🎄 Christmas in Greenland

Greenland at Christmas: stars in every window, church choirs and Arctic food

How Greenlanders celebrate Christmas, from Advent to Twelfth Night: the window stars, the trees shipped from Europe, Christmas Eve, the food, Santa’s Greenland address, the double New Year, and how to spend the holidays in Nuuk as a visitor.

⭐ Christmas stars⛪ Greenlandic hymns🎆 New Year twice

⚡ Short answer

Greenlanders celebrate Christmas on the evening of 24 December, with church, dinner, dancing around the tree and presents. From Advent to 6 January, lit stars hang in almost every window. Christmas food mixes Danish roast pork and duck with musk ox, reindeer, mattak and, in some homes, kiviaq.

• Main day 🎄 24 December
• Say 💬 Juullimi pilluarit
• Decorations down ⭐ 6 January
• Visitor tip ☕ Kaffemik tour

Coffee and cake with locals 🎫

In December, Greenland has only a few hours of daylight, and the north none at all. Greenlanders answer the dark with light: a lit star in almost every window, candles on Christmas trees that were shipped in from Europe, and churches full of people singing hymns in Greenlandic. Christmas here is Danish in its outline, with Christmas Eve on 24 December as the big night, and Greenlandic in its details: musk ox and reindeer next to the roast pork, children singing outside houses for sweets, and a New Year that is celebrated twice. This guide walks through the Greenlandic Christmas from Advent to Twelfth Night, explains the traditions and food, and shows how to spend the holidays in Nuuk as a visitor.

The Greenlandic Christmas calendar

In short: the season starts with the lighting of the town Christmas trees on the first Sunday of Advent, peaks on Christmas Eve, 24 December, and ends on 6 January, when the window stars come down. Open the doors to see what happens when.

Why are there stars in every window?

In short: lit paper stars, often red or orange, hang in the windows of almost every home and public building from Advent until 6 January. In the dark weeks around the shortest day, they turn every town into a grid of glowing stars.

The Christmas star is the symbol of Christmas in Greenland. The tradition is said to go back to the Moravian missionaries, Germans who worked in Greenland in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the stars are sometimes called poinsettia stars because of their shape. Today they are sold in every shop in late November, and families put them up together with candles. In a town like Nuuk, where blocks of flats climb the hills, you see hundreds of them at once from the harbour or a viewpoint. They stay up until Twelfth Night on 6 January, when the season ends.

Where do Greenland’s Christmas trees come from?

Almost no trees grow in Greenland, so Christmas trees arrive by ship, usually from Denmark. On the first Sunday of Advent, towns across the country light their Christmas trees, and people gather to sing as the lights come on for the first time. Settlements often place a large tree on a hill above the houses, so everyone can see it. At home, families decorate their own tree, and on Christmas Eve they hold hands and dance around it, singing carols, as in Denmark. Some households, especially in the past, made trees from driftwood decorated with heather.

How do Greenlanders celebrate Christmas Eve?

In short: 24 December is the main day. Families go to church, eat Christmas dinner, dance around the tree and open presents in the evening. Children sing outside houses and are given sweets.

Christmas Eve follows the Danish pattern. In the afternoon, churches fill for the Christmas service, with some people in national costume. Dinner follows at home, then the family joins hands around the tree to sing, and the presents are opened. Some children get small gifts in the morning, but the main presents come in the evening. Children also go from house to house and sing in front of them, and are rewarded with Christmas sweets. Some families light candles in the cemetery on Christmas Eve to remember those who have died, which turns the hillside graveyards into fields of small lights.

One tradition often mentioned in descriptions of Greenland’s Christmas is that on Christmas night, the men look after the women, serving the food and coffee. Customs vary between families and towns, so don’t expect to see it everywhere.

What do Greenlanders eat at Christmas?

In short: menus vary by region and family. Many serve Danish roast pork and duck; others serve Greenlandic lamb, musk ox, reindeer, seabirds or grouse. Mattak, kiviaq and suaasat soup are traditional, and in December Nuuk’s cafés sell sugared bread and palannguit, small fried dough balls.

You won’t be invited to a family Christmas dinner on a short trip, but you can taste Greenlandic food in December. The Greenlandic Food Tasting and Storytelling serves reindeer or lamb and smoked seafood by the light of a qulliq oil lamp, and the City Highlights by Car ends with a tasting of musk ox, Arctic char and berries. Read more on our Greenlandic food page.

