Christmas 2023, 2024 and 2025 in São Tomé and Príncipe

Christmas in São Tomé and Príncipe is celebrated with a public holiday every 25 December, as it is in a majority of countries around the world. This Christian festivity commemorates the birth of Jesus, and is part of a 22-28 day season in the Christian calendar known as Advent.

YearDateDayHoliday
202325 DecMonChristmas Day
202425 DecWedChristmas Day
202525 DecThuChristmas Day
202625 DecFriChristmas Day
Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates.

Around 80 percent of the population of São Tomé and Príncipe is Christian and 70 percent Roman Catholic. Christmas Day is a public holiday, and most people celebrate it with enthusiasm.

Midnight masses on 24 December are attended in droves in São Tomé and Príncipe. The largest gatherings are on the island of São Tomé since that is where four-fifths of the people live. Most people get the day off work, and even the non-religious find ways to celebrate.

You will see many homes decked out for the holidays in São Tomé and Príncipe, with the period between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day being a time of general merriment. It is also a deeply religious time of year for many, a time to remember the coming of Christ into the world to save sinners.

Previous Years

YearDateDayHoliday
202225 DecSunChristmas Day
202125 DecSatChristmas Day
202025 DecFriChristmas Day
201925 DecWedChristmas Day
201825 DecTueChristmas Day
201725 DecMonChristmas Day