December Global Holidays In All Over The World Every Year
December is the most celebrated month of the year. The time when everything seems festive around. With various traditions and holidays around, it is difficult to know what to begin with.
People mostly associate December with Christmas, but that is not all. December comes bearing a lot of celebration. There are numerous December global holidays which are celebrated with a lot of preparation. Some are religious, and some are celebrated as a form of tradition.
Wondering what are some of the best holiday events that fall around the month of December? Keep reading till the end to find out more information on the December global holidays! I will also be discussing the best destinations that you can visit during the celebration of these holidays.
List Of December Global Holidays To Travel | Ending The Year On A Festive Note
Even though December has the shortest day of the year, along with the chilling weather, it is also the most joyous season. People from all over the world, from different cultures, have a lot to celebrate, appreciate, and commemorate around this time of the year.
Here is a small guide to what you can expect, the symbolisms, the special foods, and how the world celebrates the most renowned December global holidays.
1. Christmas
In the religion of Christianity, Christmas is a historical form of celebration to rejoice the birth of Jesus Christ. Whether celebrated as a cultural celebration or for religious reason, Christmas traditions are known to vary around the world majorly. This is one of the very popular winter holidays around the world.
While the Americans are known to celebrate with Christmas Trees, decorative lights, and dream of snowy wonderlands, it falls during Australia’s summer. Over there, it is popular to go to the beach or even for camping over this particular holiday. Some Australians even are known to decorate a “Christmas Bush,” – which is an Australian native tree that has small flowers and green leaves that are known to turn red in color during this time.
Best Destinations To Visit On This Holiday!
- Bethlehem, West Bank
- Lapland, Finland
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- The Vatican, Italy
- Bondi Beach, Australia
- New York City, USA
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Munich, Germany
- Vienna, Austria
- Dublin, Ireland
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Berlin, Germany
- Valkenburg, Netherlands
- Copenhagen, Denmark
2. Hanukkah
Hanukkah, also often referred to as Chanukkah, is an 8-day Jewish celebration known to commemorate the re-dedication of the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem following the Revolt of the Maccabean. It is one of the religious holidays in December. Even though in reality there was only little oil to keep the candles of menorah’s burning for just one day. Still, the flames continued to burn for a total of eight nights.
Hannukah, also known as the festival of lights, begins on the 25th of Kislev on the “Hebrew Calendar.” The celebrations mainly revolve around lighting of this menorah.
Best Destinations To Visit On This Holiday!
3. Kwanzaa
Dr. Maulana Karenga created the Kwanzaa in the year 1966 after the riots of Watts in Los Angeles. He founded a cultural organization and then started African harvest celebrations. From there on, he combined different aspects of various celebrations to form the basis of Kwanzaa.
Each family is known to celebrate Kwanzaa in their own way – they include dances and songs. There’s also poetry reading, African drums and a lot of storytelling.
On each of the 7 nights, the families gather and a child then lights one of the candles of the Kinara; then one by one, the seven values and principles of the African culture are discussed.
Best Destinations To Visit On This Holiday!
- New York City
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- Atlanta
4. Boxing Day
This is one exciting december global holidays among the many holidays around the world – Boxing Day is known to take place on the 26th of December. The holiday, which is now only observed in a select few nations, was invented in the United Kingdom in the Middle Ages.
It was the day when the alms box, a tradition that still occurs in some places, was opened and its contents were given. Alms boxes are collection boxes for the poor that are frequently stored in churches. Additionally, it was the day that servants had a holiday from work so they could spend Christmas with their families.
In several nations, including the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, Boxing Day is now observed as a public holiday. Boxing Day is frequently the day for soccer games and horse races in England. The Irish call the occasion St. Stephen’s Day and have a custom known as “hunting the wren,” in which young men affix a phony wren to a pole and parade it through the neighborhood. Boxing Day is observed in the Bahamas with the Junkanoo festival and street procession. Find out more about Boxing Day’s beginnings here.
Keep reading to find out more about december global holidays and places where you can visit to be a part of those events!
Best Destinations To Visit On This Holiday!
- Bethlehem, West Bank
- Lapland, Finland
- New York City, USA
- The Vatican, Italy
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Bondi Beach, Australia
- Dublin, Ireland
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Munich, Germany
- Vienna, Austria
- Valkenburg, Netherlands
- Copenhagen, Denmark
5. Ōmisoka
As the last day of the previous year and the eve of New Year’s Day, the most significant day of the year, misoka, or New Year’s Eve, is regarded as the second-most significant day in Japanese tradition. For the final time in the old year, families congregate on Misoka by having a bowl of toshikoshi-udon or toshikoshi-soba as part of a custom that centres on consuming the long noodles to usher in the new year.
