The Catholic religion is deeply rooted in the country thus religious traditions are still very much well-preserved. On each of the four Sundays before Christmas a new candle is lit.
5 Bizarre European Christmas Traditions
So here are eight more unique ways that European countries celebrate their Christmas traditions.
European christmas traditions. Here are some of our favorite unique traditions. Nicholas celebrated mostly in Catholic countries on Dec. Today were sharing some of the more eccentric and interesting European Christmas traditions that you might see if you travel here for winter break.
Next up is the Feast of St. These are usually three-dimensional objects with 24 compartments in which each has a small treat or bit of candy. Many fascinating European Christmas traditions could be found in Italy as well.
The wreath has been attributed to. Among the most popular are the German christkindlesmarkt The one in Nuremberg is the oldest in Europe dating from 1628 but the ones in Cologne and Munich are really spectacular. Christmas time in Italy starts on December 8th with a celebration of the Immaculate Conception which is also the national holiday.
In Belgium for example people have an apéritif consisting of a drink with some small snacks followed by a starter course and by stuffed turkey game or chicken. Another tradition is setting an extra seat by the dining table for relatives who have passed away. They are held in many cities in Belgium Austria Hungary etc.
Most children in Portugal write their Christmas letters to baby Jesus asking for gifts rather than to Santa Claus. There are however European countries which have a heavier meal on Christmas Eve like Belgium France Slovenia Spain Switzerland Sweden and Ukraine. Another important holiday is celebrated on December 13th Saint Lucy who is a saint protector of the sight.
These can be plain rectangles often decorated as a house or something similar a train a wreath or pretty much anything. Advent calendars are a fun tradition in most of Europe. Traditionally Catholic families ate their Christmas meal on returning from midnight mass which in those days started at midnight.
From Latvias burning of the Yule Log to how the Czechs keep their carp in the bathtub ahead of turning them into lunch on Christmas Eve here are 10 of. Visiting Europe at Christmas is fantastic and weve shared many videos about traveling over the holidays. Whatever your idea of the perfect Christmas no place does yuletide traditions quite like Europe.
First comes Advent beginning four Sundays before Christmas Eve. We had so many responses to our last EuropeanChristmas traditions post that we had to do a second one to include all the new traditions. Sometimes a fifth candle is also included to be lit on Christmas day.
Back then Christmas dishes depended on the region. One of the most deeply-rooted Christmas traditions is the Christmas market particularly in Central Europe.