No country packs more folklore into the dark of December than Iceland. Here children are visited not by one Santa but by thirteen mischievous Yule Lads who creep down from the mountains. A monstrous Yule Cat is said to prowl for anyone without new clothes, books flood the shops in […]
Europe
Christmas in France: Le Reveillon, Santons, and the Buche de Noel
Christmas in France is, above all, a feast. The centerpiece is not the morning of December 25 but the long, late supper on Christmas Eve called le réveillon, a meal of oysters, foie gras, and Champagne that can stretch past midnight. Around it sit some of Europe’s oldest Christmas customs: […]
Christmas in Poland: Wigilia, the Twelve Dishes, and the Empty Seat
Few countries keep Christmas quite the way Poland does. Here the most important night is not December 25 but the evening before, Christmas Eve, known as Wigilia. Families gather for a meatless supper of twelve dishes that does not start until the first star appears in the sky. They share […]
Christmas in Spain: Three Kings, El Gordo, and the Twelve Grapes
Christmas in Spain is a long, warm, and deeply social season. It runs for nearly a month, anchored by family meals, religious tradition, and a calendar of customs that many visitors find unfamiliar. There is no single Christmas Day rush here. Instead the celebration unfolds across several key dates, building […]
Christmas in the United Kingdom: Crackers, Carols, and Christmas Pudding
Much of the Christmas the English speaking world recognizes was shaped in Britain. The decorated tree in the parlor, the greeting card in the post, the carol service, and Charles Dickens’ tale of Scrooge all took their modern form here in the nineteenth century. A British Christmas today blends that […]
Christmas in Sweden: Saint Lucia, the Julbord, and the Jultomte
Christmas in Sweden is a festival of light in the heart of the darkness. In December the sun barely climbs above the horizon, and much of the country spends the holiday in a deep blue twilight. Against that darkness Swedes set a thousand small flames: Advent candles in every window, […]
Christmas in Italy: The Presepe, La Befana, and Christmas Eve Feasts
Christmas in Italy is a season of faith, family, and food, stretched between two great feast days and filled with traditions that are centuries old. It begins in early December and does not end until Epiphany in January, when a kindly old witch called La Befana makes her rounds. In […]
Christmas in Germany: Markets, Advent, and Traditions
Few countries have shaped the way the world celebrates Christmas as much as Germany. The decorated tree, the Advent wreath, the Advent calendar, glass ornaments, and the gingerbread house all began here, then spread across the globe. To spend Christmas in Germany is to visit the source of so many […]
What is Kalevala Day? Celebrating Finland’s National Epic and Culture
Every February 28, blue-and-white flags rise across Finland — not for a military victory or a political milestone, but for a book of poetry. That quiet act of flag-raising tells you everything about how deeply the Finns treasure their stories. Kalevala Day (Kalevalan päivä), also known as Finnish Culture Day […]
Top Things to Do on Statehood Day in Serbia for Tourists
Serbia’s Statehood Day, known locally as Sretenje (Сретење) or Dan državnosti (Дан државности), falls on February 15 every year. It is the most important national holiday in the country. The celebrations last two days — February 15 and 16 — and in 2026, the holiday weekend stretches from Sunday, February […]