| Afghanistan |
Papa Noël (Arabic: بابا نويل baba noel); Baba Chaghaloo |
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| Andorra |
Pare Noel (Father Christmas) |
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Els Tres Reis (The Three Kings) |
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| Argentina |
Papá Noel[2] (Father Christmas) |
El Niño Diós(Child God) |
Reyes Magos[3] (The Three Wise Men) 6 January; |
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| Armenia |
Dzmer Papik (Father Christmas) |
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| Australia |
Santa Claus (or Father Christmas)[4] |
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| Austria |
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Christkind[5](Christ Child) |
St Nikolaus or Nikolo comes on 6 December. |
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| Azerbaijan |
Şaxta Baba (Father Frost) |
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| Belgium |
Père Noël[6] (Father Christmas) for French speakers; Kerstman (Christmas man) for Dutch speakers |
Le Petit Jesus[2](Baby Jesus) for French speakers |
Sinterklaas 6 December for Dutch speakers; St Nicholas 6 December for French speakers |
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| Bolivia |
Papá Noel (Father Christmas) |
El Niño Diós(Child God) |
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| Bosnia |
Djed Božićnjak (also known as Božić Bata or Djed Mraz) 1 January |
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| Brazil |
Papai Noel,[7] Bom Velhinho (Good Little Oldie). |
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| Bulgaria |
Дядо Коледа (Dyado Koleda) (Father Christmas) |
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| Canada |
Santa Claus,[8] Père Noël[8] (Father Christmas) for French speakers |
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| Chile |
El Viejito Pascuero[9] (The Easter Oldman), referring to him appearing at "Christmas Time", which in Chile is often called "Nativity's Easter" (Pascua de la Natividad) or simply "Easter" (Pascua), in contrast to "Resurrection Easter" (Pascua de Resurrecci |
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| China |
Shengdan laoren (Traditional Chinese: 聖誕老人, Simplified Chinese: 圣诞老人, Cantonese: sing daan lo jan, pinyin: shèngdànlǎorén (Old Man Christmas)[10] |
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| Colombia |
Papá Noel (Father Christmas) |
El Niño Diós[11](Child God), El Niño Jesús (Child Jesus) |
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| Costa Rica |
Santa Clós (Santa Claus),[12] San Nicolás (Saint Nicholas) or his nickname Colacho. |
El Niño Diós[12](Child God) |
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| Croatia |
Djed Božićnjak (Grandpa Christmas), Djed Mraz(Grandpa Frost), Sveti Nikola (St Nicholas)[13] 6 December, Santa Claus[13] |
Mali Isus (Baby Jesus) |
In Dalmatia and Slavonia, St Lucy[13]arrives on the eve of her feast day, 13 December. |
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| Cyprus |
Άγιος Βασίλης (Saint Basil) 1 January |
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| Czech Republic |
Angel accompanying Mikulas[14] (Nicholas) 6 December |
Ježíšek[15] (Baby Jesus) |
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| Denmark |
Julemanden[16] (Christmas Man) |
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| Dominican Republic |
Papá Noel (Father Christmas), Santa Clós (Santa Claus) |
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Los Tres Reyes Magos (The Three Kings)[17] 6 January, Vieja Belén[17] (Old Lady of Bethlehem) |
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| Ecuador |
Papá Noel (Father Christmas) |
El Niño Diós(Child God) |
The Three Kings 6 January[18] |
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| Egypt |
Papa Noël (Arabic: بابا نويل Baba Noel) |
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| United Kingdom |
Father Christmas[19] or synonymously Santa Claus[20][21] |
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Before mid-Victorian times Father Christmaswas a different folkloric figure representing good cheer, and did not bring gifts.[22][23] |
| Estonia |
Jõuluvana (Old Man of Christmas) |
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| Finland |
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Joulupukki (Yule Goat)[24] |
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| France |
Père Noël[25] (Father Christmas) |
