Holiday Traditions Around The World

Many countries around the world celebrate different holidays around December and January. These cultures have different traditions they celebrate with their different holidays. 

Holidays that are celebrated around this time of year are Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Boxing Day. Christmas is a holiday that is celebrated in Christianity on December 25. The people who celebrate Christmas believe Jesus was born on this day.

Hanukkah is a holiday celebrated in Judaism. This is celebrated over eight nights starting on December 18 and ends December 26. It is not on the same days every year. It is the 25th day in the Hebrew calendar. Hanukkah commemorates the Maccabean victories over the forces of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the rededication of the Temple on Kislev 25, 164 BCE. 

Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African-American culture. It is a celebration every year from December 26 to January 1. Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated on December 26 every year. This holiday is a day when people give gifts to those who are in need. 

In the Philippines they primarily celebrate Christmas. Bella Ondevilla said “I celebrate a novena which starts on December 15, and is the 9 days leading up to Christmas” This is also called simbang gabi. A novena is a tradition in the Roman Catholic  Church which is nine days of prayer and service. Ondevilla said “During this novena they go to church all 9 days.” They hang up traditional Filipino Christmas decorations. They also have family gatherings called noche buena. 

In Brazil, they decorate nativity scenes and very popular Christmas traditions. Brianna Freeburg said “They open presents at midnight on Christmas instead of the morning.” On Christmas, they spend time with their family. Freeburg said “They have a Brazilian dish, dessert and Brazilian soda.” 

In Mexico, they mainly celebrate Christmas. They celebrate from December 12 to January 6 each year. Some traditions they have are they have a candlelit procession. This is to honor the Virgin of Guadalupe, which is who leads the people in the procession in the streets. They sing Spanish Christmas songs, dance and have fireworks.

In Israel, the most common holiday is Hanukkah. In Israel the schools are closed for all eight days of Hanukkah. They celebrate with eating, festivals, lights and concerts. They have an annual torch relay which starts Hanukkah. 

In the United Kingdom, the most common holiday is Christmas. They put up the Christmas tree as a family. They eat their Christmas meal at lunch time rather than dinner. They have a famous Christmas cake for dessert. They have Christmas lights all over the towns. Often a famous person will turn the lights on. Then on December 26 they celebrate Boxing Day. This is a day where families will go out and give to the poor.

There are many different ways to celebrate the holidays around the world. There are many different holidays you could celebrate around this time and you don’t have to celebrate the same holiday the same way.