7 Places to Enjoy Christmas in the Sunshine

Christmas in the UK usually means cold weather and grey skies. Travel south of the equator, though, and the festive season arrives in the middle of summer. For millions of people, Christmas Day involves sunshine, long evenings and proper heat.

Spending Christmas in a warm country is a refreshing change from the usual routine, and it rarely means missing out on festivities. The seven destinations below all celebrate the season with real enthusiasm, so you can count on plenty of holiday spirit in December. We’ve also included a few local greetings in case you’d like to wish people a happy Christmas while you’re there.

1. Madagascar

Some Malagasy decorations might look oddly familiar: holly, robins and snow all appear in Christmas displays, even though none of them exist on the island.

Christmas Eve is the focal point for many families, who attend church services that begin around 5pm and continue past midnight. The services feature songs and plays, including traditional Malagasy carols such as Sambasamba Zanahary and Avia Ry Mino, the Malagasy version of ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’.

In Malagasy: Mirary Krismasy sambatra sy Taona vaovao tonga lafatra ho anao.

2. Bolivia

If you like your Christmas drawn out, Bolivia delivers. Celebrations run from Christmas Eve right through to Epiphany on 6th January.

Christmas is a quiet affair in rural areas, but cities and larger towns go in for trees, nativity scenes and decorations. Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve is widely attended, and the moment midnight strikes, firecrackers go off across the neighbourhood.

In Spanish: Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo.

3. South Africa

Carol singing is a big part of Christmas Eve in South Africa, and visitors may be able to join a ‘Carols by Candlelight’ service. Households put up trees and children hang stockings much as they do in the UK.

Roast meat still features on many tables, but when the heat is on, the Christmas meal often moves outdoors for a braai.

In Afrikaans: Geseënde Kersfees en ’n voorspoedige Nuwe jaar.

4. Argentina

Christmas stretches across most of December in Argentina. Advent is widely observed, and homes are dressed with lights, wreaths and garlands. Many families put up their tree by 8th December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

The main event is Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day. Mass is often attended in the afternoon, and the big meal is served in the evening, sometimes as late as 10pm or 11pm. At midnight, fireworks light up the sky and people raise a toast to Christmas Day. You may also see globos released — floating paper lanterns illuminated from inside, similar to Chinese lanterns.

In Spanish: Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo.

5. Ecuador

Cuenca is the place to be if you’re planning Christmas in Ecuador. The season builds towards the Pase del Niño Viajero, the country’s largest and finest Christmas pageant.

As in Argentina, festivities begin early in December and centre on Christmas Eve. Mass is well attended, and novenas take place throughout the month — public gatherings of prayer, hymns and religious poetry, accompanied by incense, hot chocolate and biscuits.

One custom stands out after the season ends. Ecuadorians build effigies stuffed with hay and fireworks to represent figures they dislike — politicians, local officials, legendary characters or celebrities — and burn them on New Year’s Eve at the Fiesta de Año Viejo.

In Spanish: Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo.

6. Brazil

Christmas in Brazil often includes performances of Os Pastores (‘The Shepherds’), popular plays based on the Nativity story. Expect a few local twists, among them a shepherdess and a woman who tries to make off with the baby Jesus.

Many Brazilian customs will feel familiar, though the sunshine changes the shape of the day. It’s common to head to the beach before the Christmas Eve dinner, or on Christmas Day itself.

In Portuguese: Feliz natal e próspero ano novo.

7. Colombia

Colombia, like Bolivia, celebrates a long Christmas season. On 7th December comes the Día de las Velitas (‘Day of the Little Candles’), when homes and streets are filled with candles, lanterns and twinkling lights, and fireworks are set off.

The main Christmas meal is eaten on Christmas Eve, as in several of the countries above, and many households follow it with Midnight Mass. Some people stay up all night, which makes Christmas Day itself a relaxed occasion for family time and leftovers.

What sets Colombia apart is Innocents’ Day on 28th December — the equivalent of April Fools’ Day, given over to jokes and pranks. Television stations join in by airing funny mistakes and bloopers from the year.

In Spanish: Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo.