trace the origins of many New Year’s traditions, many of the norms for American New Year’s Eve celebrations come from German immigrants, who significantly influenced American culture in the 1800s. Below is an excerpt from an 1863 New York Times article describing a German New Year’s celebration.

Saturnalia was a Roman festival that helped shape Christmas

Ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia in mid-December, honoring Saturn, the god of agriculture, with week-long street festivals. These celebrations featured gift exchanges, lavish meals, and gambling, which was prohibited in public at the time.

Christmas elves evolved from Norse mythology to Santa’s workshop

Elves originated as powerful human-sized beings in Norse mythology, closely tied to nature and fertility. In the 1800s, American writers reimagined them as tiny, toy-making assistants for Santa Claus, with later visual depictions by Norman Rockwell and Disney solidifying their role in Christmas folklore.

Twelve ways the world celebrates springtime

Celebrating the seasonal change is rarely filled with as much relief and hope around the world as spring. This list compiles some famous and lesser-known springtime traditions from diverse cultures.

Rockwell helped define the American Christmas

Rockwell painted 30 Christmas covers for the Saturday Evening Post. Drawing on his love of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” Rockwell placed the holiday’s unofficial traditions in an American context, with images of eager children, snow-covered small towns, and warm family meals.

Charles Dickens transformed Christmas into an important family-centric holiday

When Charles Dickens published "A Christmas Carol" in 1843, its story of an old man's redemption helped reshape the holiday, popularizing themes of generosity, reflection, and family that transformed the Christmas season.

A Spanish New Year's Eve tradition is eating 12 grapes at midnight

When midnight hits, participants in Spain, as well as Mexico and some Latin American countries, are encouraged to eat a grape for each of the clock’s strikes. (We’re assuming they’ve got some nice grandfather clocks!) The tradition is intended to bring good luck in the new year. The idea is believed to have originated in the 1890s, but took off when Spanish grape farmers had a surplus harvest.

The myth of Santa Claus has partially caused a consumption-oriented holiday season

Yahoo pulled together a humorous collection of social media posts from people who seem to have forgotten that the holidays aren’t only about getting presents. The article is a sobering reminder to spend time with loved ones and show gratitude during the special season.

'Christmas Past' examines the forgotten stories behind holiday traditions

“Christmas Past” is a long-running podcast that explores the origins of Christmas traditions through short and engaging episodes, blending historical deep dives with warm-hearted narration.

Leaving cookies for Santa became popular in America during the Great Depression.

A Swedish town erects a giant straw Christmas goat each year—often burned down by pranksters

Each year, the town of Gävle builds a giant straw Christmas goat, which pranksters often burn, despite heightened security measures. Notable attacks include arsonists dressed as Santa and gingerbread men firing flaming arrows and hackers disabling cameras before torching the goat.

See some of college football's most iconic gameday traditions.

A town in Peru holds a massive fistfight on Christmas

In Santo Tomás, Peru, Christmas Day features Takanakuy—organized public brawls where residents settle disputes through ritualized fistfights. The tradition, rooted in Andean customs, acts as a communal reset before the new year.

Father Christmas was originally associated with decadent parties

The English figure of Father Christmas is another component of the character that would become Santa Claus. Father Christmas was depicted as eating and drinking to excess until the more austere Victorian era. He morphed into a figure dedicated to children and charity, eventually blending into the modern Santa Claus.

Christmas celebrates the anniversary of God's birth as the man Jesus

The major holiday originated in the Christian doctrine of God's incarnation in first-century Roman Judea. Though it was not celebrated for several hundred years after Jesus' death, it took on greater importance as the church spread, culminating in a global holiday season today.

Mall Santas became a widespread tradition beginning in the 1900s

Santa Claus and commercialism are inextricable. In the early 1900s, department stores started putting “live” Santa Claus displays in their windows to help sell goods.

The holiday has evolved alongside its participants' cultural identities

The Day of the Dead blends various traditions, including Aztec myth, Mexican heritage and Chicano identity. That makes for a complex and evolving holiday. This conversation between Cynthia Vidaurri, a Smithsonian folklorist, and Lalo Alcaraz, a cultural consultant for “Coco,” analyzes how the varied influences have created the modern holiday.

Two Americans solidified the modern conception of Santa Claus in the 1800s

Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem, now known as “The Night Before Christmas,” envisioned Santa riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer, making nighttime visits to provide gifts. Thomas Nast’s Harper’s Weekly illustrations in the 1860s–1880s established his distinctive appearance—large, bearded, and clad in an (often) red suit.

Hear the story of Saint Nicholas, the inspiration for modern Santa Claus

A fourth-century Greek bishop in Turkey, Nicholas was known for his generosity and gift-giving. Legend holds that he secretly tossed gold bags through a window to save three sisters from slavery, which landed in stockings drying by the fire.

The title of 'World’s Largest Christmas Tree' is disputed

Cities in the US, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands all claim they have the world’s largest Christmas tree—ranging from massive evergreens, TV and communication towers, and hillside light displays.

Before electric lights, Christmas trees were lit with real candles

The practice of lighting Christmas trees with electricity didn’t begin until the late 1800s. Before that, families used wax candles on branches—a dangerous tradition that originated in 16th-century Germany.

The Slavic Ded Moroz is a more secular version of Santa Claus

Atheism was long a central part of Soviet politics. One facet was an attempt to wipe out religious holidays, Christmas (and Santa) included. Ded Moroz, or Father Frost, is the Soviet version of Santa, who also travels by carriage and has a long white beard.

Some Christian communities start Advent six weeks before Christmas instead of four

While most Western churches begin Advent on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, the Ambrosian Rite (northern Italy) and the Mozarabic Rite (Spain) begin six Sundays before Christmas.

See some of the weirdest Advent calendars you can buy

Modern Advent calendars span nearly every niche imaginable. Shoppers can now buy versions filled with cheese, dog treats, hot sauce, and even sexual-wellness products, reflecting how far the tradition has expanded beyond simple chocolate countdowns.

Early European observance varied between penitential and celebratory seasons

For centuries, churches disagreed over the purpose of Advent: Gaul and Spain treated it as a long, penitential fast beginning on November 11, while Rome observed a shorter, more joyful season. These competing traditions were only blended into a unified Advent in the Middle Ages.

What ghosts eat around the world

This Thrillist article compiles a rich assortment of cultural beliefs and practices surrounding food for the dead. From Bengali folklore to Ancient Greek mythology, peruse through the different ways in which cultures around the world use food to maintain connected to the deceased.

One of the earliest Advent practices came as a response to a heretical movement

In 380 CE, the Council of Saragossa met to oppose the spread of Priscillianism, a local heresy. The council ordered Christians to observe strict church attendance from Dec. 17 to Christmas—one of the earliest documented Advent-like practices.

The Advent wreath marks each week before Christmas with the lighting of candles

An Advent wreath is a circle of evergreens holding four candles—one for each Sunday of Advent. Christians light a new candle each week, often tied to themes like hope or joy, creating a visible countdown to Christmas.

Krampus is known in Central Europe as Santa's scary counterpart

If you live in Austria or Germany, you've likely heard of the Krampus—a horned, half-goat demon who punishes bad children, sometimes by kidnapping them, sometimes by hitting them with birch switches, and occasionally by bringing them back with him to Hell.

Guatemala's Day of the Dead tradition fills the sky with colorful kites

In a tradition that has lasted over 3,000 years, Guatemalans launch giant kites into the air on the eve of Day of the Dead. The colorful kites honor the dead and carry messages of hope, love and peace to the world.