I love learning about Christmas traditions in other countries. I have seen more incredible ways to celebrate Christmas than I have any other holiday, and learning about them brings us together in wonderful ways. I’ve gathered many different ways you can add Christmas traditions from other countries to your homeschool this year. If you’d like to go deeper into learning about Christmas traditions in these countries, they are the same countries featured in my Christmas Around the World resources. Here are some fun links to Christmas crafts and Christmas recipes from all over the globe. Which ones will you try? Which ones would you add to the list (for these or from any country)? Let me know in the comments!
*Please note: I am not able to explore each of these sites in full, so please use caution and view them first before sharing them with your children. I am not affiliated with these sites in any way and do not endorse them. I include them only as a way to help you save time when looking for activities related to my titles that you can do with your family.
Christmas Traditions in Australia
Though both Australia and New Zealand claim to be the birthplace of the delicious meringue dessert called pavlova, the dessert is an important part of Christmas traditions in Australia.
Christmas Traditions in Brazil
Brazil has many tasty dishes to choose from! You can try a breakfast or brunch dish such as rabanada (or have it as a dessert!), a main dish such as bacalhau, a tasty side dish like Brazilian Christmas rice, or a delicious dessert such as Brazil nut pie, panettone fruit cake, or Brazilian pave.
- How to Make Rabanada (Brazilian French Toast)
- How to Make Portuguese Bacalhau
- How to Make Brazilian Christmas Rice (this site has a ton of ads, so be careful)
- How to Make Brazil Nut Pie
- How to Make Panettone Fruit Cake
- How to Make Brazilian Pave
Christmas Traditions in Canada
In Canada, you might make a French Canadian tourtière (meat pie) on Christmas Eve. And don’t forget the bûche de Noël and chicken bones candy for dessert!
Christmas traditions in China
To add a Chinese tradition to your Christmas celebrations, you could try making a paper lantern. There are many different styles you can choose from! To add some Chinese flavor to your menu, try eight treasures duck or Chinese spring rolls.
- How to Make Paper Lanterns (various styles, including round like those in the book)
- How to Make Eight Treasures Duck
- How to Make Chinese Spring Rolls
Christmas traditions in Egypt
For something a little different, try some fata (Egyptian meat soup) along with your usual traditions this year!
Christmas traditions in England
I think a Christingle is one of the neatest (and simplest) Christmas crafts I’ve ever seen! It only requires a few pieces, and there’s no mess like some crafts. You can make a traditional one or a paper version if you’d like. To add some English dishes to the menu, you could make frumenty for breakfast or as a side dish, have Yorkshire pudding with your main meal, and enjoy English trifle for dessert!
- How to Make Frumenty
- How to Make Yorkshire Pudding
- How to Make English Trifle
- How to Make a Christingle or How to Make a Christingle Paper Craft
- Twelve Days of Christmas Craft and Activity Ideas
Christmas traditions in Ethiopia
Sistrums are part of the Christmas celebration, and it’s easy to make your own version of this musical instrument at home. You can try some doro wat with injera for a traditional Ethiopian meal this Christmas.
Christmas traditions in France
The options for French Christmas desserts abound! This year, try some French nougat, bûche de Noël, or Galette des Rois.
Grab your FREE Christmas Around the World: France Coloring Book!
Christmas traditions in Germany
I so enjoyed learning about Christmas decoration traditions in Germany! There are so many to explore! A few that I love are strohsterne (straw stars), Froebel stars (Moravian stars), and nutcrackers. Of course, gingerbread is a huge part of German Christmas traditions. And there are many Christmas candies and cookies to try such as lebkuchen, zimtstern, marzipankartoffeln (German potato candy), and springerle.
- Strohsterne (Straw Stars) Craft Tutorial
- Froebel Stars (Moravian Stars) Craft Tutorial
- Nutcracker and Nutcracker Ballet Crafts
- How to Make Stollen
- Here are lots of gingerbread cookie recipes.
- Here is a fun gingerbread house paper craft, and here is a list of gingerbread craft ideas.
- How to Make Lebkuchen
- How to Make Zimtstern
- How to Make Marzipankartoffeln (German Potato Candy)
- How to Make Springerle
Christmas traditions in Ireland
Christmas food options are plentiful in Ireland! This year, try some Irish mince pie, Christmas pudding, or Christmas cake!
- How to Make an Irish Mince Pie
- How to Make Christmas Pudding (Plum Pudding)
- How to Make Irish Christmas Cake
Christmas traditions in Italy
Italy is a land known for its world-famous cuisine, and it has many different Christmas recipes to try. You can make panforte (Italian fruit cake); Christmas breads like panpepato, pandoro, or panettone; a sweet treat such as torrone; or a traditional antipasto.
- How to Make Panforte
- How to Make Panpepato
- How to Make Pandoro
- How to Make Panettone
- How to Make Torrone
- How to Make Antipasto
Christmas traditions in Japan
For a traditional Japanese Christmas craft, try a kirigami snowflake. Then celebrate your masterpieces with a kurisumasu keki (Christmas cake)!
