From The First To The Last – See Time Differences Between Countries For Christmas Day

Christmas Day, celebrated annually on December 25, is a global holiday marked by various traditions, festivities, and, importantly, time differences.

Since the Earth is divided into 24 time zones, countries begin their Christmas celebrations at different times, starting from the farthest eastern time zones and gradually moving westward.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of time differences between countries as Christmas Day unfolds:

1. The First to Celebrate: The Pacific Islands

The first countries to welcome Christmas Day are those located near the International Date Line (IDL) in the Pacific Ocean.

Key Countries:

• Kiribati (Christmas Island): +14 UTC
• Samoa: +13 UTC
• Tonga: +13 UTC

These nations celebrate Christmas long before most of the world, with midnight on December 25 arriving as early as 10:00 AM (UTC) on December 24.

2. Australia and New Zealand

New Zealand:

• Auckland/Wellington: +13 UTC
• Midnight in New Zealand corresponds to 11:00 AM (UTC) on December 24.

Australia:

• Sydney/Melbourne: +11 UTC
• Brisbane: +10 UTC (no daylight savings)
• Christmas begins in Sydney at 1:00 PM (UTC) on December 24.

3. East Asia and Southeast Asia

These regions follow shortly after Oceania, entering Christmas Day a few hours later.

Key Countries:

• Japan: +9 UTC
• South Korea: +9 UTC
• China: +8 UTC
• Indonesia: (varies by region) +7 to +9 UTC
• Midnight in Japan and South Korea corresponds to 3:00 PM (UTC) on December 24, while in China, it begins at 4:00 PM (UTC).

4. South Asia

Key Countries:

• India: +5:30 UTC
• Sri Lanka: +5:30 UTC
• Christmas in India begins at 6:30 PM (UTC) on December 24.

5. The Middle East

Key Countries:

• United Arab Emirates (UAE): +4 UTC
• Saudi Arabia: +3 UTC
• Israel: +2 UTC
• Midnight in the UAE is at 8:00 PM (UTC) on December 24, while Saudi Arabia celebrates at 9:00 PM (UTC).

6. Africa

Africa spans multiple time zones but mainly falls between UTC+0 to UTC+3.

Key Countries:

• Nigeria/Ghana: +0 UTC (same as UTC)
• Kenya: +3 UTC
• Midnight in Nigeria aligns with the UTC timezone, while in Kenya, Christmas starts at 9:00 PM (UTC) on December 24.

7. Europe

Europe experiences Christmas at various times due to its spread across time zones.

Key Regions:

• Western Europe:
  • United Kingdom: +0 UTC
  • Midnight in London is at 12:00 AM (UTC).
• Central Europe:
  • France/Germany/Spain: +1 UTC
  • Midnight in Paris and Berlin is at 11:00 PM (UTC) on December 24.
• Eastern Europe:
  • Greece/Turkey: +2 UTC
  • Midnight arrives at 10:00 PM (UTC) on December 24.

8. The Americas

The Americas are among the last to celebrate Christmas Day due to their positions west of the Prime Meridian.

Key Regions:

• South America:
  • Brazil: Ranges from -2 to -5 UTC
  • Midnight in Rio de Janeiro occurs at 3:00 AM (UTC) on December 25.
• North America:
  • Eastern Time (New York): -5 UTC
  • Midnight in New York corresponds to 5:00 AM (UTC) on December 25.
  • Pacific Time (Los Angeles): -8 UTC
  • Midnight in Los Angeles is at 8:00 AM (UTC) on December 25.

9. The Last to Celebrate: U.S. Territories in the Pacific

The final places to enter Christmas Day are territories like:

• American Samoa: -11 UTC
• Baker Island (U.S.): -12 UTC
  These territories celebrate Christmas when it is already December 26 in places like Australia and New Zealand.