Many people go to temples or shrines at midnight for Hatsumde. Most of the Buddhist temples are known to have massive cast bells which are struck once and that too for each of the hundred and eight earthly desires thought to be the source of human misery, and Shinto shrines prepare amazake to distribute to crowds. Click here to read more about misoka.
Best Destinations To Visit On This Holiday!
‣ Japan
6. Winter solstice and Yule
In various cultures across the world, people celebrate December Solstice or Winter Solstice and Yule. It is celebrated from December 21 to January 1st. In a literal sense, it is the shortest day of the year, and people celebrate solstice through the festival of Yule.
It celebrates the longest night and the shortest day of the year. This is one of the most celebrated December global holidays and is associated with spiritual practice and has great significance. In China, the celebration of the winter solstice is known as the Dongzhi Festival.
The upcoming date for the Dongzhi Festival is 21st December 2024.
Yule basically celebrates the re-emerging of the sun, and after that, the days begin to grow longer. The history of the festival can be traced back to Scandinavia, where the festival was started as a Norse festival.
The Neo-Pagans and the Wiccans are the ones who mostly started this celebration. However, now it is considered a global holiday and is celebrated all over the world. As a part of the tradition, people burn the yule log, and originally it was done to celebrate the return of the sun.
Best Destinations To Visit On This Holiday!
‣ Stonehenge, United Kingdom
‣ Dongzhi, China
‣ Shab-e Yalda, Iran
7. Krampusnacht
Krampusnacht is a December global holiday that is celebrated on the 5th of December. This is celebrated every year, but mostly around Germany and other European countries.
Krampus night, or Krampusnacht, is celebrated with screaming kids along with men dressed in devilish costumes to make them look scary. In a way, it is a lot like Halloween. However, this is a centuries-old radiation that is celebrated the night right before the celebration of St. Nicholas feast.
People believe that a Krampus is a half-goat and half-man creature with big fangs, red eyes, and large horns. Men dress up in a furry costume that resembles the look of a Krampus, along with demonic masks, and scare the naughty children with twigs and visit the nearby villages.
Like Santa presents kids with kids who have been good the entire year, it is said that Krampus punishes those who do not behave. It is a reminder for the naughty kids to behave well the next year so that Krampus dosen’t visit them.
Best Destinations To Visit On This Holiday!
‣ Germany
‣ Other European countries
Regional and National Holidays During Christmas
Along with the December global holidays, the national and regional celebrations also make the air more joyous. Further, national and regional holidays/celebrations are important to acknowledge and preserve cultural uniqueness.
In addition, the national and regional festivals are great ways for community building and national integration. So, at Dream and Travel, we want to briefly introduce Saint Nicholas Day and Las Posadas.
Saint Nicholas Day: (Upcoming Date: December 6, 2024)
Saint Nicholas was a saint from the 3rd century, and according to popular beliefs, he is the saint who inspired Santa Claus. Further, Saint Nicholas was most benevolent, and he helped the poor by selling all his belongings.
For Christians practicing altruistic activities, Saint Nicholas Day is an important day of celebration.
Further, it is a delightful festival for children. They keep boots outside the doors so that Saint Nicholas can visit their houses and fill the shoes with gifts.
Saint Nicholas Day celebration is huge in Switzerland and other parts of Central Europe. So, on this occasion, you can plan a trip to Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, and Czech Republic.
Las Posadas (Upcoming Date: 16 Dec, 2024 – Tue, 24 Dec, 2024)
Posadas means lodging or inn in Spanish. Further, the festival of Las Posadas is very important for the people of Mexico. Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Joseph, her husband, made an arduous journey to Bethlehem from Nazareth.
Upon reaching Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to Jesus. Along with beautiful customs or carols and the association of food and drink with the festival, Las Posadas is more of a festival to share Christmas traditions with the people of Mexico.
If you want to be a part of this beautiful festival, you can visit, of course, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and other parts of Latin America.
Unique and Lesser-Known Holidays
Some communities and countries celebrate some regional or religious festivals during the December global holidays. Pancha Ganapati is one such Hindu festival.
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, a converted Hindu, started this festival, and today, it is quite popular in Hawaii. India and many other South Asian countries worship Lord Ganesha on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, which usually falls in August or early September.
The upcoming dates for the Pancha Ganapati celebration are 21st to 25th December 2024. This Christmas, you can plan a visit to the Saiva Siddhanta Church in Hawaii, United States, to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha.
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