Today we’re expanding our festive exploration with even more Christmas traditions from around the world, shared by our friends and colleagues (check out part one here if you missed it). Understanding how different places and people celebrate this special time of year can add so much to our own celebrations so we hope you enjoy these festive insights:
Slovenia
Andrew Villone, one of our directors and tour leader of many of our adventures, currently lives in Slovenia and together with his son Leo wanted to share the tale of Krampus:
“Krampus is a demonic monster from alpine folklore. The name comes from the German word krampen meaning claws. He is hairy with horns, hooves, a long tongue, and long harp claws. All in all, he resembles a demon. I’m kind of surprised no one’s made a horror movie with… oh wait, never mind. They did.
Krampus goes from house to house with his friend Miklavž (who is the good version of Krampus). Miklavž gives gifts to kids who behaved well but Krampus takes the kids who didn’t behave well and stuffs them into a bag and throws them into the river. This happens on the eve of December 5th and it’s called Miklavževa noč.
When we first moved to Slovenia, none of us knew about Krampus. And we weren’t accustomed to having any festivities going on in early December. So it came as a surprise that eleven years ago during our first Christmas season in Europe, the quiet little village of Circe all of a sudden got loud on the evening of December 5th. I remember going to the window to see what all the ruckus was and lo and behold on the street below were half a dozen demonic-looking Krampusse. Rattling chains, grunting and looking downright creepy.”
You can explore Slovenia with Andrew next year, exploring the historic region from Veneto in northern Italy to Slovenia or making the most of the harvest on a culinary adventure in Slovenia and Croatia.
Estonia
From Slovenia we are heading north to Estonia. Our friend and leader of our Estonia adventures, Helen Alumäe, has shared more Christmas traditions with us, specifically from the Setomaa region of Estonia:
Setos and Christmas
“For most parts of Western civilization, which largely coincides with Protestant culture, Christmas is the most important holiday of the year. Setomaa – the land of Seto people – does not go mainstream.”
“Even though it’s located in a totally civilized part of the world, on the border of Estonia and Russia, Christmas just isn’t such a big deal here. Setos are Eastern Orthodox by religion, although the more accurate term to describe their religion is Seto Orthodoxy – a unique blend of Eastern Orthodoxy and pre-Christian traditions. In Orthodoxy, the most important holiday is Easter, and the same applies for Setos.
In the Orthodox calendar, and likewise in the Seto calendar, Christmas is celebrated according to the Old Calendar, which most of the Eastern Orthodox church still follows. So, in Setomaa, the respective holiday, called talsipühi (translates as ‘winter holidays’) is celebrated on January 7th. However, this is not a holiday when kids Seto await for the white-bearded old man in a red coat to bring them gifts.”
Seto Festive Celebrations
“The winter holidays start with a sermon in the church on Christmas Eve, January 6. Traditionally, the sermon was followed by young boys and girls going from house to house, bringing the message of Christ’s birth. The youngsters carried self-made lanterns decorated with colorful paper, and sang songs. This custom was called kristoslaavitamine. The custom died out in the 1970s, but in the past decade, there have been attempts to revive the tradition.
On Christmas Eve, a piece of silver jewellery that the Seto women are famous for, was put in a bowl of water. In the morning, people wash their faces with this “silver water”. This tradition is still alive. After washing faces, the Setos go to church again, for another sermon. Instead of colourful glass ornaments, the Setos have had simple ornaments made of straw or reed.”
Celebrations Today
“Nowadays, many communities celebrate the winter holidays together, in community houses, where they gather on the eve of January 7th. People bring food, dance and sing together, but there are no gifts given to each other.
However, you don’t have to feel bad for the Seto kids for not getting presents on Christmas. Setos are smart and witty people who like to party and have a good time. Therefore, they have taken advantage of living on the verge of the two worlds and two calendars by celebrating many holidays twice: based on the new AND the old calendar. So, nowadays there are sermons at Seto Orthodox churches also on December 24 or 25. By that time, the kids have started their holidays, they make gingerbread cookies and get their gifts just like their Estonian peers.”
North Macedonia
Finally we’re dropping in on North Macedonia with Daniel Medaroski of Experience Balkan. Daniel is the co-organizer of our 2026 Albania and Macedonia tour and is sharing the local Christmas traditions with us:
Christmas Eve
“The Macedonian people celebrate Christmas with great attention and respect, which begins on Christmas Eve. In the evening, a Christmas tree branch is placed in the fire, which is considered the healthiest tree, so that everyone in the family will be healthy. During this holiday, a Christmas bonfire is also lit, which is associated with the custom called Koledica or Kolede.
A family gathers for Christmas Eve dinner where they bring something of everything so that their table will be rich throughout the year. A loaf of bread is kneaded in which a coin is placed. Before the dinner begins, where everyone is gathered, the host blesses the table, breaks the bread into as many parts as there are members in the family, leaving another part for God and another for the house. It is believed that the one to whom the coin falls will be lucky throughout the year.
Today and in the past, in villages and towns throughout Macedonia, larger or smaller groups of people light bonfires and sing songs, and today a godfather is chosen, who kneads a loaf of bread with a coin. The one to whom the coin falls becomes the godfather the following year. On Christmas Eve, straw is also placed somewhere in the bedroom, symbolizing the cave in which Christ was born.”
Christmas Day
“On Christmas Day, early in the morning, the church service begins. Communion follows the service, when those who have been scolded should reconcile and invite each other to visit. In some villages in Macedonia, after the service, girls go to the orchards and tie the trees, to protect them from various diseases and to be fruitful. This custom is accompanied by songs.
Also, the proverb is associated with Christmas, “Before Christmas, be at home after Christmas,” which means that during the Great Holiday, one should be at home with the family and here to hear and celebrate the good news of the birth of the Savior.”
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading these insights into even more Christmas traditions from our fellow adventurers around the world. There is much more to come in our Advent series so bookmark this page to ensure you don’t miss anything.
