Christmas in Europe and Australia-New Zealand

Christianity is the predominant religion in Europe. Although Christianity has been on the decline since the 18th century during the Enlightenment, it is still considered the main religion. Agnosticism and atheism are arguably the pervasive worldviews in most of Europe. The percentage of practicing Christians is higher in Australia and New Zealand with a much smaller population of those claiming ‘no religion’ compared to many countries in Europe. Ironically, the percentage of church attenders is exceptionally lower than the percentage of people who identify themselves as Christian.

Kristkindlmarkt in Germany

Christianity came to Europe during the 1st century thanks to the Apostle Paul. His imprisonment in Rome was no coincidence. The fact is, Paul would have been set free by Festus the governor of Judea had he not appealed to Caesar (Acts 26). History has taught us that it was for the salvation of many generations that Paul was held prisoner in Rome.

As America’s colonial past is rooted in European culture, most of the Christmas traditions celebrated in the Americas today were adopted from Europe.

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