Expat Christmas in Cyprus (2026): Church Services, Traditions and Food

If you want an English-language Christmas service in Cyprus, your main options are the Anglican churches of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf and the Roman Catholic parishes, both of which have a church in every main town. If you would like to see how most Cypriots celebrate, go to a Greek Orthodox liturgy on Christmas morning. This guide lists the churches by town, explains how Orthodox Christmas works and covers what closes over 24 to 26 December.

Last checked: 19 October 2026. None of the churches below had published their Christmas 2026 timetable yet. Most post it in late November or early December, usually on their website, in their weekly news sheet and on their Facebook page.

For the festive side of the season, such as the Christmas villages, markets and lights, see our guide to Christmas in Cyprus and our Christmas markets guide.

Which churches hold Christmas services in English?

The Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf lists its Cyprus churches on its Cyprus churches page. Catholic churches are run by the Latin parishes (Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land) and listed, with other denominations, on Visit Cyprus's languages and religions page. Several of them are international congregations, holding Mass in English plus Greek, Polish, Filipino and other languages.

We only list regular times we could confirm on the church's own or the diocese's website. Holiday weeks often change the pattern: St Paul's, for example, says its Wednesday communion is not held in the week after Christmas.

What did Christmas services look like in 2025?

As a guide to what to expect, in 2025 St Barnabas in Limassol held a Nine Lessons and Carols service on Sunday 21 December at 18:00, Midnight Mass at 23:00 on Christmas Eve and a Christmas morning service at 10:00. The same parish held a carol service at St George in the Forest in Troodos on 20 December 2025. The Paphos parish holds carol services for Advent and Christmas, but had not yet posted 2026 dates. Treat these as patterns, not 2026 times.

Why share a church in Paphos?

Ayia Kyriaki, beside the pillar where tradition says St Paul was flogged, belongs to the Orthodox Church. The Bishop of Paphos entrusted it to the Latin Catholic community in 1986, and the Catholics invited the Anglicans to worship there in 1988. The Orthodox still use it on special occasions. At Christmas this means each community's services are carefully timed around the others, so always check the time with the right parish.

How does Greek Orthodox Christmas work?

For Greek Orthodox Cypriots, Christmas Day starts in church. If you are curious, going to the Christmas liturgy at your local church will show you how the island marks the day.

The 40-day Nativity fast

The Orthodox Christmas fast lasts 40 days, from 15 November to 24 December, as a time to prepare body and soul for the feast. Far fewer people keep it strictly today than in the past, but some colleagues, neighbours and in-laws still do. Keep that in mind if you are inviting Cypriot friends for a meal or bringing food to the office in late November and December.

Christmas Eve and Christmas morning

On Christmas Eve, families bake christopsomo ("Christ's bread"), a slightly sweet loaf marked with a cross, and children go out singing the kalanda carols. Our main Christmas page explains the carols.

Orthodox services in Cyprus start early. Visit Cyprus lists ordinary Sunday liturgies as running roughly from 06:15 to 09:15, and the Christmas liturgy on 25 December is also a morning service, after which families go home to break the fast together. Times vary by parish, so ask at your local church or check the Church of Cyprus site. In Nicosia, old-town churches such as Faneromeni and Chrysaliniotissa are decorated for candle-lit services.

What is eaten when the fast ends?

After church, the fast breaks with a big family meal. A thick, lemony chicken avgolemono soup is the classic first dish, followed by meat such as souvla, with the christopsomo on the table and melomakarona and kourabiedes for dessert. Stuffed turkey is now common at festive meals too, and some households skip the bird and serve only the stuffing. The New Year table and the vasilopita are covered in our vasilopita guide.

Etiquette for visitors

• Dress neatly: Visit Cyprus asks for "proper", not overly casual, clothing in places of worship, so leave beachwear for the beach.
• Ask permission before taking photographs.
• Expect crowds. The big churches fill up on Christmas morning and people stand outside too, so arrive early and park a little away from the church.
• If you are unsure what to do, stand towards the back and follow the people around you.

What is open over Christmas in Cyprus?

Christmas 2026 falls conveniently. Christmas Eve is a Thursday, Christmas Day a Friday and 26 December a Saturday. Both 25 and 26 December are public holidays, so banks and government offices close and the long weekend runs into Sunday 27 December.

• Shops and supermarkets: many shops and restaurants close on 25 and 26 December. Check your supermarket's holiday hours in the week before Christmas and do your big food shop by the afternoon of 24 December.
• Christmas lunch out: if you would rather not cook, book a hotel or restaurant early, as the places that do open on 25 December fill up fast. Ask whether it is a fixed festive menu and what the price includes.
• Schools: public schools are off from Thursday 24 December 2026 to Wednesday 6 January 2027, according to the Ministry of Education's 2026–27 circular. Private and international schools set their own dates and often break up a few days earlier.
• Public holidays: 1 January and 6 January (Epiphany) are also public holidays. See our national holidays guide.

Practical tips for an expat Christmas in Cyprus

• Check service times twice. Look at the church's website or news sheet in late November, then again the week before Christmas. Small chaplaincies sometimes combine services between churches over the holidays.
• Bring something to give. Churches rely on collections and fundraisers; St Barnabas, for example, has held a Christmas bazaar in late November. In 2024 St Paul's in Nicosia listed a monthly food bank and asked for non-perishable food donations, a good way to help over the holidays.
• Allow time to park. Old Nicosia, central Limassol and Kato Paphos are busy on Christmas Eve. Holy Cross sits right by Paphos Gate, so use the car parks around the walls.
• Watch online if you cannot go. St Barnabas streams its Sunday Eucharist on YouTube, which is handy for family abroad or anyone ill over the holidays.
• Visitors flying in? Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are often cheaper days to fly. See our Christmas flights guide.

What to do next

1. Pick a church from the table and bookmark its website. Check for the 2026 Christmas timetable from late November.
2. Book Christmas Day lunch now if you plan to eat out.
3. Plan your shopping around the 25 and 26 December closures.
4. For the rest of the season, read our guides to New Year's Eve in Cyprus, Epiphany (Fota) and Christmas gifts from Cyprus, plus Christmas in Limassol and Christmas in old Nicosia.