Which countries celebrate Christmas on December 24 rather than December 25?

In our sourced country records the main celebration falls on Christmas Eve in Germany, Austria, Sweden, Poland, Finland, Norway. Gifts are usually opened that evening rather than on Christmas morning.

Is Santa Claus the gift bringer everywhere?

No. Across our country records the gift bringer varies: the Christkind or Weihnachtsmann in Germany, the Christkind in Austria, La Befana at Epiphany in Italy, Père Noël in France, Los Reyes Magos on January 6 in Mexico, Święty Mikołaj, the Aniołek or Gwiazdor by region in Poland, and godparents rather than a single figure in the Philippines.

Which themes can you compare across these country records?

This page compares the fields we hold for each country: the date of the main celebration, Advent and candle customs (Germany, Austria, Sweden), nativity scenes (Slovenia, Italy, France, Mexico), the recorded gift bringer and the festive markets or lantern events named in each record.

Does this page explain where Christmas traditions originally came from?

No. Origin stories for customs like stockings, colours or the date of December 25 are widely repeated but poorly sourced, so we leave them out. For the one history topic we do cover with named sources, see our page on who started the Christmas tree tradition.

Traditions

Christmas traditions around the world

Quick answer

Christmas looks different in every country, and the differences are more interesting than the shared parts. This guide compares the 14 countries we keep sourced records for by theme: when the main celebration happens, how candles and Advent are counted, who brings the gifts, and what fills the streets. It does not repeat origin legends, because the sources we use do not support them. For a country-by-country tour, open Christmas around the world or the Christmas Traditions Explorer.

When the main celebration happens

The single biggest difference is the date. In several countries the heart of Christmas is the evening of December 24, while others hold the main meal and gift opening on December 25, and a few keep the season running to Epiphany on January 6.

Germany: December 25 (with main celebration on December 24)
Austria: December 25 (main celebration on December 24)
Slovenia: December 25
United Kingdom: December 25
United States: December 25
Japan: December 25 (not a public holiday)
Italy: December 25, with the Christmas festivities closing at Epiphany on January 6
France: December 25, with Père Noël traditionally visiting on Christmas Eve
Sweden: December 24, Christmas Eve, as the main celebration
Mexico: December 25, with Las Posadas from December 16 to 24 and Día de Reyes on January 6
Poland: December 25, with the main celebration at the Wigilia supper on December 24
Finland: December 24, Christmas Eve, as the main celebration
Norway: December 24 evening as the main celebration
Philippines: December 25, with the season often starting as early as September

Counting down with candles and Advent

These are the records that mention Advent. In our data it takes the form of Advent wreaths and calendars, candlesticks, processions and homemade lanterns.

Germany: Families light a candle on the Advent wreath each Sunday before Christmas.
Austria: Advent begins with the first lit candle on the wreath.
Sweden: Advent starts about four weeks before Christmas, when the first candle is lit in the Advent candlestick, a custom going back to the 1890s.

If you would rather count the days on screen, our Christmas countdown does the same job as the wreath, with fewer matches.

Nativity scenes and Christmas theatre

The nativity scene appears under several names in our records, from jaslice and santons to the Nacimiento. These are the countries whose records mention it.

Slovenia: Three gift bringers appear across the season: Miklavž (Saint Nicholas) on December 6, Božiček around Christmas Eve and Dedek Mraz (Grandfather Frost) around New Year.
Italy: Italia.
France: Handcrafted decorations from local markets and santons, small clay figurines used for a nativity scene, are part of the festive setup described by France.
Mexico: Las Posadas begin on December 16 and finish on December 24.

Who brings the gifts

Santa Claus is only one of many gift bringers, and in some countries more than one figure shares the season. This is the gift bringer recorded in each of our country guides.

Germany: Christkind (in many regions) or Weihnachtsmann
Austria: Christkind
Slovenia: Miklavž, Božiček or Dedek Mraz, depending on family tradition
United Kingdom: Father Christmas (also called Santa)
United States: Santa Claus
Japan: Santa-san
Italy: La Befana on Epiphany; Christmas gift bringer practice varies by family
France: Père Noël
Sweden: Father Christmas, whose Swedish figure sweden.se traces back to Saint Nicholas
Mexico: Los Reyes Magos for January 6; Christmas gift traditions vary by family
Poland: Święty Mikołaj, Aniołek or Gwiazdor, depending on the region
Finland: Santa Claus, who Visit Finland says lives in Lapland in the north of Finland
Norway: Santa Claus, alongside Fjøsnissen, the barn-dwelling Norwegian nisse
Philippines: Gift-giving in the sources used is family and godparent based rather than tied to one figure

For how and when presents actually change hands, each country guide has its own gift customs section with its references listed.

Markets, lights and lanterns in public

These are the records that mention a Christmas market or a lantern event.

Germany: Families light a candle on the Advent wreath each Sunday before Christmas.
Slovenia: Three gift bringers appear across the season: Miklavž (Saint Nicholas) on December 6, Božiček around Christmas Eve and Dedek Mraz (Grandfather Frost) around New Year.
Japan: Cities are decorated with extensive illumination displays known as iruminēshon.
Italy: Italia.
France: Handcrafted decorations from local markets and santons, small clay figurines used for a nativity scene, are part of the festive setup described by France.

Finland: At midday on Christmas Eve the Declaration of Christmas Peace is broadcast on television and radio from Turku, a tradition Visit Finland says dates back about 700 years.
Philippines: Simbang Gabi is a series of nine dawn masses held from December 16 to 24, culminating in the Christmas Eve Misa de Aguinaldo.

What lands on the table

The food recorded for each country differs widely, from the meatless Wigilia supper in Poland to the julbord in Sweden and fried chicken in Japan. The full country by country comparison sits in our guide to Christmas food around the world, and the evening rituals are collected in Christmas Eve traditions.

What we leave out, and why

You will often read confident explanations of why Christmas is on December 25, why stockings are hung, or why red and green became the Christmas colours. Those origin questions fall outside the sources used for this comparison, so this page does not present them as facts. The one history topic we do cover, with named museum sources, is who started the Christmas tree tradition. Everything on this page comes from the country records behind our Christmas in guides, each of which lists its own sources.

Frequently asked questions

Which countries celebrate Christmas on December 24 rather than December 25?: In our sourced country records the main celebration falls on Christmas Eve in Germany, Austria, Sweden, Poland, Finland, Norway. Gifts are usually opened that evening rather than on Christmas morning.
Is Santa Claus the gift bringer everywhere?: No. Across our country records the gift bringer varies: the Christkind or Weihnachtsmann in Germany, the Christkind in Austria, La Befana at Epiphany in Italy, Père Noël in France, Los Reyes Magos on January 6 in Mexico, Święty Mikołaj, the Aniołek or Gwiazdor by region in Poland, and godparents rather than a single figure in the Philippines.
Which themes can you compare across these country records?: This page compares the fields we hold for each country: the date of the main celebration, Advent and candle customs (Germany, Austria, Sweden), nativity scenes (Slovenia, Italy, France, Mexico), the recorded gift bringer and the festive markets or lantern events named in each record.
Does this page explain where Christmas traditions originally came from?: No. Origin stories for customs like stockings, colours or the date of December 25 are widely repeated but poorly sourced, so we leave them out. For the one history topic we do cover with named sources, see our page on who started the Christmas tree tradition.