Winter Holidays Celebrated Around the World

 

Winter is my favorite season of the year, not just because the weather gets cooler (I can’t stand being hot! Sweating is so gross!), but also because it’s Christmastime. I love everything about Christmas: hanging ornaments, eating cookies, eating pie, just eating period, wrapping presents, unwrapping presents (!!), shopping for gifts, listening to carols, taking a trip down to the neighborhood ‘Christmas Street’ to look at all the pretty decorated houses, Hallmark movie marathons, sitting by the beautifully scented tree as the lights twinkle, spending time with my family, and of course, the fact that people are generally nicer at this time of year!

All that said, I am not so Christmas-minded that I am unaware that there are other holidays to celebrate. I know a bit about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and, of course, New Year’s, but I still have a lot to learn about those holidays, as well as others that are celebrated around the world at this time of year. What do you say we do a little learning together? Here is some information I’ve gleaned from my research on 5 different winter holidays.

Diwali

This is the Hindu festival lights, and thanks to the kind guidance of the awesome Sabine Singh (who friended me on X. Believe me, I am still squeeing!) I even got to celebrate it a bit this year. It is a five-day celebration generally observed in October and November to coincide with a new moon.

Diwali (or more formally, Dipavali) symbolises the spiritual victory of Dharma (an individual’s moral responsibilities or duties) over Adharma (“that which is not in accord with the dharma”; AKA disharmony, wrongness, evil, and vice). Celebrants embrace light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

During the festival, homes and workspaces are illuminated with oil lamps, candles, and lanterns. Fireworks and family feasts are a large part of the holiday. Diwali marks a homecoming and bonding for families, communities, and associations. Many towns organize events and gatherings, such as parades with music and dance performances.

Originally a Hindu festival, Diwali has transcended religious borders and is also celebrated by other faiths. Traditional gifts include sweets and treats, including dry fruits and nuts, clay lamps (known as Diyas), and decorative items like candles and door hangings (known as torans).

Three Kings Day

A Christian holiday that is particularly significant in Spanish-speaking countries, Three Kings Day - also known as Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (Day of the Three Wise Kings), Epiphany, Theophany, and Little Christmas - is celebrated on January 6. It commemorates the visit of the Magi (Wise Men) to visit the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. That event is a key moment in the nativity story.

The holiday is celebrated with family gatherings and parades featuring music, dancing, and floats. Common traditions associated with the holiday are gift-giving and enjoying special meals that include tamales, roasted pork, and other regional cuisine.

Traditional gifts include toy camels or Three Kings figurines, personalized ornaments, and Rosca de Reyes, which is a traditional sweet bread shaped like a crown. Sometimes figurines are hidden in the dough, and the finders are expected to host the next Candlemas Day celebration.

Candlemas Day

As mentioned above, Candelmas - also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ - is another Christian holiday that is celebrated in the wintertime. Taking place on February 2nd, it is a feast day that commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the temple by Joseph and Mary, as documented in the Bible. On Candlemas, many Christian countries take candles to their local church to be blessed and used for the remainder of the year. These candles are a symbol of Jesus Christ, who is the “Light of the World”.

It is customary for some Catholics in France, Belgium, and the Swiss Romandy to eat crepes or pancakes on Candelmas. The tradition is to flip them into the air with your right hand while holding a gold coin or some other coin in your left hand to ensure prosperity throughout the year. You must ensure that the pancake lands properly back into the pan.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish festival commemorating the revolt led by the Maccabee family to save Jerusalem and reclaim the Second Temple. Running low on supplies, they only had oil enough for one candleabra, but it burned for eight days. The holiday is observed for eight nights and days with the lighting of the menorah, a candelabra with eight branches. Using the shammash (a ninth candle), one additional candle is lit each night until all eight are lit up on the final night of the festival.

Hanukkah customs include singing songs, playing the dreidel game (something I was taught how to do as a child by one of my in-laws), and eating oil-based foods like potato latkes and sufganiyot (they’re like jelly donuts). In many countries since the 1970s, there has been a movement to have menorah lightings in public places.

Kwanzaa

A week-long, non-religious celebration honoring African heritage and values, Kwanzaa is observed annually, from December 26-January 1. First introduced in 1966 by Dr. Maulana "Ron" Karenga to acknowledge and respond to the racial and economic challenges faced by African Americans, each day honors a particular principle and is counted down on a menorah-like candelabra. The holiday is observed with song, dance, African drums, shared meals, and the exchanging of handmade gifts.

The seven guiding principles, known as Nguzo Saba, are:

1. Umoja (Unity): To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
2. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To encourage individuals to shape their own destinies through self-determination.
3. Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To promote collective work and responsibility for community development.
4. Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To encourage cooperative economics and building and maintaining stores and businesses.
5. Nia (Purpose): To work collectively to build communities that restore the greatness of African people.
6. Kuumba (Creativity): To find new, innovative ways to make communities of African descent more beautiful and beneficial than when inherited.
7. Imani (Faith): To believe in God, family, heritage, leaders, and others who will lead to the victory of Africans around the world.

That all sounds so beautiful and hopeful to me. I believe that is what Kwanzaa is about.

In Conclusion

Now, congrats (and thanks) to YOU if you managed to get through this whole, lengthy post! LOL I am starting a holiday movie watching challenge on my blog, and thought relaying information on a few different winter holidays might add to the appeal of it. I will post the details of said challenge (along with the possible incentives that go with it) on Monday, so please bookmark this blog or subscribe via the dropdown bar on the top left side of the home page.

Research website credits:
National Museum of African American History & Culture
Wikipedia
Christianity.com