Churches worldwide celebrated Christmas on Wednesday, honouring the birth of Jesus with prayers, Masses, and cultural events. Families observed traditions like fasting, setting up cribs, and awaiting Santa Claus. Processions and prayers added spiritual fervour, uniting communities in joyous celebrations of the Nativity and the birth of Christ. But in Japan Christmas is celebrated for a very different reason, especially by couples. Unlike the traditional Christian observance, the festive season in Japan is seen as a romantic occasion, according to CNN.
With the holiday season coinciding with the chilly winter weather, Christmas provides the perfect atmosphere for couples to unwind and enjoy each other’s company in a country where people are often overwhelmed by work. Restaurants and shopping centres take full advantage of the opportunity and provide special dinner sets as well as discount gifts, such as chocolates to jewellery, for couples. This, in turn, brings the festive feel throughout the nation, as couples visit restaurants and shopping malls to celebrate on their own. For most, it’s not the religious but a great chance to spend time together amidst all the beauty that winter can offer.
“It’s all about mood and atmosphere,” associate professor Roy Starrs, who specialises in Japanese studies at the University of Otago in New Zealand, tells CNN Travel.
“Young couples go out together on dates once it gets dark to view the spectacular displays of colourful lights, and this is thought to be a very romantic atmosphere conducive to young love.”
A country of 124 million, Japan’s most-followed religion is Shintoism, with less than one percent of its population being Christian. And yet, the nation celebrates Christmas in full spirit.
“Most Japanese do not view Christmas as any kind of religious event but as a pop-cultural spectacle imported from the West-an aesthetically pleasing melange of bright lights, Santa Claus dolls, Christmas markets, colourfully wrapped gifts, and Christmas cakes,” says Starrs.
Japan is a society that values aesthetics highly, he adds, so it makes sense that these festive displays, often accompanied by ample snow, concoct the perfect recipe for a romantic white Christmas.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis, leading the world’s 1.3 billion Roman Catholics, celebrated a solemn Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The Mass was a significant moment, marking the 12th Christmas of his pontificate. During the service, the pontiff also officially inaugurated the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, a special observance expected to draw around 32 million tourists to Rome next year. Across the world, people joined in the spirit of Christmas, reflecting on the message of peace, love, and hope that the holiday brings while also honouring the traditions and customs that have been passed down through generations.
