Christmas Traditions from Around the World: How Students Celebrate the Holidays in Bristol

Christmas is a time for celebration! For international students in Bristol, it’s an opportunity to blend the traditions they grew up with in their home countries while embracing new traditions in the UK. With students from all corners of the world, Bristol lights up at Christmas time with diverse holiday celebrations, with a unique mix of old and new traditions. We all celebrate Christmas in our own way; so, let’s look at how international students from various cultures celebrate Christmas, both back home and in Bristol – do you follow any of these traditions?

1. Christmas in Germany: Christmas Markets and Advent Calendars

For many German students, Christmas is synonymous with the Weihnachtsmarkt—the traditional Christmas market, where you can enjoy mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, and festive treats like Lebkuchen (gingerbread cookies).

In Germany, the Christmas season kicks off with Advent, and many families decorate an Advent wreath with four candles, lighting one each Sunday leading up to Christmas.

Adventskalender (Advent calendars) are another beloved tradition, with small gifts or chocolates hidden behind each door.

In the UK, we’ve certainly adopted advent calendars and Christmas markets, although our markets are just a replicate of how great the Weihnachtsmarkts in Germany are. They’re certainly one to tick off your travel bucket list if you’re a keen traveller!

2. Christmas in Mexico: Las Posadas and Tamales

Christmas in Mexico is a very lively time of year, filled with colourful celebrations and deep cultural significance. One of the most notable traditions is Las Posadas, a reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter in Bethlehem, which takes place over nine nights leading up to Christmas Eve. During this time, families get together to sing carols, enjoy festive foods like tamales (corn dough filled with meats or sweets), and drink ponche (a warm fruit punch).

Top Bristol Tip: Fancy trying a new culture this year and making festive Tamales? Otomí in Clifton is an independent Mexican owned shop that sell authentic Mexican ingredients for you to buy and try.

3. Christmas in India: Faith and Festivity

In India, Christmas is celebrated by millions of Christians, but the holiday is also celebrated alongside other major Hindu and Muslim festivals, making it a colourful and diverse celebration. In regions like Goa, Christmas is marked by midnight Mass, carol singing, and festive feasts that include rich meat curries, bebinca (a traditional Goan dessert), and sweets. Christmas trees are put up with lights, and nativity scenes are set up in homes.

Carol singing, Christmas trees and nativity scenes are nothing new in Bristol. Fancy trying midnight mass carol singing this year? There are multiple places to celebrate midnight mass with carols in Bristol, including Bristol Cathedral, St Nicholas Church, and St Mary Redcliffe Church.

4. Christmas in Sweden: The Feast and Swedish Julbord

In Sweden, Christmas celebrations reach their peak on Christmas Eve, when families get together for a grand julbord—a Christmas buffet full of traditional dishes like pickled herring, meatballs, and julskinka (Christmas ham). Swedish families also enjoy glögg (mulled wine) and lussebullar (saffransbullar, saffron buns).

A unique tradition is watching Kalle Anka (Donald Duck), a cartoon show, which airs every Christmas Eve.

Do you have a Christmas film or show you like to watch every year? Why not share it with your Bristol flatmates and make a tradition?

5. Christmas in Japan: A Unique Celebration – fried chicken anyone?

In Japan, Christmas is not traditionally a religious holiday but has become a widely celebrated event in the past few decades, often as a time for couples to enjoy romantic dinners or for families to buy each other presents. While Christmas cakes (a light sponge cake decorated with strawberries and whipped cream) are a staple, the most iconic Japanese Christmas tradition is eating KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) on Christmas Day, a quirky phenomenon that started with a marketing campaign back in the 1970s.

Whilst there isn’t a KFC in central Bristol, there are plenty delicious fried chicken places around the city if you want to get involved with this Japanese tradition. See them here.

6. Christmas in the Philippines: The Longest Christmas Season in the World

In the Philippines, Christmas is a big deal and is celebrated longer than anywhere else in the world—starting in September (yes September!) and lasting through January.

The season kicks off with Simbang Gabi (dawn Masses) and reaches it’s peak in the Noche Buena feast on Christmas Eve, where families get together to enjoy a grand spread that often includes lechón (roast pig), bibingka (rice cakes), and pancit (noodles). Homes are decorated with vibrant parols (star-shaped lanterns), and the home is filled with joy and light.

If anyone in Bristol ever tells you it’s too early to be playing Christmas songs, tell them how early the Philippines start celebrating!

7. Christmas in China: A Modern Twist on a Western Holiday

In China, Christmas isn’t a national holiday, but it has become increasingly popular, especially in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai. While many Chinese people do not celebrate Christmas as a religious occasion, it’s embraced as a time for giving, festive decorations, and shopping (as if we needed an excuse!).

Christmas lights and decorations can be seen in shopping malls, and many Chinese students enjoy exchanging gifts and going to Christmas parties. In some regions, people celebrate by eating jiaozi (dumplings) or having a special meal at a restaurant.

A lot of the festivities we see in Bristol, such as the decorations, lights and festive retail campaigns, are like that in China at this time of year!

Embracing Global Traditions in Bristol

Bristol is a city filled with large cultural diversity, and students from around the world bring their unique Christmas traditions with them, creating a fabulous festive atmosphere in the city ever year.

Whether it’s enjoying a Swedish julbord, making Mexican tamales, or decorating with Filipino parols, it’s great that Bristol students are able to embrace the festive spirit in their own ways.

It’s a great reminder of the global community that exists in Bristol, where everyone can celebrate the holiday season, no matter where they come from.

Have you picked up any new traditions from this blog post? Whatever you’re up to this holiday season, Urban Student wish you a very #MerryBristmas !

Published: 16.12.24 by Phoebe Clutton