December Holidays

Bodhi Day – December 8^th

This holiday is celebrated by Buddhists which commemorates the day the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, achieved enlightenment.  The day is celebrated with chanting and meditation.  Acts of kindness to other beings predominates.

Saturnalia – December 17^th – December 23^rd

This was the ancient Roman festival held in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. This was the most popular of Roman holidays most probably because it featured a relaxation of social restrictions and featured role reversals between the class structures including slaves. As more colorful clothing replaced togas, gift giving, and feasting with excessive drinking figured prominently into this holiday.

Beiwe Festival – December 21^st

This festival was celebrated by the Saami, a Finno-Ugric people who originated in Scandinavia.   The winter solstice honored Beiwe, the sun goddess, by sacrificing a white female reindeer.  They also smeared butter onto their doorposts to provide sustenance to the goddess.

Dongzi Festival – December 21^st

This is a Chinese celebration marking the winter solstice celebrating the arrival of winter. This is a time for family celebrations, during which Tangyuan, brightly colored balls made of rice flour, are served.  This year the Dongzahi Festival occurs on Wednesday, December 21^st; but, like many other celebrations this date changes to coincide with the changing date of the winter solstice.

Pancha Ganapati – December 21^st

This is a Hindu festival honoring Lord Ganesha which occurs from December 21^st to December 25^th. The focus of this festival is upon mending past mistakes and it also offers the opportunity of new beginnings. Each day of the festival is designed to bring forth love and harmony.  On each day of the festival, children are given gifts which they place unopened in front of a special statue. On the fifth day, the children are allowed to open their presents.

  

Soyal – December 21^st

This is a ceremony performed by the Hopi and Zuni peoples whose intent is to begin the new year on the date of the winter solstice.  This ceremony marks the arrival of the “kachinas” which are believed to be benevolent spirit beings that remain with the group until the summer solstice. Children do receive gifts from adults dressed as kachinas.

Winter Solstice - December 21st 

This is an astronomical event which occurs once a year when the sun appears at noon at its lowest altitude above the horizon.  The event has had enormous significance for people around the world, from neolithic times to the present.  It is most probably the source or has greatly influenced all winter holidays celebrated by various cultures. Before food preservation was perfected, winter was often a time of severe hardship resulting in much starvation.  Solstice was typically the last day of feasting before spring began.  Livestock herds were thinned to avoid the need of having to feed them during the winter; therefore, much of the time meat was readily available.  As the event marks the reversal of the sun’s ebbing in the sky, many cultures associated this event with the birth if the new year.

Yaldaa – December 21^st

This is a Persian winter solstice tradition which  has also lost its religious significance.  It still is a popular holiday as it has become an occasion for families to reunite with feasting and staying up past midnight.  Foods served during this feast often have magical implications for those who consumed them; for instances, garlic soothes joint pain or watermelon ensures health during the upcoming summer.  

Yule – December 21^st

This was a midwinter festival practiced by many Germanic tribes. The Yule festival was absorbed into the Christmas celebration as Germanic lands became Christianized.  In addition to the familiar Yule Log, the tradition of a Christmas Ham most probably originate from the sacrifice of the Yule boar.  Christmas Caroling is also most likely descended from the Yule Festival.

Hanukkah - December 24th

This eight-day festival celebrates the re-dedication of the temple following a successful revolt by the Jews over their Seleucid conquers.   According to tradition, during the re-dedication ceremony, only a day's worth of oil for the menorah could be found, yet the holy lamp miraculously stayed lit for eight days, by which time further oil could be procured.  Because the dates for Hanukkah are set by the Hebrew calendar, the festival dates can range between late November and late December on the Gregorian calendar.

Modranniht – December 24^th

This Anglo Saxon pagan festival is also known as the Night of the Mothers.  Bede, the 7^th and 8^th century English historian, was the first to connect this festival to the Yuletide celebrations of other Germanic peoples.  It appears that this festival paid homage to the female deities in the Germanic cultures.

Christmas – December 25^th

Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and, as such, is celebrated by hundreds of millions of people around the world. Due to the worldwide popularity of this holiday, it is reasonable to conclude that it is celebrated very differently in many cultures.  In Norway, a gnome figure brings presents while in the United States, they are brought by Santa Clause.  In Spain, it is The Three Wisemen who delivered gifts.  Food plays a big part in holiday celebrations in many countries; for instance, in Bulgaria twelve meatless dishes are served.  In Sicily, twelve kinds of fish are served. While in Wales, taffy making is a Christmas tradition. 

Dies Natalis Solis Invicti - December 25th

This festival is also known as the Festival of the Birth of the Unconquered Sun.  It was the celebration day of the late Roman/early medieval sun god, Sol Invictus.  In reality, Sol Invictus was a title which allowed for the merger of several different sun gods from around the Roman Empire. This also included the Persian sun god, Mithras, whose celebration day was also December 25th.

Koleda  - December 21st 

This was a ten day long Slavic pagan celebration that began on winter solstice.  During this time, families would light fires in their hearths and worship their personal gods. Children would dress in disguises and go, door to door, singing, where they would receive treats and gifts in return.

Christmastide/The Twelve Days of Christmas – December 25th – January 6th

The twelve feast days which begin on the 25^th of December and ends before the Feast of the Epiphany on the 6^th of January, is known as Christmastide.   This commemorates the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus.  In medieval England, the Twelve Day s were known as a period of continuous feasting and revelry, which also adapted customs from the Roman tradition of Saturnalia.  Role reversals is but one such example. 

Kwanzaa - 26th December - January 1st

A celebration, held in the United States, which honors the African heritage in their Africian-American culture. Each of the seven days of celebration honors one of these seven principles: Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith.

Boxing Day – December 26^th

Traditionally, Boxing Day is the day after Christmas and it was the special day on which servants, employees and tradesmen would receive presents from their employers.  The name most probably references the alms box in churches which held donations to the poor.  Today, in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is a shopping holiday similar to that of Black Friday in the United States.

Hogmanay – December 31^st

This is the Scottish New Year festival which is celebrated beginning on New Year’s Eve and lasting throughout the night until the morning of New Year’s Day. "First-footing" is the most popular custom of this Scottish celebration. This involves being the first person to cross the threshold of a friend’s or neighbor’s house at midnight.  The person entering gives a gift to the homeowner to ensure good luck for the coming year.  Hogmanay’s most familiar export is the song, “Auld Lang Syne.”

New Year’s Eve -  December 31^st

The last day of the year is observed by many world cultures.  It is frequently celebrated with special foods, parties, music, fireworks, and numerous other activities for young and old alike.