How Different Cultures Celebrate Beauty During the Holidays

Dear Skin, 

Happy holidays from all of us at Relterra! However you're celebrating this season, we hope you're finding moments to rest, connect with the people you care about, and take care of yourself.

The holidays look different depending on where you are in the world. Different foods, different traditions, different ways of celebrating. And in a lot of cultures, beauty rituals are part of those celebrations, not as an afterthought, but as something intentional.

I've always found this interesting. Taking care of your skin or hair isn't always just maintenance. Sometimes it connects you to tradition, family, or a sense of starting fresh. Here's how different cultures around the world approach beauty during the holiday season.

Japan: The New Year's Bath Ritual

In Japan, the transition into the new year is taken seriously. It's about starting fresh, both spiritually and physically.

One tradition is taking a yuzu bath on the winter solstice (around December 21st). Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit, and whole yuzu fruits (or yuzu peels) are floated in hot baths. The citrus releases oils into the water. People believe it wards off colds, improves circulation, and purifies the body before the new year.

The ritual itself is calming. The smell of yuzu is bright and clean. The hot water relaxes muscles. It's a moment of pause before New Year's celebrations start. Japanese women also visit onsen (hot springs) during winter as part of their beauty routine. The mineral-rich waters are believed to improve skin texture and help you relax. It's self-care, but also a cultural tradition.

Morocco: The Hammam Before Celebrations

In Morocco (and across North Africa), the hammam is central to beauty and wellness. It's a traditional bathhouse where people go to cleanse, exfoliate, and socialize. During holidays and special occasions, visiting the hammam becomes even more common. It's a way to prepare yourself for celebrations, physically and mentally. Women often go together.

The process is thorough: steam to open pores, black soap (savon noir) made from olive oil to soften skin, vigorous exfoliation with a kessa glove to remove dead skin, then rinsing with cool water. Some hammams also offer rhassoul clay masks or argan oil treatments afterward.

The result is incredibly soft, glowing skin. Beyond that, there's the ritual, the tradition passed down through generations, the sense of renewal before big events.

Greece: Olive Oil and Honey Traditions

In Greece, beauty has always been connected to ingredients that are grown locally. Olive oil, honey, yogurt. Greeks have used these as beauty staples for thousands of years, not just as food. During the holidays, particularly around Greek Orthodox Christmas and New Year, there's an emphasis on natural remedies and traditional skincare. Olive oil is used as a moisturizer, a hair treatment, and mixed with honey or yogurt for face masks.

Greek women often prepare homemade beauty treatments using ingredients from their own kitchens or local markets. It's practical, but also tied to heritage. These are the same ingredients their grandmothers used. There's also a cultural appreciation for glowing, healthy skin over heavy makeup. The goal is to look radiant and well-rested, which means focusing on skincare rather than coverage.

Scandinavia: The Sauna Ritual

In Finland, Sweden, and other Nordic countries, the sauna is a cornerstone of wellness and beauty. It's used year-round, but during the dark, cold winter months (which includes the entire holiday season), sauna sessions become even more frequent.

The heat opens pores, increases circulation, and promotes sweating (which helps detoxify skin). Many Scandinavians follow their sauna with a cold plunge or rolling in snow, which tightens pores and boosts circulation even more.

Some people also use birch branches (called vihta or vasta) to gently beat their skin in the sauna. This exfoliates and stimulates blood flow. It sounds intense, but it leaves skin incredibly soft and glowing. Saunas provide social spaces, meditative experiences, and are deeply woven into Nordic culture. The skin benefits are just an added bonus. 

India: Turmeric and Ubtan Before Weddings

While not specifically a Christmas tradition (since India is predominantly Hindu and Muslim), the winter season is the prime wedding season in India. And Indian pre-wedding beauty rituals are some of the most elaborate in the world.

One tradition is the ubtan ceremony, where brides (and grooms) are covered in a paste made from turmeric, chickpea flour, sandalwood, and other natural ingredients. The paste is left on the skin to brighten, exfoliate, and give a natural glow.

Turmeric is anti-inflammatory and has been used in Indian skincare for thousands of years. The ubtan ritual isn't just about beauty. It's ceremonial, meant to bless the couple and prepare them for their new life together. Even outside of weddings, turmeric face masks and homemade beauty treatments are common during the holiday and celebration season.

France: The Pre-Holiday Facial

In France, beauty is treated as an investment rather than a luxury. Before major holidays, many French women book appointments with their esthetician for a professional facial. To French women, this is maintenance. French beauty philosophy emphasizes prevention and consistent care over dramatic interventions. A professional facial before the holidays means your skin is in good shape before the stress, late nights, and dietary changes that come with celebrations.

French pharmacies also see increased sales of targeted treatments during this time: concentrated serums, overnight masks, and gentle exfoliants. The goal is to look rested and radiant without looking like you tried too hard. French beauty routines during the holidays get more consistent, not more complicated.

Mexico: The Temazcal Ceremony

In Mexico, particularly in indigenous communities, the temazcal is a traditional sweat lodge used for physical and spiritual cleansing. While it's used throughout the year, it's particularly meaningful during times of transition and celebration.

The temazcal is heated with volcanic rocks, and medicinal herbs are added to create steam. Participants sit inside in the dark, sweating intensely while prayers or songs are performed. The heat and herbs open pores, promote sweating, and leave skin feeling incredibly clean and soft. The ritual highlights purification, renewal, and connection to tradition.

What These Traditions Have in Common

Despite coming from completely different cultures and climates, these beauty rituals share some things:

• They're communal or passed down through families. You do these things with other people, or you learn them from your grandmother.

• They use local, natural ingredients. Whether it's yuzu in Japan, olive oil in Greece, or turmeric in India, these rituals are built around what grows locally and has been used for centuries.

• They're intentional. These aren't rushed routines squeezed into a busy morning. They're deliberate practices that require time and attention.

• Looking good is secondary. These rituals are about spiritual cleansing, family tradition, staying connected, and honoring the occasion.

What We Can Learn

You don't have to adopt traditions from other cultures to appreciate what they teach us about beauty. The lesson is this: beauty rituals don't have to be superficial. They can be meaningful, intentional, and connected to something larger than just how you look.

During the holidays, when everything feels chaotic and rushed, maybe the most valuable thing you can do for your skin (and yourself) is to slow down. Take a real bath instead of a quick shower. Use products that make you feel something, rather than whatever gets the job done. Create your own ritual that means something important to you

The holidays are stressful. Your skin probably shows it. But cultures around the world have figured out that taking care of yourself, REALLY taking care of yourself, is worth the time. That's something worth celebrating, no matter where you are.

Cheers and Happy Holidays,
The Relterra Team