Legend, history, politics, religion and folklore are all intertwined in the Christmas traditions of Western Europe.
As the holiday season descends upon us, I thought it would be a good time to explore the history of Christmas in Western Europe. As I researched this series of articles, I was surprised at the wide amount of variety of holiday customs from one region of Western Europe, to the next.
Along with describing a countries Christmas customs, I have included as much Western European History as I could find. For example, did you know that Martin Luther is often credited with starting the tradition of Christmas trees in Germany? Or that Saint Lucia, a popular Christmas figure in Sweden, was actually an Italian maiden martyred during the Roman Empire? History, folklore and religion are all intertwined, creating many of the Christmas customs in Western Europe.
I hope you enjoy reading the series as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Coming Soon....
Christmas in Spain
Christmas in Italy
Christmas in Austria
