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Why local traditions feel different

Traveling during the holidays means sharing streets, buses, and dinner tables with people in the middle of their most emotional season of the year, not just ticking off sights. Locals are juggling family, faith, food, and year‑end rituals, so the most meaningful experiences usually happen in small moments - helping light candles, joining a neighborhood procession, or sharing a dish at a community table - rather than in big, ticketed events. With a travel eSIM like get, you can quietly look up etiquette on the way, translate invitations in real time, and find your route to the right church, temple, beach, or plaza without dropping out of signal.​

Europe and the Americas: nights that run late

Across much of Europe and Latin America, “Christmas” is really Christmas Eve: families gather late, attend a midnight mass or service, and only then open presents. In Spain, December and early January are layered with traditions - from huge Nativity scenes and December lotteries to eating twelve grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve and parades of the Three Kings that kids care about more than Santa. In Colombia, Día de las Velitas sees families covering sidewalks and balconies with candles, while in Mexico, Las Posadas processions re‑enact the search for shelter and end in food, music, and piñatas in the street.​

For a traveler, these are not “shows” but living rituals, so the right move is to follow local lead: ask your host or guide which events are open to visitors, show up on time, dress like locals, and keep your camera secondary. Having a Europe‑wide or Global get eSIM plan means you can jump between cities - say, Madrid to Mexico City - without chasing SIM shops or worrying that your maps and messaging will cut out as plans change last minute.​

Africa, Asia and the Pacific: light, water and summer holidays

Move south or east and the mood shifts again: in South Africa or Australia, the “holiday table” often moves outside, with braais or barbecues in the sun instead of fireplaces. In the Philippines, Simbang Gabi dawn services fill the streets with worshippers and food stalls selling rice cakes and hot drinks, while in Japan, New Year’s is more important than Christmas, marked by temple visits, special food boxes, and first shrine visits of the year. New Zealand families might be celebrating with pavlova under a blooming pōhutukawa tree, and in Fiji or other Pacific islands, ceremonies, kava rituals, and communal feasts blend Christian dates with older village rhythms.​

Here, being connected helps you be spontaneous without being clueless. You can use your eSIM data to check local public‑holiday schedules, see which ferries or buses are running, and translate temple rules or village invitations before you arrive, instead of relying on patchy guesthouse Wi‑Fi. Because get offers country, regional and Global plans - covering Europe only, specific countries like Portugal or the US, or up to 148 destinations worldwide - you can pick one profile that quietly covers your entire route, then install it in under two minutes via app or QR code.​

Beyond Christmas: Diwali, Hanukkah, Lunar New Year and more

If you travel between October and February, you may cross several major holidays that are not Christmas at all. Diwali fills Indian and diaspora neighborhoods with lamps, sweets, and fireworks; Hanukkah brings candle‑lighting, songs, and family meals; and in parts of East and Southeast Asia, Dōngzhì, Lunar New Year, and water or lantern festivals mark the real “turning of the year.” Joining as a visitor can mean something as simple as accepting a shared sweet, observing a brief ceremony from the back of a room, or buying lanterns and food from street stalls that line the celebrations.​

Because dates shift each year and vary by region, a smart tactic is to build your route with a calendar in one hand and your phone in the other: search for “festival dates” in your destination, save event locations in your maps app, and keep local news or city accounts bookmarked. With a get eSIM, you do not need to change SIM cards each time you cross a border to chase a different festival: one Europe plan can cover dozens of countries, and a Global plan stretches across America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, all managed from the same app interface.​

Practical etiquette for joining in

To move from “tourist watching a parade” to “guest invited to share a moment,” a few habits make a big difference. Do your homework on what the holiday means before you arrive, ask locals (or your host) what is appropriate for visitors, and when in doubt, hang back a little, watch, and mirror what others do. Dress modestly for anything remotely religious, avoid pointing cameras in people’s faces during emotional moments, and offer to share something from your own culture if you are invited into a home - stories, songs or small snacks travel well.​

Digital tools can quietly support that sensitivity rather than distract from it. With app‑managed data from an eSIM, you can keep your phone on silent and screen‑dimmed, using it only to check directions, look up a phrase, or send a thank‑you message afterward, without needing to log into open public Wi‑Fi or hunt for a café every time you get lost. And because get eSIM plans are internet‑only, flexible in data size, and designed to match specific countries, all of Europe or the whole globe, you stay reachable and informed while your physical SIM - and your main number - remains safely in your phone.