Holidays Around the World

December is beginning to look a lot like more than Christmas. The month is also the start of many other holiday celebrations that conjure warm, fuzzy feelings for families around the globe. Here are seven reasons to get festive and make merry this wintry month.

Hanukkah

This eight-day Jewish festival of lights falls in November or December depending on the year (in 2019, Hanukkah takes place between Dec. 22 and 30) and is honored each celebratory evening with a menorah lighting, prayers of blessing and fried foods. Hanukkah (also known as Chanukah) means “dedication.” In the second century B.C., Judah of Maccabee led a small yet determined Jewish army, driving Syrian-Greeks out of their land and reclaiming the holy temple of Jerusalem. It’s said that during this time a single cruse of olive oil miraculously remained lit for over eight days in the temple’s menorah. The Jewish people take time annually to celebrate this moment by lighting one candle each night for eight days total. Menorahs are placed prominently in a doorway or window for all to see. Special blessings, prayers and songs accompany the candle lighting. And because oil is a significant component of the celebration, it is a primary ingredient in most of the holiday’s traditional foods, as well. Potato latkes, an Eastern-European pancake, are typically garnished with sour cream or apple sauce, while sufganya, a jelly-filled doughnut (and Israeli favorite), also make an appearance on the table. No Hanukkah is complete without playing a game of dreidel, a four-sided top with Hebrew letters inscribed on it to spell an acronym, reminding its players that “a great miracle happened here.” The winner of the game typically cashes in on a pot of candy, nuts or coins.

Winter Solstice

In the northern hemisphere, Dec. 21 marks both the shortest day of the entire year and the first day of winter. People all across the globe participate in various celebrations and festivals. In times past, winter solstice was traditionally celebrated by building a large bonfire and lighting candles to create light in an effort to try to lure the sun into sticking around longer in the evenings. Because shorter days and longer nights are in store throughout the winter season, winter solstice is as good an excuse as any to start enjoying the magic found in Christmas lights gleaming, candles glowing and fireplaces blazing.

St. Nicholas Day

The tradition of Father Christmas and Santa Claus has the very real St. Nicholas of Myra to thank, a benevolent man who made it his life’s work to give to those in need, particularly showing compassion upon children. Stories regarding Nicholas’ good deeds abound, but one in particular resonates. It’s said that an impoverished father had three daughters with no dowries and a bleak future that would most likely involve being sold into prostitution. When St. Nicholas heard of this poor family, he was compelled to action, throwing a bag of gold into each of the daughter’s windows at night (each bag miraculously landed in the girls’ socks or shoes left to dry by the fireplace). In honor of this man’s legacy, many people around the globe celebrate St. Nicholas on Dec. 6, the anniversary of his death in 343 A.D. Children lay shoes outside their doorsteps with the hopes that treats find their way inside. In some cultures, children are told that St. Nicholas begins his festive journey of gift-giving as early as November. According to tradition, his journey is a long and arduous one as he rides the back of a donkey, determining whether or not children have been truly good. Still others celebrate St. Nicholas’ legacy by using Dec. 6 as a day of community service.

St. Lucia Day

In Scandinavian nations, a festival of lights known as St. Lucia Day is celebrated on Dec. 13, as a way both to mark the advent of the Christmas season as well as pay tribute to St. Lucia, one of the earliest Christian martyrs. Each Scandinavian town elects its own St. Lucia who leads the start of the festival (behind her follows a procession of young girls in white costumes and lighted wreaths on their heads). The procession includes the singing of traditional songs, said to bring hope and light during the darkest time of the year. Scandinavian families like to celebrate St. Lucia Day within their own homes, as well. The oldest daughter of the home gets the honor of wearing a white dress and serving the family an array of holiday treats, such as coffee, ginger biscuits and saffron bread.

Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa, which means “first fruits” in Swahili, is a week-long celebration that begins on Dec. 26 and commemorates African heritage. It is based on ancient African harvest festivals and was begun in 1966 by African studies professor Mualana Kareng. Participants take time to celebrate by dressing in special clothing, decorating with fruits and vegetables, and lighting black, red and green candles in a holder known as a kinara. Each of the seven candles symbolizes African-American core cultural values: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

Boxing Day

Much of this holiday is lost on residents of the United States, but for its Canadian neighbors (along with the residents of Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand), this holiday of obscure origins has one common theme. It’s a day of rest for the common man. In times past, servants traditionally worked on Christmas day, so their employers often gifted the following day off to thank them for their efforts. The tradition stuck and grew to include all service industries, from the postman to tradesmen. Nowadays, Boxing Day is considered the premiere time to get great deals post-Christmas (think Black Friday, only a month later).

Three Kings Day

The Twelve Days of Christmas comes to a close on Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day (a time that celebrates the three wise men who brought gifts to baby Jesus). In France, king’s cake is baked with a special prize inside, while in Puerto Rico, children awake to find mangers of hay beside their beds decked with small presents. Children in Spain wait patiently until this day to open their Christmas presents.

Lauren Greenlee is a mom of three who enjoys celebrating Advent in preparation for Christmas. She writes from her Olathe home.