Australians do Christmas in thongs, sweat and prawns on ice. The rest of the world does it in candlelight, snow and stories that are older than the Federation. While we’re dodging sunburn and arguing over whether to put beer or milk out for Santa, much of Europe is marking Christmas with customs that feel more medieval than modern and entirely immune to the tyranny of the weather app.
It’s a cultural divide that becomes sharper the moment Australians travel north in December. And according to fresh research from global car rental comparison platform DiscoverCars.com, the way Christmas is observed across Europe is not just different, it is structurally, symbolically and spiritually removed from Australia’s summer spectacle.
What for us is a festive sprint to Boxing Day sales is, elsewhere, a slow ceremonial unfurling shaped by religion, folklore and food rituals that pre-date electricity, let alone air conditioning.
“Christmas is celebrated in so many fascinating ways around the world, with each country bringing its own customs, flavours, and festive spirit,” said Aleksandrs Buraks, Head of Growth at DiscoverCars.com. “From unique gift-giving traditions to special meals, decorations and seasonal music, these celebrations reflect the history and culture of each place.
“Exploring these differences offers a wonderful glimpse into how people mark the holiday season and shows just how diverse and imaginative festive traditions can be. If you’re travelling internationally this Christmas, keep an eye out for some of these traditions.”
For Australians accustomed to sun-bleached Decembers and televised cricket, what unfolds beyond our borders is a reminder that Christmas was never designed for humidity.
France: Where Shoes Replace Stockings and Dinner Takes Centre Stage
In France, Christmas is not a day; it is an evening. While Australians wake to presents on the 25th, French families place their emotional weight on Christmas Eve, when households gather for Le Réveillon. This night-long formal feast leans more toward ceremony than celebration.
Children do not put out milk and biscuits. Instead, they leave carrots for Santa’s donkey, a remnant of older folk tales that refuse to be edited out by modern consumerism. And stockings? Often replaced by shoes, positioned neatly by the fireplace.
The menu is unapologetically indulgent: foie gras, oysters, turkey with chestnuts (dinde aux marrons) and the unmistakable Bûche de Noël, the chocolate Yule log that closes the night. Gifts are often exchanged before midnight, under table lamps rather than floodlights.
It is quieter than the Australian version of Christmas. Slower. Richer. And far less concerned with beating the heat.
Italy: A Month of Faith, Food and a Witch on a Broomstick
In Italy, Christmas does not arrive; it unfolds.
The season officially begins on 8 December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and stretches well into January. Children receive gifts from Babbo Natale on Christmas Day. Still, the final act arrives on 6 January, with La Befana, a broom-flying folkloric witch who delivers sweets to children during Epiphany.
In parts of central and southern Italy, particularly around Naples, the streets fill with the haunting sound of zampognari, roaming bagpipe players dressed as shepherds, turning neighbourhoods into living nativity scenes.
Food governs the calendar. On Christmas Eve, Italians traditionally abstain from meat for La Vigilia, favouring seafood instead. Christmas Day itself is a prolonged, ceremonial lunch heavy with regional dishes, religious symbolism and arguments over whose nonna makes the better pasta.
It is a season that moves at its own pace, immune to retail deadlines.
Czech Republic: The Invisible Gift-Giver and Bathtub Carp
In the Czech Republic, Santa Claus barely rates a mention. Instead, children wait for Ježíšek, the Baby Jesus, an invisible gift-bringer who arrives in secret on 24 December.
Dinner that night bears no resemblance to Australian seafood platters. Families serve pan-fried carp with potato salad, a tradition so deeply entrenched that, until recently, live carp were commonly kept in home bathtubs for days before cooking.
Some diners tuck a carp scale into their wallet for luck in the new year. Others fast all day in the hope of seeing the mythical “golden pig”, a vision said to appear only to those who demonstrate restraint before the evening meal.
It is Christianity crossed with folklore and followed with quiet conviction.
Romania: A One-Day Christmas and Boots for Saint Nicholas
Romania compresses what Australians stretch across December into less than 24 hours. Tree decorating traditionally waits until Christmas Eve, turning preparation into a frantic, all-consuming ritual.
Yet gift-giving begins weeks earlier. On the night of 5 December, children polish their boots and leave them by the door for Moș Nicolae (Saint Nicholas). Good behaviour is rewarded with sweets. Poor behaviour earns a symbolic wooden stick.
Christmas Eve dinner centres on sarmale — slow-cooked cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice — alongside baked pork and mountains of cozonac, a sweet bread laced with walnut and cocoa. Families often begin preparing days in advance, filling kitchens with steam, vinegar and wood-smoke.
It is not a pretty Christmas. It is working Christmas, the kind that stains hands and binds families.
Poland: Twelve Dishes, One Empty Chair and Ancient Courtesy
In Poland, Christmas carries both reverence and ritual in equal measure.
Festivities begin on 6 December (Mikołajki), but the defining moment is Wigilia, the Christmas Eve supper. Gift-givers vary by region: Święty Mikołaj, Gwiazdor the Starman, or Dzieciątko, the baby Jesus.
The meal features twelve dishes, representing both the Apostles and the months of the year. Families share the Opłatek wafer, breaking pieces while exchanging wishes and forgiveness. One empty plate is always left at the table — for an unexpected guest or in memory of the dead.
It is one of Europe’s most quietly moving Christmas traditions — built on restraint rather than excess.
Australia by Contrast: Sunlit, Casual and Entirely Its Own
What these traditions reveal is not superiority but contrast.
European Christmas is winter-bound, theatrical, symbolic and sometimes solemn. Australian Christmas is sun-soaked, casual, noisy and definitely informal. We celebrate abundance in heat; they celebrate endurance in cold. We gather outdoors; they retreat inward.
Neither is wrong. Both are honest reflections of geography, history and temperament.
And as more Australians trade Bondi for Berlin and Noosa for Naples in December, Christmas is becoming a global experience rather than a national one shaped as much by passport stamps as by family recipes.
For those travellers, Christmas abroad is not just another holiday. It is a reminder that tradition, when left alone long enough, becomes identity.
by Kanda Limw – (c) 2025
Read Time: 6 minutes.
About the Writer
Kanda Limw is a self-motivated administrative professional with a strong track record of efficiently and precisely supporting business operations. Highly organised and adaptable, she brings a wealth of skills to the table, from multitasking and prioritising competing demands to managing complex filing systems and ensuring smooth office workflows.
Her background spans professional secretarial work, customer relations, and project planning, where her critical thinking and proactive approach have consistently delivered results. Kanda is experienced in managing directors’ schedules, coordinating meetings, and streamlining administrative processes while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism.
With progressive experience in office management, she has developed a reputation for reliability and attention to detail. Colleagues value her calm under pressure, her ability to anticipate needs, and her dedication to keeping operations on track. Kanda continues to build on her diverse skill set, driving efficiency and excellence in every task she undertakes.
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