33 Holidays Beyond Christmas to Be Aware Of This Season
When December rolls around in the United States, everyone tends to fixate on Christmas to an extreme degree. And don’t get us wrong, there are a lot of now-secularized Christmas traditions that we love. Baking cookies for our friends, watching Love Actually without guilt, spiked eggnog, and of course, a tender sit-around-the-Christmas-tree-and-take-in-the lights moment. However, December is an important month all over the world, and it is filled with celebrations of ALL kinds. It just so happens that Christmas is the most popular girl in school around here; she’s the Regina George delivered to us by centuries of religious colonialism – we both love and hate her. To honor and recognize the many different celebrations, here is a little overview of some of the holidays celebrated by our team and by sustainable baddies all over the world. We also included some fun Hallmark holidays to mix up your holiday rotation!
Solstice Celebrations
December Solstice: The Winter Solstice happens every December and is celebrated around the world. Usually falling between December 20th and 23rd, the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere and the longest day in the southern hemisphere. The celebration often celebrates fire and light in the face of extreme darkness and other things that represent a similar dualism, like the sun and the moon or life and death. Many people use the solstice to celebrate a connection to the earth and natural world. It is a great reminder that we are existing on this crazy spinning orb sustained by the sun, the moon, and our planet’s resources.
Yule/Yuletide: Pagan celebrations like Yule or Yuletide celebrate the sun through rituals like lighting candles or having fires, and often include lots of yummy, warm, food.
Dong Zhi: Dong Zhi is the winter solstice celebration in China, and means “Winter’s Arrival.” The holiday is celebrated differently by all, but some popular traditions include making tangyuan (rice balls), dumplings, rice wine, and eating ginger rice. Usually the traditions center around honoring ancestors.
Shalako: Zuni tribes in New Mexico observe the solstice as their New Year with a series of celebrations centered around dances called Shalako. The celebration often includes fasting, praying, and an observation of the sun rising and setting.
Soyal: The Hopi tribes in Arizona celebrate the winter solstice through a ritual called Soyal. Usually, the ritual includes lots of singing and dancin, as well as gift offerings for children. Important stories are also passed down from elders to the younger members.
St. Lucias Day: This is a festival of light celebrated in Sweden and Finland. St. Lucia was killed for her religious views by the Roman empire in 304 CE. It usually kicks off the Christmas season in Scandinavia and signifies hope and light during this dark time of year. People celebrate by lighting candles and making candle crowns like the one St. Lucia wore. Some of us may recall this tradition from a certain Scandinavian American Girl Doll.
Shab-e Yalda: Yalda, which means rebirth in Persian, is an Iranian solstice celebration. Traditionally, fires are burned on the night of the shortest day of the year and keep burning until the next morning. The celebration symbolizes the victory of the sun god over darkness. Today the celebration is enjoyed with lots of fruit like persimmons and pomegranates, and drinking fruit tea.
Toji: Celebrated in Japan, is more of a traditional practice than a holiday celebration. To bring forth the coming days of more light and sun, people celebrate Toji by taking baths scented with Yuzu (a winter citrus fruit). Bathing in onsen, or hot springs, is popular this time of year. It is also common to eat foods like lotus root and daikon which symbolize fortune, or kabocha squash which is intended to bring good health.
Holidays
Our Lady of Gadualupe Day: Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated in many countries, but especially in Mexico, primarily by Mexican Catholics. It is told that on December 12th, 16th century Mexico City, Our Lady of Gadualupe arrived on Earth and informed a man named Juan Diego that she was the mother of Jesus and that she wished for a church to be built at that site. The Basilica de Gaudalupe is said to have been erected at this site, and the Basilica remains one of the most frequently visited Catholic sites in the world. The holiday is often honored with a visit to the Basilica, shared prayer, communal dance and song, and large feasts.
Hanukkah: Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration of light. According to National Geographic, Hanukkah means dedication, and the celebration “commemorates the miracle of light” that occurred when Jewish leader Judah found oil meant to last for one day, but miraculously provided light for eight days. According to writings in I Maccabees, the light led to Judah’s victory and he regained control of the Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the Hebrew god. In comparison to other Jewish holidays, Hanukkah is a minor holiday; however, it is widely celebrated due to its closeness to Christmas. The celebration lasts for eight days to honor the eight days of light, and each day, a candle is lit on a menorah. Secular traditions are also practiced, like eating Latkes and Sufganiyah which are made in oil.
