A Christmas puzzle of greetings, gift bringers and holiday foods from many countries that prints with its answer key.
Name Date
Christmas Around the World Word Search
Find every word hidden in the grid. Words go across and down.
0 of 15 words found
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AHSESEOETGODJUL
JSXPBLPLMEXICOL
NTRASEOINRRRRIT
SLPNIKBZNMJDNUL
ONIENAYNLAODRDB
ABGTTLSAANYTGEH
YODTEINVSYEPSTC
BXAORKLIPRUIOJJ
EIONKICDOLXNNRV
FNEELMTASENAPNT
AGOOAAIDAIOTSCY
NDFDAKRADVEAQYT
AAEDSANTACLAUSC
TYTPPOINSETTIAY
This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.
FELIZ NAVIDAD
JOYEUX NOËL
GOD JUL
MELE KALIKIMAKA
SANTA CLAUS
SINTERKLAAS
BEFANA
STOLLEN
PANETTONE
POINSETTIA
PIÑATA
LAS POSADAS
BOXING DAY
MEXICO
GERMANY
15 of 20 words from the Christmas Around the World list.
Pick three words from the list. Find out which country or language each one comes from.
Tap or click the first letter of a word, then its last letter. Or drag across the word. On a touch screen, hold the first letter for a moment before you drag. On a keyboard, the arrow keys move, Enter marks the first and the last letter, and Escape clears a first letter.
CrăciunChristmas in Romanian; the word Fericit after it makes the greeting.
Feliz NatalMerry Christmas in Portuguese.
Feliz NavidadMerry Christmas in Spanish.
God JulMerry Christmas in Swedish and in Norwegian.
Hyvää JouluaMerry Christmas in Finnish.
Joyeux NoëlMerry Christmas in French.
KerstfeestChristmas in Dutch; the word Vrolijk in front makes the greeting.
KrismasiChristmas in Swahili.
KurisumasuChristmas in Japanese, written in English letters; Meri in front makes the greeting.
Mele KalikimakaMerry Christmas in Hawaiian: the English words reshaped to fit Hawaiian sounds.
Nadolig LlawenMerry Christmas in Welsh.
Nollaig ShonaHappy Christmas in Irish; the full greeting adds a word for the person greeted.
PaskoChristmas in Tagalog; the word Maligayang in front makes the greeting.
Veselé VánoceMerry Christmas in Czech.
WeihnachtenChristmas in German; the word Frohe in front makes the greeting.
Show all 121 words (105 more)
Gift Bringers 17
Babbo NataleItaly's name for Father Christmas.
BefanaIn Italian folklore, an old woman who brings children presents at Epiphany, early in January.
ChristkindThe gift bringer in Austria and parts of Germany; the name means Christ Child.
Ded MorozGrandfather Frost, who brings Russian children presents at New Year.
JoulupukkiFinland's Santa; the name means Christmas goat.
Kris KringleAn American name for Santa Claus that grew out of the German word Christkindl.
NisseIn Norway, the little gnome of old farm tales who now brings presents.
OlentzeroThe Basque gift bringer, who comes on the night of December 24.
Papai NoelSanta Claus in Brazil.
Père NoëlThe French gift bringer; the name means Father Christmas.
Santa ClausThe red-suited bringer of presents; his name is probably an altered form of the Dutch Sinterklaas.
SinterklaasThe Dutch gift bringer, who comes ashore from a steamboat and brings presents on December 5.
SnegurochkaThe Snow Maiden, granddaughter and companion of Grandfather Frost.
Three KingsIn Spain they bring children most of their presents, at Epiphany.
TomteIn Sweden, a small gnome of folklore who brings Christmas presents.
WeihnachtsmannSanta Claus in German: the Christmas man.
Yule LadsIceland's thirteen pranksters, who come to town one by one before Christmas.
Christmas Tables 27
AlmondIn Denmark a whole one hides in the Christmas rice pudding, and the finder wins a prize.
BacalhauSalt cod, the Christmas Eve dinner in parts of Portugal.
BibingkaA Filipino rice cake eaten in the Christmas season.
Bûche de NoëlA French sponge cake rolled and frosted to look like a log.
BuñuelosFried pastries sprinkled with sugar, a Christmas dessert in Mexico.
CarpA fish served on Christmas Eve in Poland and the Czech Republic.
GooseThe bird roasted for Christmas dinner in many German homes.
HallacaVenezuela's Christmas dish: filled corn dough wrapped in plantain leaves and boiled.
JoulutorttuA Finnish Christmas pastry shaped like a star, with plum jam in the middle.
JulbordThe Swedish Christmas buffet.
KrumkakeA thin Norwegian waffle cookie rolled into a cone, made for Christmas.
