Christmas Traditions Around the World
In the thick of the holiday season, we’re surrounded by Christmas traditions from near and far. Colorful and exciting, beautiful and meaningful, we learn traditions from and pass them on to family and friends. It’s a wonderful way to share the joy of the season with each other. Check out this Homeschool Living to explore the ways people celebrate Christmas around the world and be inspired by some of the similarities in how we rejoice in the birth of our Savior.
Fun Facts of Christmas Traditions
Check out these fun facts for kids about Christmas traditions around the world. Learn how children around the world wish each other “Merry Christmas” and exchange gifts with friends and family.
Festive Christmas Traditions
These forty Christmas activities from around the world are great ways to explore other cultures, examine the similarities and differences in how we celebrate, and join others across the globe in celebrating the birth of Christ.
El Dia de los Reyes (Magos)—Three Kings Day—is celebrated in Mexico to commemorate the arrival of the Three Wise Men as they traveled to honor and give gifts to the baby Jesus. While Christmas Day is still widely celebrated, El Dia de los Reyes is the “bigger” holiday for many Latino families. Where my husband grew up in Mexico, Christmas Day was a family gathering day, but El Dia de los Reyes was the gift-giving holiday, and the one he remembers being most excited for as a kid.
Every year since we’ve been married, I’ve attempted to make a traditional Rosca de Reyes (King’s Wreath)—a sweet, citrusy bread in the form of a circle and decorated with dried fruits, nuts, and strips of guava paste or a colored streusel-like topping. After a few humbling attempts, this recipe from Mexico In My Kitchen yielded beautiful results last year (third time’s the charm)!
Check out this Homeschool Living about the ubiquitous piñata to explore more Christmas traditions from Mexico.
In the Philippines, beautiful, colored, star-shaped lanterns—called paróls—steal the show and light up streets and windows everywhere in huge lantern festivals. Check out this blog post for some history and DIY instructions so you can create your own paról—a quintessential symbol of hope, blessing, and peace through the holiday season.
In Germany, festive friends share Lebkuchenherz, heart-shaped gingerbread cookies decorated with sugar icing and bearing fun or meaningful sayings. Try your hand at this sweet tradition by following the recipe here. You’ll also find some common German phrases for the cookies—and their translations. Or, make up your own to personalize the gifts to your family and friends.
For many more festive Christmas treats from around the world, check out Around the World on a Cookie Tray.
Megan Mora Fuentes
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