Everywhere that Christmas is celebrated, it is a time of celebration, reflection and togetherness. It is an important event in many parts of the world, with a wide range of traditions and customs and a special atmosphere that enchants and warms the hearts of people of all ages.
In Germany, many families start getting in the yuletide mood on Advent Sunday four weeks before Christmas Day. They gather around a wreath adorned by four candles, one of which is lighted each Sunday. There are also delightful Christmas markets where the air is filled with the aromas of hot mulled wine and Lebkuchen (a pastry similar to gingerbread). On Saint Nicolas Day, observed on December 6th, it is traditional to give children small boots filled with sweets. The festive season reaches its high point on Christmas Eve, when the whole family celebrates with a hearty meal and gifts.
Across much of the world, a wide variety of traditions and rituals make Christmas and the following week until New Year’s Eve a special time of year. They invite us to pause and give thanks, enjoy togetherness and delight in the warmth and good cheer that this festive season brings.
Explore Christmas traditions across the Fraport Group:
Fraport AG wishes Fröhliche Weihnachten!
In Germany, traditional “Advent calendars” are very popular. They have 24 little doors, pouches or boxes – one of which is opened on each day between December 1 and 24 – containing chocolate or candy to sweeten the runup to Christmas Eve.
Fraport Slovenija wishes you Vesel božič!
Slovenian Potica is a traditional Slovenian holiday pastry and a culinary specialty. For centuries, this cake has been prepared in Slovenian homes with great care with the secrets of its preparation handed down from generation to generation.
Potica is made from the finest ingredients and can come with various fillings. There are almost 100 known recipes for sweet and savory potica.
Fraport Bulgaria wishes you Bесела Коледа (Vesela Koleda)!
In Bulgaria it is traditional to serve banitsa (баница), a kind of round cheese strudel, during the holidays. It is prepared from eggs, yogurt and Bulgarian sheep’s milk cheese. The special part: little lucky charms, called kusmeti, are baked into the dough.
Fraport Greece wishes you Καλά Χριστούγεννα (Kala Khristougenna)!
Greece has many unique Christmas and New Year’s customs that are deeply ingrained in the culture. These traditions reflect the country’s rich cultural and religious history and make the holiday season a special time for families and communities.
Decorating the Christmas boat (karavakia):
This custom symbolizes the country’s nautical tradition and the return of the seafarers.
New Year’s Day cake (vasilopita):
A traditional Greek cake or bread that contains baked-in coins or trinkets as a lucky charm. The person who finds the coin in their piece of cake will have lots of luck in the New Year. If the coin is between two pieces, both people will be blessed with good fortune.
Podariko custom (ή Ποδαρικό):
A house’s first visitor on New Year’s Eve determines whether the New Year will bring good luck and prosperity.
Fraport TAV Antalya wishes Mutlu Noeller!
Salep (also spelled sahlep and sahlab) is a traditional winter beverage that is enjoyed in Türkiye and Arab-speaking countries. With its pleasant warmth and delicate cinnamon flavor, it is the ideal feel-good drink for the cold months of the year. This delicious specialty is traditionally prepared by mixing hot milk, sugar and flour made by grinding the tubers of wild orchids.
Fraport USA wishes everyone a Merry Christmas!
In the United States it is traditional to bake a gingerbread house and lovingly decorate it with a sugar glaze and colorful candies. But it doesn’t stop there! Another popular ritual in the U.S. is for the whole family to participate in decorating the Christmas tree with blinking lights and shiny ornaments. This heightens the anticipation and fills the house with magical Christmas spirit.
Lima Airport Partners wishes you Feliz Navidad!
Many different Christmas customs and traditions exist in Peru. They ensure a festive ambiance throughout the country:
Christmas toast:
On Christmas Eve, families celebrate by drinking a toast. Usually the family head gives a short talk, then everyone sings Peruvian Christmas songs to celebrate Christ’s birth.
Christmas panetones:
A traditional meal at midnight concludes with hot chocolate and panetones, a traditional Christmas pastry made with flour, yeast, eggs, butter and sugar.
Christmas trees:
In Peru, Christmas trees are often decorated with photographs of family members and pets.
Adoration of Christ Child:
At midnight on Christmas Eve, a family member speaks a prayer and then unwraps the Christ Child in his crib. Everyone then gathers around to kiss the baby Jesus and honor the Savior with their prayers.