KutiaA sweet wheat porridge served at the Christmas Eve supper in Ukraine.
LebkuchenA German honey and spice cookie, close to gingerbread, baked for Christmas.
LechónRoast pig, a centerpiece of the Christmas Eve feast in the Philippines.
LutefiskDried fish soaked in lye, a Christmas dish in Norway and Sweden.
Mince pieA small British Christmas pie filled with dried fruit and spices.
PanettoneA tall Italian Christmas bread with raisins and candied fruit; it comes from Milan.
PavlovaA meringue dessert with cream and fruit, served at summer Christmases in Australia and New Zealand.
PierogiFilled dumplings, a favorite of the Polish Christmas table.
Plum puddingA steamed British Christmas dessert of raisins, suet and spices.
RisalamandeA Danish Christmas rice pudding with whipped cream and chopped almonds.
Rosca de ReyesA ring-shaped cake for January 6 in Mexico; a small figure is baked into it.
SpeculaasA spiced Dutch biscuit, long eaten around the feast of Sinterklaas.
StollenA German Christmas bread of dried fruit and nuts, often coated with powdered sugar.
TamalesCorn dough wrapped in a husk and steamed; a Christmas food in Mexico.
TourtièreA meat pie served at Christmas Eve feasts in Quebec.
TurrónSpanish nougat of honey and toasted almonds, eaten at Christmas.
Lights and Decorations 15
Advent calendarIt has a little door to open on each day before Christmas; its name comes from German.
ChristingleAn orange holding a candle, with a red ribbon round it, made for a children's service in Britain.
CrècheA French word, also used in English, for a model of the Nativity.
FarolitoAnother New Mexico name for the luminaria; in Spanish it means little lantern.
LuminariaA candle set in a sand-weighted paper bag; rows of them glow in New Mexico at Christmas.
NutcrackerA wooden soldier figure first carved in the Ore Mountains of Germany.
ParolA star-shaped Christmas lantern of bamboo and paper from the Philippines.
PiñataA decorated jar of sweets, often a ball with seven points, broken at Posada parties in Mexico.
PohutukawaA coastal tree with red flowers, known as the New Zealand Christmas tree.
PoinsettiaA plant from Mexico with red leaves like petals, seen everywhere at Christmas.
PresepeThe Italian name for a nativity scene.
Spider webIn Ukraine, a tree ornament that recalls a folk tale about a Christmas spider.
SzopkaThe Polish name for a nativity scene; the city of Kraków has a famous kind of its own.
TannenbaumIn German, a fir tree; in English it has come to mean a Christmas tree.
Yule goatA goat made of straw, a Christmas ornament in Sweden and its neighbors.
Days and Customs 20
Boxing DayDecember 26, a holiday in Britain and several other Commonwealth countries.
CamelThe Three Kings ride these, and children in Spain leave out a drink for them.
EpiphanyJanuary 6, when the visit of the Three Kings is remembered.
First starWhat Polish children watch the sky for on Christmas Eve, before supper may begin.
GennaThe name of Christmas in Ethiopia, kept on January 7.
JunkanooA street parade in the Bahamas on December 26 and again on New Year's Day.
KoliadaA Slavic name for the Christmas season, when carols called koliadky are sung in Ukraine.
Las PosadasNine nights of processions through Mexican streets, ending on Christmas Eve.
LuciaOn this saint's day, December 13, a Swedish girl in white wears a crown of candles.
NochebuenaChristmas Eve in Spanish.
PantomimeIn Britain, a funny musical play for children staged at Christmas.
RéveillonA long, late dinner on Christmas Eve in France and Quebec.
SaunaA hot steam bath, taken on Christmas Eve in Finland.
ShoesDutch children leave one by the fireplace for Sinterklaas.
Silent NightA carol written in Austria in 1818.
Simbang GabiNine early morning Masses before Christmas in the Philippines.
SteamboatHow Sinterklaas arrives in the Netherlands.
SummerThe season in which Christmas falls in Australia and Brazil.
Twelfth NightThe last night of the twelve days of Christmas, early in January.
WigiliaThe Christmas Eve supper in Poland, which begins when the first star appears.
Places on the Map 26
AustraliaWhere Christmas comes in summer and pavlova is a favorite dessert.
AustriaWhere Silent Night was written.
BahamasWhere Junkanoo parades fill the streets on December 26.
BrazilWhere Papai Noel comes in the heat of summer.
DenmarkWhere the rice pudding has one whole almond in it and a prize for the finder.
EthiopiaWhere Christmas is called Genna and falls on January 7.
FinlandHome of Joulupukki and the Christmas Eve sauna.
FranceWhere Père Noël comes and dessert is a bûche de Noël.
GermanyHome of stollen, lebkuchen and the wooden nutcracker.