Church services and Greenlandic hymns

Churches across Greenland fill up over Christmas, with several services on Christmas Day and sermons and hymns in both Greenlandic and Danish. Singing is the heart of it. Greenlandic congregations sing in harmony, and the hymn “Guuterput” (“Our God”) is a favourite moment for many. In Nuuk, the small red wooden cathedral by the Colonial Harbour is the most atmospheric place to hear it; the newer Hans Egede Church also holds services. Visitors are welcome. Arrive early, dress warmly but neatly, and sit quietly at the back if you don’t know the hymns. Photos during the service are not appropriate.

Earlier in December, on 13 December, St Lucia’s Day brings processions of children in white, with candles and wreaths, singing in schools and after-school clubs. And throughout the month, Christmas markets sell handmade gifts, ceramics and baking; in Nuuk, the larger markets are announced on Facebook and at bus stops.

Does Santa Claus live in Greenland?

In short: according to Danish and Greenlandic tradition, yes. Santa is said to live near Uummannaq in North Greenland, and letters can be sent to Santa Claus, 3961 Uummannaq, Greenland.

Finland has Rovaniemi; Denmark and Greenland have their own Santa, who lives in the far north. In the Danish version of the story, his home is near Uummannaq, a town on a small island beneath a heart-shaped mountain north of Disko Bay, and a simple hut outside the town is pointed out as Santa’s house. For years, a giant red Santa mailbox stood outside the old tourist office in Nuuk, collecting letters from children around the world, which volunteers answered. That mailbox has since been moved away from Nuuk, so don’t plan a visit around it. Children who want to write to Santa in Greenland can still use the Uummannaq address.

New Year and Twelfth Night

On 31 December, many Greenlanders celebrate the new year twice. The first round of fireworks goes up when the new year reaches Denmark, a few hours before local midnight, and the second at midnight in Greenland. Between the two there is food and family, and on a clear night the fireworks over the fjord, the snowy mountains and sometimes the northern lights make one of the best New Year views anywhere.

The season ends on 6 January, Twelfth Night. The stars come down from the windows, and the old tradition of mitaartut takes place: people dress up in disguise, with masks and odd clothes, and visit houses, where the hosts try to guess who they are. It is a playful, slightly spooky end to the holidays, kept alive especially in smaller towns.

Spending Christmas in Nuuk as a visitor

In short: Christmas in Nuuk is quiet, dark and atmospheric. Book flights and hotels early, since Greenlanders fly home for the holidays. Expect closures from the afternoon of 24 December to 26 December and on 31 December and 1 January, and plan indoor activities and church services for the long dark hours.

The days before Christmas are the best time for a visit: the markets are open, the trees are lit, shops and cafés are busy, and tours still run. From the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Greenland closes for family time. Restaurants and shops shut or shorten their hours, and many tour operators take a break, so book any Christmas dinner at your hotel well in advance and stock up on food if you have a kitchen. Flights are the other challenge: many Greenlanders who live in Denmark fly home, so planes around 20 to 24 December and after New Year fill early. With only about four hours of daylight in Nuuk, and storms that can delay flights, give yourself spare days. The weather and daylight in detail are covered in Greenland in December, flights in getting to Nuuk, and packing in what to wear in Greenland.

A harbour hotel like Hotel Søma Nuuk, with its own restaurant and breakfast from 6 am, is a practical base when town is closed. On clear December nights, walk away from the street lights and look up: long nights are the best time for the northern lights.

Tours for a Christmas trip to Nuuk

In short: book tours for the days before 24 December, when operators are open. Indoor and food tours suit the dark and the Christmas mood; boat trips run only on calm days. Filter the tours below and check availability for your dates.

A kaffemik is the closest a visitor gets to a Greenlandic family celebration, and in December it often comes with Christmas baking. Read about the tradition on our kaffemik page. For the full list of tours, see Greenland tours and tickets, and for everything else in the city, things to do in Nuuk.

Christmas words in Greenlandic

Greenlanders use “Juullimi pilluarit” throughout the season, on cards, in shops and when they meet friends. Saying it with a smile is the easiest way to join in, even if your pronunciation needs work.

Questions about Christmas in Greenland

More Greenland guides