Fraport Brasil wishes everyone Feliz Natal!
Decorating the Christmas tree is one of the most beloved traditions in Brazil. Since Brazil celebrates Christmas in summer, the Christmas trees are usually artificial, very colorful, and full of symbolism, representing family unity and the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
Decorations are often filled with twinkling lights, which give the tree a special glow, symbolizing the light of Christ that came into the world.
At the top of the tree, it’s common to place a star, symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Wise Men to the place where Jesus was born.
Fraport AG wishes Fröhliche Weihnachten!
In Germany, traditional “Advent calendars” are very popular. They have 24 little doors, pouches or boxes – one of which is opened on each day between December 1 and 24 – containing chocolate or candy to sweeten the runup to Christmas Eve.
Fraport Slovenija wishes you Vesel božič!
Slovenian Potica is a traditional Slovenian holiday pastry and a culinary specialty. For centuries, this cake has been prepared in Slovenian homes with great care with the secrets of its preparation handed down from generation to generation.
Potica is made from the finest ingredients and can come with various fillings. There are almost 100 known recipes for sweet and savory potica.
Fraport Bulgaria wishes you Bесела Коледа (Vesela Koleda)!
In Bulgaria it is traditional to serve banitsa (баница), a kind of round cheese strudel, during the holidays. It is prepared from eggs, yogurt and Bulgarian sheep’s milk cheese. The special part: little lucky charms, called kusmeti, are baked into the dough.
Fraport Greece wishes you Καλά Χριστούγεννα (Kala Khristougenna)!
Greece has many unique Christmas and New Year’s customs that are deeply ingrained in the culture. These traditions reflect the country’s rich cultural and religious history and make the holiday season a special time for families and communities.
Decorating the Christmas boat (karavakia):
This custom symbolizes the country’s nautical tradition and the return of the seafarers.
New Year’s Day cake (vasilopita):
A traditional Greek cake or bread that contains baked-in coins or trinkets as a lucky charm. The person who finds the coin in their piece of cake will have lots of luck in the New Year. If the coin is between two pieces, both people will be blessed with good fortune.
Podariko custom (ή Ποδαρικό):
A house’s first visitor on New Year’s Eve determines whether the New Year will bring good luck and prosperity.
Fraport TAV Antalya wishes Mutlu Noeller!
Salep (also spelled sahlep and sahlab) is a traditional winter beverage that is enjoyed in Türkiye and Arab-speaking countries. With its pleasant warmth and delicate cinnamon flavor, it is the ideal feel-good drink for the cold months of the year. This delicious specialty is traditionally prepared by mixing hot milk, sugar and flour made by grinding the tubers of wild orchids.
Fraport USA wishes everyone a Merry Christmas!
In the United States it is traditional to bake a gingerbread house and lovingly decorate it with a sugar glaze and colorful candies. But it doesn’t stop there! Another popular ritual in the U.S. is for the whole family to participate in decorating the Christmas tree with blinking lights and shiny ornaments. This heightens the anticipation and fills the house with magical Christmas spirit.
Lima Airport Partners wishes you Feliz Navidad!
Many different Christmas customs and traditions exist in Peru. They ensure a festive ambiance throughout the country:
Christmas toast:
On Christmas Eve, families celebrate by drinking a toast. Usually the family head gives a short talk, then everyone sings Peruvian Christmas songs to celebrate Christ’s birth.
Christmas panetones:
A traditional meal at midnight concludes with hot chocolate and panetones, a traditional Christmas pastry made with flour, yeast, eggs, butter and sugar.
Christmas trees:
In Peru, Christmas trees are often decorated with photographs of family members and pets.
Adoration of Christ Child:
At midnight on Christmas Eve, a family member speaks a prayer and then unwraps the Christ Child in his crib. Everyone then gathers around to kiss the baby Jesus and honor the Savior with their prayers.
Fraport Brasil wishes everyone Feliz Natal!
Decorating the Christmas tree is one of the most beloved traditions in Brazil. Since Brazil celebrates Christmas in summer, the Christmas trees are usually artificial, very colorful, and full of symbolism, representing family unity and the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
Decorations are often filled with twinkling lights, which give the tree a special glow, symbolizing the light of Christ that came into the world.
At the top of the tree, it’s common to place a star, symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Wise Men to the place where Jesus was born.
Bulgaria
Klin: a hearty potato cake from Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains.
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