Christmas traditions in Kenya
Taking pictures is a big part of Kenyan Christmas traditions, so explore some ways your kids can have fun with photography (and some gifts they can make with their photographs!). As in most countries, food is a big part of Kenyan Christmas traditions, so this year, try some nyama choma and ugali, chapati, or Kenyan sukuma.
- 5 Ways Kids Can Have Fun with Photography (including gifts they can make)
- How to Make Nyama Choma and Ugali
- How to Make Chapati
- How to Make Kenyan Sukuma
Christmas traditions in Mexico
Christmas crafts to celebrate Christmas and Las Posadas include making luminarias or piñata ornaments. For main dishes and sides, try some bacalao (dried cod dish), ensalada Nochebuena (Christmas salad), pozole (soup), or tamales. Wash it down with some Mexican Christmas punch. And for some sweet treats, try buñuelos, churros, or conchas! (You might even make a churro log cabin instead of a gingerbread house this year!)
- How to Make Luminarias
- Here is a fun Las Posadas craft, and here is a whole list of possible Las Posadas activities.
- How to Make Mexican Bacalao
- How to Make Ensalada Nochebuena
- How to Make Pozole
- How to Make Tamales
- How to Make Ponche, Mexican Christmas Punch
- How to Make Buñuelos
- How to Make Churros (and here is a fun churro log cabin that can take the place of a gingerbread house)
- How to Make Conchas
Christmas traditions in the Netherlands
If you’re looking for a Christmas craft to do this year, why not try kerstkransjes (which can double as a tasty treat!). You can also make kerstol (Dutch Christmas bread); oliebollen (Dutch doughnuts), or try some Dutch Christmas cookies such as pepernoot (pepernoten) or speculaas.
- Kerstkransjes Recipe and Craft
- How to Make Oliebollen
- How to Make Kerstol, Dutch Christmas Bread
- How to Make Pepernoot
- Simple Speculaas Recipe (no cookie mold required)
Christmas traditions in the Philippines
I love Christmas parols and was excited to find both a simple version and a harder one you can try. Carolers often carry handmade instruments, so check out these ways to make do-it-yourself musical instruments. For some Filipino recipes to try, you can make pancit or embutido. For snacks and desserts, try your hand at making bibingka, puto bumbong, pandesal, or kalamay.
- How to Make a Parol – Here is a simpler parol craft, and here is a much larger, more complicated parol craft.
- Here are some Resources to Make Do-It-Yourself Musical Instruments and some Musical Instruments Kids Can Make from Everyday Materials.
- How to Make Filipino Pancit
- How to Make Embutido
- How to Make Bibingka
- How to Make Puto Bumbong
- How to Make Pandesal
- How to Make Kalamay
Christmas traditions in Russia
Matryoshkas are famous all over the world. To add some Russian style to your Christmas tree, try a matryoshka paper craft. You could try some Russian main dishes and side dishes such as kutya, pagach, borsch, solyanka, or pelmeni. Wash it all down with some vzvar!
- How to Make a Matryoshka Paper Craft
- How to Make Kutya
- How to Make Quick & Easy Pagach
- How to Make Borsch (Borscht)
- How to Make Solyanka
- How to Make Russian Pelmeni
- How to Make Vzvar
Christmas traditions in South Africa
For a sweet South African treat this year, try adding some malva pudding to your menu!
Christmas traditions in Spain
You can try different kinds of tapas for a delicious appetizer and Spanish turron for a sweet Christmas treat that is hard to beat!
Christmas traditions in Sweden
There are so many wonderful Swedish Christmas crafts you can make! You can try Swedish paper star ornaments and Swedish heart baskets (these two are my favorites!), a tulip-themed craft, a pomander, a St. Lucia Day crown, or a Dala horse-inspired craft. For some Swedish treats, try lussekatts or pepparkakor.
- How to Make Swedish Paper Star Ornaments (click the button on the post, not the underlined link)
- How to Make Swedish Heart Baskets (scroll down her post for instructions in English)
- Here is a whole list of tulip crafts kids can make.
- How to Make a Sweedish Orange and Clove Pomander
- Here’s a fun St. Lucia Day crown kids can make.
- Fun Dala Horse Craft for Kids
- How to Make Swedish Saffron Buns (Lussekatts)
- How to Make Pepparkakor
Christmas traditions in Many Countries
Many traditions are popular in multiple places around the world. Try some poinsettia-themed crafts, have fun making an Advent calendar, or try your own Christmas crackers!
- Fun Poinsettia Crafts for Kids
- DIY Advent Calendars (some of these are a bit over-the-top, but some are simple and might work well or spark an idea for something that will work for your family)
- How to Make Christmas Crackers
Nancy I. Sanders says
Bonnie, this is such an amazing resource!!! Thanks so much for putting this together. I’m eager to dig into these activities…and just in time for Christmas, too!
WriteBonnieRose says
Thank you very much!!
Amy E says
Wow! Thank you for this post! I plan to utilize this resource to learn more about Christmas around the world. This is the best post of its kind that I’ve seen. Thanks again for sharing!
WriteBonnieRose says
Thank you very much! I’m so glad it was helpful!