# Christmas in Europe

A thematic map of the Atlas of Switzerland, the national atlas published by ETH Zurich. The map is drawn in the browser; this file describes it and lists its variants and links, but not the data values shown on the map.

- Map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/christmas-in-europe/
- Map id: 726
- Categories: Global Switzerland › Society and Culture › Celebrations, events and customs
- Keywords: Christmas
- Published: 2019-12-23
- Last revised: 2025-12-19
- Content language: English
- Other languages: [Deutsch](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/de/thema/weihnachten-in-europa.md), [Français](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/fr/theme/noel-en-europe.md), [Italiano](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/it/tema/natale-in-europa.md)

## Description

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. In most Christian countries, Christmas is celebrated traditionally between 24 December and 27 December. Furthermore, in almost all countries that maintain Christian customs, a sumptuous feast and the giving of presents to one another are at the centre of the celebrations.

In some countries, however, over the years, classical Christmas rituals have been mixed with old folk customs or cultural characteristics. This has not only led to the emergence of some interesting customs, but sometimes also to different time periods that are considered "Christmas". While in Scandinavia goblins often play an important role, in Central Europe the Christ Child is the central figure, and in Eastern Europe the secular character Grandfather Frost brings the presents.

## Sources

- christliche-feiertage.ch (2019): [Wer feiert wann Weihnachten?](https://christliche-feiertage.ch/wer-feiert-wann-weihnachten-weihnachtsbraeuche-in-anderen-laendern/)

## Data sources

- Eurostat: [Geobasisdaten Europa](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/de/web/gisco/geodata)
- Wikipedia (2023): [List of Christmas and winter gift-bringers by country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christmas_and_winter_gift-bringers_by_country)
- Wikipedia contributors (2019): [List of Christmas and winter gift-bringers by country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christmas_and_winter_gift-bringers_by_country#CITEREFBowler2000). In: Wikipedia

## Data owners

- [Eurostat (Eurostat)](http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/)
- [Wikipedia contributors (Wikipedia)](https://www.wikipedia.org/)

## Citation

The terms of use ask to name the Atlas of Switzerland and the data owners, and to keep the source references in exports, screenshots and embeds. Cite the map as:

> Atlas of Switzerland (2025): Christmas in Europe. ETH Zürich. Map data © Eurostat, Wikipedia. https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/christmas-in-europe/

## Links

The map opens at its full extent; a link cannot set the map position.

- Map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/christmas-in-europe/
- Short link, stays valid when the title changes: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/t/726/
- Side by side with another map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/comparison/?lt=726&rt={id of the other map}&ru={u of the other map, or leave out}

Embed in another website (allowed by the terms of use, as long as the source references stay visible):

```html
<iframe src="https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/embed/?id=726&dm=e&ig=1" style="border:0;width:100%;height:600px;max-width:100%;" loading="lazy" title="Thematic map 'Christmas in Europe' in the Atlas of Switzerland" allowfullscreen sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups" allow="geolocation" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin"></iframe>
```

In the embed URL, `dm` sets what is shown: `e` the map with its title bar (default), `p` also the values of an object clicked on the map, `m` only the map with a button that opens it in the atlas. `ig=1` (default) lets the map react to scrolling and dragging only after a click into it, `ig=0` right away. The size can be changed in `style`.

For the use and citation of maps and data, see the [terms of use](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/terms-of-use/).