In Albania, Christmas is celebrated on December 25th and it is an official public holiday.

Albania has a diverse religious population and Christmas is predominantly celebrated by the Christian minority, which includes Orthodox and Catholic Christians. Churches hold special liturgies around Christmas, including midnight masses in Catholic churches.

Traditionally, Albanian families fast on Christmas Eve by abstaining from meat, dairy, and other animal products. On Christmas Day, the fast is broken when families and relatives gather together and enjoy a festive meal. Christmas meals often include meat or seafood, vegetables, and bread or pie, but also sweets like baklava.

Another tradition is children going from door to door to sing Christmas carols while receiving sweets or small gifts. Exchanging gifts has also become more common around Christmas in Albania.

In Saranda, it’s been a tradition for many years now to light up an enormous Christmas tree at a central location, most recently on the boulevard at the beginning of December. A Christmas market has also been organized on the promenade during the last few years to bring a festive atmosphere to the city.