Le Petit Jésus(Baby Jesus)[25] |
Tante Arie in Franche-Comté[25]Saint Nicolas (Saint Nicholas) in Alsace-Lorraine |
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| Germany |
Weihnachtsmann[26] (Christmas Man) in Protestant areas |
Christkind[26](Christ Child) in Catholic areas |
Nikolaus, who comes on 6 December. |
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| Greece |
Άγιος Βασίλης[27] (Saint Basil) 1 January |
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| Honduras |
Santa Claus[28] |
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The Three Kings[28] |
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| Hong Kong |
聖誕老人 (jyutping: sing3 daan3 lou5 jan4) (Christmas Old Man), Santa Claus, St Nicholas, Father Christmas |
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| Hungary |
Télapó (Father Christmas); Mikulás[29] (Nicholas) 6 December |
Jézuska" or "Kis Jézus" (Child Jesus) |
Angels accompanying the baby Jesus[28] |
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| Iceland |
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Jólasveinar[30] (Yulemen or Yule Lads) |
In Icelandic folk tales there are numerous Jólasveinar, which come on different dates.[30] |
| India |
Christmas Father, Jingal Bell, Santa Claus; in Telugu Thatha (Christmas Old Man); in Marathi Natal Bua(Christmas Elder Man); in Tamil Christmas Thatha(Christmas Grandpa); in southern India ಸಾ೦ಟಾ ಕ್ಲಾಸ್; |
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| Indonesia |
Santa Claus, Sinterklas |
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| Iran |
Santa Claus,[31] Baba Noel[31] (Persian: بابا نوئل) |
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Amu Nowruz (Persian: عمو نوروز, "Uncle Nowruz"), also known as Papa Nowruz (Persian: بابا نوروز – Bābā Nowruz), Spring Equinox (20 March). |
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| Ireland |
Santa Claus, Father Christmas,[31] Daidí na Nollag[32]for Irish speakers |
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| Italy |
Babbo Natale[33] (Father Christmas); in Trieste, St Nicholas 6 December. |
Gesù bambino(Baby Jesus) |
La Befana[33] 6 January. In Sicily,[33]Udine, Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona, Lodi, Mantova, Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Verona and Western Trentino, St Lucy[33] arrives on the eve of her feast day, 13 December. |
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| Japan |
サンタクロース (Santa Kuroosu, or Santa-san)[34][dubious – discuss] |
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| South Korea |
산타 클로스 (Santa Claus), 산타 할아버지 (Santa Harabeoji) (Grandfather Santa) |
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| Latvia |
Ziemassvētku vecītis (Father Christmas)[35] |
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| Liechtenstein |
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Christkind (Christ Child) |
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| Lithuania |
Kalėdų Senelis[36] (Grandfather Christmas) |
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| Luxembourg |
Kleeschen[37] (St Nicholas) |
Christkind (Christ Child)[37] |
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| Macedonia |
Dedo Mraz |
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| Malta |
Father Christmas[38] |
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| Mexico |
Santa Clós (Santa Claus) |
El Niño Diós[39](Child God) |
Los Tres Reyes Magos (The Three Kings[39]) |
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| Netherlands |
Kerstman[40] (Christmas Man), Sinterklaas (St Nicholas) 6 December |
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Zwarte Piet[40] (Black Peter), accompanying Sinterklaas[40] |
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| New Zealand |
Father Christmas,[41] known in Maori as Hana Koko. |
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| Nicaragua |
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El Niño[41] (Christ Child) |
The Three Kings[41] |
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| Norway |
Julenissen (Christmas Gnome) [42] |
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| Panama |
Santa Claus[43] |
Christ Child[43] |
The Three Kings[43] 6 January |
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| Paraguay |
Papá Noel (Father Christmas) |
El Niño Diós(Child God) |
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| Peru |
Papá Noel (Father Christmas), Santa Claus[44] |
