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Christmas Day, celebrated on December 25th, is a significant holiday in Switzerland, rich with traditions and festivities. The country's diverse cultural regions—German, French, Italian, and Romansh—influence the various customs observed during the holiday season.
Switzerland's Christmas traditions have evolved over centuries and incorporate both Christian and pre-Christian elements. The Advent period leading up to Christmas is marked by the lighting of candles on Advent wreaths and the opening of Advent calendars. Swiss homes are often decorated with twinkling lights and ornaments.
One of the distinctive Swiss traditions is the figure of Samichlaus (Swiss German for St. Nicholas), who visits children on December 6th, St. Nicholas Day, rather than on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. This separates the celebration of St. Nicholas from that of Christmas itself.
In some regions, particularly in small villages or rural areas, there are unique customs such as "Klausjagen" (Nicholas chase) in Küssnacht am Rigi near Lucerne or "Chlausezüüg" in Einsiedeln where people wear enormous illuminated bishop's hats and parade through the streets.
On Christmas Day itself, families gather to share a festive meal that often includes traditional dishes such as fondue or raclette if they're from the French-speaking part or a roasted ham if they're from the German-speaking region. Desserts may include cookies like "Zimtsterne" (cinnamon stars) or "Mailänderli" (lemon-flavored biscuits).
Attending church services remains a central part of Christmas celebrations for many Swiss people. Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve is particularly popular.
Gift-giving usually occurs on Christmas Eve rather than on Christmas Day in Switzerland. After dinner on December 24th, families exchange presents and spend time together around the Christmas tree.
Throughout the day, cities are quiet as most shops and businesses are closed; however, public spaces often exude a festive atmosphere with decorations and lights remaining from previous weeks' celebrations.