HawaiiThe islands where the greeting is Mele Kalikimaka.
IcelandWhere thirteen Yule Lads visit, a new one each night.
ItalyWhere Befana comes at Epiphany and panettone is sliced.
JapanWhere Christmas cake is a sponge cake with whipped cream and strawberries.
MexicoHome of Las Posadas and the Christmas piñata.
NetherlandsWhere Sinterklaas arrives by steamboat.
New ZealandWhere the pohutukawa is the Christmas tree.
NorwayWhere the nisse brings presents and krumkake is baked.
PhilippinesHome of the parol lantern and Simbang Gabi.
PolandWhere Wigilia begins with the first star.
PortugalWhere bacalhau is the Christmas Eve dinner in many homes.
QuebecWhere tourtière is served at the réveillon.
RussiaWhere Ded Moroz brings presents at New Year.
SpainWhere the Three Kings bring presents at Epiphany.
SwedenWhere Lucia is kept on December 13 and the julbord is laid on Christmas Eve.
UkraineWhere kutia is served at a Christmas Eve supper of twelve dishes.
VenezuelaWhere hallacas are the Christmas dish.
How this list was compiled: Own work: the word list and every clue were written for this page. Each custom was read on 16 October 2026 in two sources: the English Wikipedia article on it (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas and the articles Befana, Christkind, Ded Moroz, Snegurochka, Joulupukki, Nisse (folklore), Olentzero, Icelandic Christmas folklore, Santa Claus, Epiphany (holiday), Stollen, Panettone, Turrón, Yule log (cake), Lebkuchen, Mince pie, Christmas pudding, Pavlova, Buñuelo, Bibingka, Lutefisk, Risalamande, Kutia, Hallaca, Bacalhau, Tourtière, Krumkake, Speculoos, King cake, Joulutorttu, Poinsettia, Piñata, Parol, Luminaria, Yule goat, Advent calendar, Nativity scene, Kraków szopka, Christingle, Pōhutukawa, Legend of the Christmas Spider, Las Posadas, Simbang Gabi, Saint Lucy's Day, Boxing Day, Twelfth Night (holiday), Wigilia, Réveillon, Junkanoo, Ethiopian Christmas, Pantomime, Koliada, Silent Night, Christmas cake, Nutcracker doll, Mele Kalikimaka, Observance of Christmas by country and the Christmas in Mexico, Poland, the Philippines, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Australia, Russia and Weihnachten articles) and either the country's page at whychristmas.com (https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/), The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (https://www.ahdictionary.com/) or Wiktionary. The greetings were read in the list of languages at https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/languages and in Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/feliz_Navidad and the entries for the others); they were checked in those lists, not read by a speaker of each language. Licence: own work
How it works
Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noël, Piñata, Poinsettia, Stollen and Panettone are on the opening list of this Christmas around the world word search. Six lists cross 26 places, from Mexico to New Zealand, and most clues name a country or language.
Read the full guide
Six lists for a trip round the globe
Merry Christmas in Many Languages has Feliz Navidad, God Jul and Mele Kalikimaka. Gift Bringers has Sinterklaas, Befana and Joulupukki. Christmas Tables has Stollen, Tamales and Pavlova. Lights and Decorations has Piñata, Parol and Luminaria. Days and Customs has Las Posadas, Boxing Day and Wigilia, and Places on the Map has 26 countries and regions.
What the clues tell
Most clues name the place and the custom. Sinterklaas comes ashore from a steamboat in the Netherlands. Befana brings presents in Italy at Epiphany. In Poland the Christmas Eve supper waits for the first star.
Accents stay in the word list and drop out of the grid: Père Noël is hidden as PERENOEL.
For a map lesson, print Places on the Map and have pupils pin each word to a wall map.
Questions and answers
Is the Christmas around the world word search free to print?
Yes. It costs nothing and asks for no account. The print is two pages on Letter or A4: the puzzle, with a name and date line and a short research task, then the answer key.
What words are in the Christmas around the world word search?
121 words and phrases, from Carp and Sauna to Mele Kalikimaka and Advent calendar. No drink, brand, film or song lyric is among them.
How do you say Merry Christmas in other languages?
The first list has sixteen greetings and words for Christmas, among them Feliz Navidad in Spanish, Joyeux Noël in French, Buon Natale in Italian, God Jul in Swedish and Norwegian, and Mele Kalikimaka in Hawaiian.
Which countries are in the puzzle?
Places on the Map has 26: Mexico, Germany, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Ukraine, the Philippines, Australia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Japan and ten more.
Is there an easy list for younger children?
Short and Easy has 12 words of 4 or 5 letters, such as Italy, Spain, Japan, Shoes, Camel and Goose.