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| Philippines |
Santa Claus, 24 December [45] |
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Los Tres Reyes Magos / Tatlóng Haring Mago (The Three Kings), 5 January[45] |
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| Poland |
Gwiazdor (Star Man or Little Star[46]), Santa Claus,[46]Święty Mikołaj (St Nicolas) 6 December[46] |
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| Portugal |
Pai Natal (Father Christmas), Santa Claus[47] |
Menino Jesus(Christ Child[47]) - now less common |
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| Puerto Rico |
Santa Clós (Santa Claus)[48] |
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Previously The Three Kings[48] |
| Romania |
Moş Crăciun[49] (Father Christmas), Moş Nicolae (St Nicholas) 6 December |
Jézuska or Kis Jézus (Child Jesus) (for the Hungarian minorities) |
Angyal (The Angel) (for the Hungarian minorities) |
Moş Gerilă (Grandfather Frost) during the previous Communist era[49] |
| Russia |
Дед Мороз (Ded Moroz) (Grandfather Frost[50]), his granddaughter Snegurochka (the Snow Maiden) and the New Year Boy;[50] in Sakha Republic (Yakutia) Чысхаан (Chyskhaan) (Lord of the Cold); in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug - Ямал Ири (Yamal Iri) (Grandpa |
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Before 1917, during the pre-Communist era, the gift-bringers were St Nicholas, Baboushka and Kolyáda[50] |
| Scotland |
Santa Claus; Bodach na Nollaig (Scots Gaelic: Old Man of Christmas) |
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| Serbia |
Now Деда Мраз (Deda Mraz) (Grandpa Frost) 1 January; previously Божић Бата (Božić Bata) (Christmas Brother) |
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| Slovenia |
Miklavž,[51] Dedek Mraz (Grandfather Frost), Božiček |
Jezušček (Baby Jesus) |
Sveti trije kralji (The Three Kings) |
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| South Africa |
Sinterklaas, Father Christmas,[52] Santa Claus |
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| Spain |
Papá Noel[53] (Father Christmas); Olentzero in the Basque Country;[53] Apalpador in some areas of Galicia, |
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The Three Kings 6 January;[53] Tió de Nadal in Catalonia;[54] Anjanas in Cantabria; Anguleru in Asturias |
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| Sri Lanka |
Naththal Seeya |
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| Sweden |
Jultomten[55] (Christmas Gnome) |
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Julbock (Christmas Goat) until the 19th century[53] |
| Switzerland |
St Nicholas (known as Samichlaus to German-speakers and San Nicolao to Italian),[56] Père Noël[56](Father Christmas) for French-speakers |
Christkind (Christ Child) in some areas,[53] Gesù bambino (Baby Jesus) in Italian-speaking areas[53] |
La Befana in Italian-speaking areas[53] |
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| Syria |
Papa Noël (Arabic: بابا نويل baba noel) |
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| Taiwan |
聖誕老人 or 聖誕老公公 (Old Man of Christmas) |
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| Thailand |
ซานตาคลอส (Santa Claus) |
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| Turkey |
Noel Baba (Father Christmas) 1 January |
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| Turkmenistan |
Aýaz baba |
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| Ukraine |
Святий Миколай (Sviaty Mykolay) (St Nicholas),[57]Дід Мороз (Did Moroz) (Grandfather Frost)[57] |
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Christmas is celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar on 7 January[57] |
| Uruguay |
Papá Noel (Father Christmas) |
El Niño Diós(Child God) |
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| USA |
Santa Claus;[57] sometimes Kris Kringle |
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| Uzbekistan |
Ayoz Bobo (Frost Grandpa), Qor Bobo (Snow Grandfather) |
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| Venezuela |
Santa Clós (Santa Claus) |
El Niño[3] (Christ Child) |
Reyes Magos[3] (The Three Wise Men) 6 January; |
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| Vietnam |
Ông Già Nô-en (Old Man of Christmas) |
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| Wales |
Santa Claus, Father Christmas; Siôn Corn[58] in Welsh (literally Chimney John)[59] |
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