Christmas in South Africa

How South Africa celebrates Christmas

South Africa is a largely Christian country: in Census 2022, 85.3 percent of the population identified as Christian, up from 79.8 percent in the 2001 census. Christmas is therefore one of the most widely shared celebrations in a country of many languages and cultures. Churches of many denominations hold services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with carols and the nativity readings.

What makes a South African Christmas different from the European Christmas that shaped many of its customs is the weather. Christmas comes a few days after the summer solstice, in the middle of the long summer holidays, so the day is spent as much outdoors as indoors. The result is a blend: Christmas trees, carols, crackers and mince pies alongside braais, beach outings and picnics.

A summer Christmas

Christmas falls in the long summer holidays, and going to the beach on Christmas Day is a much-loved tradition, especially in coastal cities such as Cape Town and Durban. Celebrations move outside: Christmas lunch may be served in the garden, under a tree or beside a pool, and a braai, the South African barbecue, is part of many family Christmases.

Homes, churches and shopping areas are decorated with Christmas trees, lights and ornaments, and Christmas songs and carols are sung, sometimes mixed with local musical styles.

16 December: the Day of Reconciliation

The festive season's first public holiday is 16 December, the Day of Reconciliation, a public holiday first observed in 1995. South Africa's first democratic government introduced it to promote reconciliation and national unity, choosing a date that mattered to two very different traditions. On 16 December 1838, Voortrekkers defeated a much larger Zulu army at the Battle of Blood River, a victory later commemorated as Dingaan's Day, the Day of the Covenant and the Day of the Vow. On 16 December 1961, uMkhonto weSizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress, was founded to fight apartheid.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

On Christmas Eve, 24 December, or on Christmas Day, many families go to church for a service of carols and the nativity readings.

Presents are exchanged, and the day centres on Christmas lunch, a long, relaxed meal with the extended family. At the table, many families pull Christmas crackers and wear the paper crowns inside, a custom inherited from Britain. Many families then spend the afternoon at the beach. Christmas Day is a public holiday.

Traditional South African Christmas food

The South African Christmas lunch adapts the British roast to a hot summer's day. Many households serve gammon and other home-cooked cold meats, such as beef tongue and corned beef, with turkey and a wide variety of salads, and seafood is a favourite at the coast. Others cook at the braai, from whole flattened chickens and butterflied legs of lamb in a kettle braai to boerewors and lamb chops.

For dessert, malva pudding and trifle are the classics, often alongside fresh summer fruit with cream or ice cream.

Carols by candlelight and the festive lights

Carols by Candlelight

Outdoor carols by candlelight concerts, held in parks and amphitheatres on warm December evenings, are one of the best-loved South African Christmas customs. The most famous is Carols by Candlelight at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town, the flagship fundraiser of the Rotary Club of Kirstenbosch, which has run for more than 20 years. It is held over several evenings in mid-December, with traditional carols sung by brass and male voice choirs and audiences spreading out picnics on the lawns beneath Table Mountain. Another popular Cape Town venue is the amphitheatre at the V&A Waterfront.

The Adderley Street lights

In Cape Town, the festive lights along Adderley Street and the Grand Parade have been a holiday fixture for more than 50 years. They are switched on by the mayor at a public event at the start of December, which in 2024 took place on 1 December and drew families into the city centre in large numbers.

26 December: the Day of Goodwill

The day after Christmas is a public holiday called the Day of Goodwill. Until 1980 it was Boxing Day, as in Britain; an amendment to the Public Holidays Act that year replaced the name, and the Day of Goodwill was kept in the new Public Holidays Act of 1994. It is a day for rest, visiting family and friends, the beach and charity.

The Public Holidays Act (Act 36 of 1994) provides that when a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is a public holiday. In 2026, the Day of Goodwill falls on a Saturday, so no extra holiday is added.

New Year and Tweede Nuwe Jaar

New Year's Eve is celebrated with parties, fireworks and gatherings at midnight, and New Year's Day is a public holiday, often spent outdoors. Many South Africans send greetings on their phones as midnight strikes, and you can find free Happy New Year 2027 WhatsApp status images, along with New Year cards, quote cards and ready-to-send wishes.

The Cape Town Minstrel Carnival

In Cape Town, the New Year continues on 2 January, Tweede Nuwe Jaar, Afrikaans for "Second New Year". It is the traditional day of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival, also known as the Kaapse Klopse, when troupes called klopse, in brightly coloured costumes, march through the city singing, dancing and playing instruments. The custom grew out of the day off that enslaved people at the Cape were given at New Year in the 19th century, and the street processions that followed emancipation. The troupes' traditional route runs from the old District Six area towards Green Point, where competitions between troupes continue over the following weeks. The name used under apartheid is now widely regarded as a racial slur, and the official name is the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival.

Festive-season public holidays

South African Christmas season dates 2026

Christmas in South Africa: frequently asked questions

Christmas in other countries