Christmas in Albania

How Albania celebrates Christmas

Christmas in Albania is shaped by two facts: the country is religiously mixed, and for more than two decades religion was forbidden altogether. Krishtlindjet, Christmas, is a public holiday on 25 December, when Catholic and Orthodox Christians go to church and families share a festive meal. Towns and cities put up lights and trees in December, shop windows are decorated, and greetings of Gëzuar Krishtlindjen are exchanged well beyond the Christian communities.

For many Albanians, though, the main family celebration of winter is New Year, Viti i Ri, a two-day public holiday on 1 and 2 January. The tree is often called the New Year tree, the big family dinner takes place on New Year's Eve, and the presents come at New Year. The result is a long festive season from late November, when Albania marks its Independence Day and Liberation Day, to the first days of January.

The ban on religion and its legacy

Under the communist leader Enver Hoxha, the communist state set out to eliminate religious life. In 1967 a campaign closed or repurposed every church, mosque and other religious institution in the country, and religious practice was outlawed. The 1976 constitution stated that "the State recognises no religion", making Albania the world's first constitutionally atheist state. Christmas could not be celebrated in public.

The ban on religious observance was lifted in December 1990, as the communist system collapsed, and religious life resumed in earnest from 1991. Churches were reopened or rebuilt: the Albanian Orthodox Church alone has restored or rebuilt more than 250 churches since its revival. Today 25 December is an official public holiday. Yet a generation that grew up without Christmas had transferred its winter festivities to New Year, and for many families New Year has remained the main event.

Catholic and Orthodox Christmas

Catholic Christmas

Albania's Catholics, about 8 per cent of the population in the 2023 census, live mainly in the north, around Shkodër. Catholic parishes celebrate Advent, set up nativity scenes and hold Masses on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Shkodër's St Stephen's Cathedral, begun in 1858, was closed in 1967 and turned into a Palace of Sports; it reopened in 1990, with a Mass celebrated there on 11 November 1990, and Pope John Paul II visited it in 1993.

Orthodox Christmas

Orthodox Christians, about 7 per cent of the population, are concentrated in the south and south-east, in cities such as Korçë, as well as in Tirana. Unlike the Serbian or Russian churches, the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania adopted the Revised Julian calendar in 1937, so Albanian Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas on 25 December, the same day as Catholics, not on 7 January. Observant believers keep the traditional Orthodox fast in the weeks before Christmas, eating no meat or dairy, and attend the Nativity liturgy. The church's headquarters, the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral in central Tirana, was opened on 24 June 2012, the 20th anniversary of the church's revival. Since March 2025 the church has been led by Archbishop Joani, successor to Archbishop Anastasios, who guided its rebuilding from 1992.

A holiday shared across faiths

Albania is a Muslim-majority country: in the 2023 census, 50.7 per cent of the population identified as Muslim (45.9 per cent Sunni and 4.8 per cent Bektashi), 8.4 per cent as Catholic and 7.2 per cent as Orthodox, while 13.8 per cent described themselves as believers without a denomination and 15.8 per cent gave no answer. The public holiday calendar reflects this mix, with Catholic Easter, Orthodox Easter, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, the spring festival of Nevruz and Christmas all official holidays.

Religious tolerance is regarded as one of the core values of Albanian tradition. Marriages between Muslims and Christians are common and considered unremarkable, and the offspring of mixed marriages often identify with both parents' faiths and sometimes practise both. In practice this means that Christmas visits, greetings and meals can cross religious lines, and the same trays of bakllava appear on the tables of Muslim, Catholic and Orthodox families at their respective festivals.

Christmas around Albania

New Year: Albania's big family feast

Preparations for Viti i Ri begin with the tree, which many Albanians call the New Year tree rather than the Christmas tree. The Santa Claus figure is usually called Babagjyshi i Vitit të Ri, "Grandfather of the New Year", a name that ties him to the turn of the year. On New Year's Eve families gather for the most elaborate meal of the season, and at midnight Albanians toast and greet each other and fireworks are lit.

The centrepiece of the meal in many families is gjel deti me përshesh, turkey with përshesh, followed by bakllava. Greetings of Gëzuar Vitin e Ri, Happy New Year, are sent to relatives in Albania and to Albanians abroad, and free Happy New Year cards and quote images, including New Year 2027 wishes and WhatsApp and Instagram status images, are a simple way to send them. 1 and 2 January are both public holidays, a time for visiting family and friends.

Festive food in Albania

To make gjel deti me përshesh, the turkey is first boiled and then roasted, and the broth is poured over pieces of kulaç bread, which are baked with mint and other spices until they absorb it. Bakllava is made on large round trays, cut into shapes and soaked in syrup.

Public holidays over Christmas and New Year

Albania's official public holidays in the season are Independence Day (28 November), Liberation Day (29 November), Christmas Day (25 December) and New Year (1 and 2 January). Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are listed as optional bank holidays. When a public holiday falls on a weekend, the first working day afterwards is a day off; in the 2026–27 season, 28 and 29 November fall on a weekend and 2 January 2027 is a Saturday.

Albanian festive season dates 2026

Christmas in Albania: frequently asked questions

Christmas in nearby countries