Christmas Day Traditions Around the World  

Did you know a traditional Serbian Christmas involved hiding coins in special bread with the most fortunate in the family winning it? Locals also wash their faces on Christmas day with ‘strong water’ that is collected early in the morning to give themselves special powers! If that is not enough to mark the annual celebration, large bonfires outside are lit outside churches and guns fired into the air at dawn.

Luckily Chile experiences a sunny Christmas as it’s in the middle of summer come December. Christmas traditions include drinking ‘Cola de Mono’ or monkey’s tail for locals, which is a festive drink made from coffee, milk, liquor, cinnamon and sugar. Unwrapping presents commences at midnight, with children heading over to each other’s houses during early hours of the morning to share their excitement.

There is more than one reason to celebrate December in Costa Rica as the school year comes to an end and families look forward to hitting the beach! From making wreaths out of tropical flowers, red coffee berries and ribbons to watching the horseback parade on Boxing Day and participating in the carnival the following day, there’s lots to look forward to for Christmas.

In Greenland, traditional presents such as model sledges and a pair of walrus tusks are exchanged during Christmas. White anoraks, a special occasion custom, are donned by the men. Villages often display a Christmas tree on a hill nearby for everyone else to see.

Whatever your Christmas traditions may be, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! We hope you stop by the Sir Christopher Wren Hotel for a drink and bite to eat by the River Thames!