Dia de los Reyes Magos: Three Kings Day is a popular holiday celebrated this season within many Latine communities. This is a Christian holiday that celebrates the first manifestation of Jesus and the epiphany that he is the son of God. Our very own in-house writer, Natasha Lopez, celebrates Dia de los Reyes Magos with her friends and family. According to Natasha, “some people give gifts on this day and it's common to have a rosca de reyes.” Rosca de Reyes is a sweet bread that is baked with a tiny baby Jesus statue inside. Apparently, you are especially lucky if you are the one who finds the baby in your bread!
Kwanzaa: A Holiday celebrated primarily in the U.S, Kwanzaa started in 1966 following the Watts Riots in Los Angeles, by Dr. Maulana Karenga. Kwanzaa is a non-religious holiday that honors seven principles: unity (umoja), self-determination (kujichagulia), collective responsibility (ujima), cooperative economics (ujamaa), purpose (nia), creativity (kuumba), and faith (imani). During the week-long holiday (December 26th - Jan 1) foods like black-eyed peas and collard greens are enjoyed to symbolize good luck and fortune. Sometimes gifts are exchanged, but only if they maintain a commitment to the principles being celebrated and practiced throughout the week.
Boxing Day: Boxing Day is celebrated on the day after Christmas in Great Britain and other countries with British colonial history (also known as the Commonwealth), like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Nigeria, Singapore, Ireland, Hong Kong, Trinidad & Tobago, and many more. The origins of this holiday and the etymology of the name is debated. Today, it is viewed as a bank holiday in many of these countries and is typically a shopping or sports holiday. Many stores will have Boxing Day sales similar to those of Black Friday, and the day is often stacked with soccer, rugby, horse racing, and other sporting events for viewing with friends and family.
Omisoka: Omisoka is the Japanese New Year’s Eve celebration. Omisoka is a day of reset and preparation for the new year. Activities like deep cleaning, taking long showers or baths, and doing laundry are meant to send one into the new year fully prepared. Right before the new year begins, around 11pm it is also traditional to enjoy a bowl of Toshikoshisoba. This noodle dish is made of soba noodles and is meant to signify the cutting off of bad patterns from the year before and entering the new year with good luck.
New Year’s Eve: Every December 31st, people all over the world gather with friends and family to welcome the new year with different traditions. In Spain and some Spanish-speaking countries, it is popular to eat twelve grapes to symbolize goals and values for the coming year. It is also popular to eat lentils or black-eyed-peas to symbolize good fortune. Pork, foods made in ring shapes, or long noodles are also popular in meals eaten all over the world on New Year's Eve. In general, New Year’s celebrations take place in many different countries and across different cultures. Many traditions center on wishing and hoping for good fortune, good health, and prosperity in the new year.
Indepence Days & Observance Days
December is a big month for independence, so check out some of the countries all over the world that observe their independence and celebrate their nationality in December.
Romanian Independence Day: Dec 1st
International Day For The Abolition of Slavery: Dec 2nd
Tanzanian Independence Day: Dec 9th
Thai Constitution Day: Dec 12th
Libyan Independence Day: Dec 24th
Slovenian Independence Day: Dec 26th
Mongolian Independence Day: Dec 29th
Some Fun Days To Celebrate!
We love a good national day for something totally random. They are great for setting a theme for a fun day with friends. Here are some of the silliest national holidays happening in December! Take these as an excuse to have a little fun outside of your regular festivities!
National Cotton Candy Day: Dec 7th
National Letter Writing Day: Dec 7th
National Brownie Day: Dec 8th
National Llama Day: Dec 9th
Gingerbread Decorating Day: Dec 12th
National Cream Cheese Frosting Day: Dec 13th
Canadian Maple Syrup Day: Dec 17th
National Emo Day: Dec 19th
National Sangria Day: Dec 20th
National Pumpkin Pie Day: Dec 25th
National Go-To-The-Zoo Day: Dec 27th
… Okay there are so many more but we will stop here!
Of course, for reasons we are all aware of (racism, capitalism, etc…), Christmas often takes the center stage throughout December. However, there are so many holidays, traditions, and identities being celebrated all month long that we don’t always give as much attention to them. Whether you are repairing your relationship to the holiday season, redefining it altogether, or are just happy to learn new things, we hope that this article brought a little bit of insight into all the reasons to spread holiday cheer throughout December!